Comfort and productivity
March 1st 2010 Yale's electric forklift development programme continues
with the launch of a new 80-Volt counterbalance series to be
made at the company's Craigavon facility in Northern Ireland
The VL is claimed to be the most
energy efficient, ergonomically
advanced and productive
counterbalance forklift series in the 2200kg
to 3500kg capacity available today.
Compact in design, the VL offers a
performance normally only
associated with diesel and LPG
forklift trucks, but without the
indoor application restrictions
often associated
with engine
powered fork lift
trucks.
The VL
series is a
four wheel
electric
counterbalance supercushion
tyre forklift truck
with five wheelbase and
capacity configurations.
The VL is suitable for use
in both indoor or outside
applications, particularly in
environments where space is
at a premium.
Advanced ergonomics
Yale understands that ergonomics and
productivity are inexorably linked which
has helped the company to deliver a series
of fork lift trucks that combines both
function and form that will impress
operators and fleet managers.
The VL series benefits from many
features introduced on the company's
VT/VF and VG series; these include:
easy on/off access and three point entry;
unobstructed floor space with right-hand
access;
generous headroom, comfortably
accommodating the smallest (<160cm)
to the tallest (>194cm) operators;
AccuTouch mini lever module featuring
angled cushioned arm and palm rest with
fingertip control of levers to reduce
repetitive strain injuries (RSI);
full suspension seat providing the low
Whole Body Vibration (WBV) levels;
heads up display for increased visibility
and ease of use.
Local manufacture
The new VL series is being made in Ireland
at Yale's Craigavon facility which
manufactures and assembles more Yale
forklift product than any other site within
NMHG (NACCO Materials Handling
Group), Yale's parent company, including
sites in Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Holland and
two sites in the United States. The latest
new product developments the VT and VF
are also built at the Craigavon plant.
Yale offers a wide variety of
customisation options available across its
range, meaning less than 3% of forklift
trucks are made to the exact same
specification. The Craigavon plant has been
structured to cater for this unpredictable
demand pattern ensuring that the
production line can adapt easily and
efficiently.
Meeting customers' needs
Daniel Heap, electric truck senior product
development manager for Yale, says: "The
materials handling market, like many
others, has been suffering from the effects
of the global financial downturn.With the
launch of the Yale's new VT, VF, VG and
now VL series of forklift
trucks Yale is already
providing customers with
new ways of responding
to today's challenges.
"The development
of the electric forklift
truck range has taken
into account not only
the requirements of
the finance
director and
the operations
manager with their
need for lower costs; our extensive
research into driver requirements has
ensured that Yale trucks have industry
leading operator comfort and unique
features to ensure that the driver remains
comfortable and productive throughout the
day." More articles from Yale Europe Materials Handling: | 
