Product Training

Handbook 1
A General Introduction
to Toyota Forklift

se Only
rnal U
Inte
 Contents
1. PREFACE ................................................................................. 3
2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION (1) A Brief History of Forklift Trucks..................... 4
(2) Logistics............................................................. 6
(3) The Role of Logistics and Material Handling.... 6
(4) Objectives of Material Handling....................... 7
(5) Cost Factors in Forklift Truck Selection............ 8
(6) Role of the Forklift in Material Handling.......10

3. CLASSIFICATION OF INDUSTRIAL VEHICLES (1) Classification of Industrial Vehicles............... 12

(2) Forklift Classification..................................... 14
(3) I.T.A. Classification .......................................18
(4) Review of Industrial Vehicles Used in
Different Stages of Material Handling............20

2
1.
PREFACE

As a Toyota Forklift Representative, you are offering

your customers one of the best-selling forklift names in the
world. Toyota has been manufacturing forklifts for more
than 40 years, longer than many other manufacturers.
Toyota knows the forklift industry and it knows how to
make reliable forklifts that its customers can depend upon.
Accordingly, as a Toyota Forklift Representative, you
are now a part of immense international team dedicated to
providing information about Toyota Forklifts. Your knowl-
edge and the way you present it can make the difference as
to whether a customer chooses Toyota or not.
It is now up to you to learn as much as you can about
material handling in general and forklifts in particular.
This will enable you to offer professional advice to your
clients in a clear and easy-to-understand manner. This
booklet will help you learn more about material handling
and the wide range of equipment Toyota offers.

3
 2. (1) A Brief History of the Forklift Tru
BACKGROUND
When you consider the popularity of
forklifts today, it is amazing that the history of
the forklift is somewhat unclear. While there are
different opinions as to when the first actual
forklift appeared, there is no question that it was
originally an American invention. Some of the
earliest types of industrial vehicles, known then
as platform trucks, appeared around 1910.
These were relatively simple machines powered
by storage batteries or gasoline motors. It is
believed that these simple designs were com-
bined with the advanced technology of the time
to form the first machines with true forklift
functions, which were first made available in the
1930's.
Some of the first advertisements for fork-
lifts actually presented the forklift as a platform
truck capable of lifting and tilting loads. An
early American manufacturer of forklifts, the
Towmotor Corporation, was originally a tractor
manufacturer that focused its research and

● 1956 ● 1972 ● 1979

4
cks

development on the advancement of the forklift. Toyota began to develop forklifts in the
In 1932, another American manufacturer early 1950’s and supplied its first forklift in
offered the first electric-powered forklift which Japan in 1956. It became an exporter of forklifts
was operated by a standing operator. In 1933, in 1958. Since that time it has manufactured
the Towmotor corporation manufactured what is much more than 1,000,000 forklifts, a feat
probably the first conventional forklift. Much matched by few other forklift manufacturers.
like the forklifts of today, it had a mast operated Among the million is Toyota's 1 to 3 ton forklift,
by a hydraulic system, rear steer wheels and the best-selling forklift in the world.
front drive wheels and the operator sat near the The count continues. However, now pro-
center of the machine. duction is not only from the Takahama Plant, the
While most of the manufacturers at that largest facility in the world dedicated exclu-
time started by manufacturing electric-powered sively to the manufacture of industrial vehicles.
forklifts, gasoline engine forklifts became more Production is now being carried out at state-of-
popular because these could be used for various the-art facilities in France and the United States.
operations. That which started out as a research prod-
The beginning of the Second World War uct turned into the best-selling forklift in the
brought about two important factors, a dramatic world. Toyota has dedicated itself to continuing
increase in demand and the availability of newer this trend utilizing the knowledge gained over
technology. By the end of the war, the forklift forty years to make even better forklifts capable
had become a popular method of material of meeting today's material handling needs.
transport.

Special
Note Remind you customer that Toyota has a long history and is one of the most popular names
in forklifts. It must be doing something right. Also remind the customer that Toyota is going
against the trend of many other forklift manufacturers by building factories in France and the
United States. Many other forklift companies take pride in having a brand name associated with
a specific country or region. However, in fact, many are manufactured in foreign countries
using low-cost labor and generic parts.

● 1986 ● 1994 ● 2000

5
 (2) Logistics (3) The Role of Logistics and
Material Handling
Generally speaking, the term material ● To regulate the distance between the
handling refers to the specific task of moving manufacturing area and the area where the
material from location to location, such as from product is consumed.
production to storage and from storage to Most cultures throughout the world started
shipment and delivery. However, material as self-sufficient societies where the area of
handling is part of a larger and more complex production and the area of consumption were the
system called logistics. Logistics includes same. Today this is different. Factories and
strategic factors that can control the cost of farms are located far away from the cities where
manufacturing as well as the speed and effi- the consumers live. The strategic location of a
ciency that the product is provided to the con- factory or a farm along with the efficient use of
sumer. transportation and material handling technolo-
The important point here is that the fork- gies can help to "control" the distance between
lifts you are selling are a part of much larger the producer and the consumer.
system than what you see before your eyes. In ● To regulate the time between the
terms of logistics, the forklift is like a gear in manufacturing of the product and its
large transmission. consumption.
The following is a brief overview of Since the area of production and the area of
logistics and material handling. consumption is separated, the product must be
temporarily stored before it is consumed. The
time required and location of this storage can be
controlled to enhance the control of the follow-
ing factor.
● To regulate supply and demand and provide

Warehouse
stability in price and demand.
Factory If there is no control over supply and
demand, prices are subject to rapid and unstable
fluctuations which benefit only a few. Providing
to meet precise demands helps to stabilize prices
so that consumers can be assured of a supply of
Warehouse
products at reasonable prices.

Distance

Regulated by
Logistics
Warehouse Time Supply &
Demand

Consumer

6
(4) Objectives of Material Handling

Material handling is directly related to the Increased Productivity

overall cost-effectiveness and profitability of Again, a well-planned material handling
companies manufacturing or transporting goods. system can help reduce wasted time and labor.
Remember that material handling includes a This results in increased productivity, which
very broad process and forklifts are one part of means doing more work in less time and with
material handling. less cost.
While the objectives of material handling
are straight-forward, the methods for attaining
them can be extremely complex. The basic
objectives of material handling include the
following.

Objectives of Material Handling

1. Production time saving
2. Support for the control of material flow
3. Reduction of inventories
4. Efficient use of floor space.
5. Less fatigue for workers and the prevention of
injuries
6. Integration of transport and processing opera- Increased Safety
Most countries have governmental agencies
tions.
that enforce safety laws and regulations. Usu-
As a result, the following benefits can be
ally, these are only basic guidelines. A respon-
attained.
sible manufacturer will take steps to provide
Total Cost Saving (Including Handling cost) other features, such as interlock devices, safety
valves and enhanced visibility. Toyota goes
Lower handling costs will reach the bottom
further beyond governmental guidelines by
line of any business. Increasing speed, reducing
providing features such as SAS*.
the labor involved or eliminating handling
equipment costs will help lower overall operat-
ing costs. However, these factors must be
evaluated in consideration of overall productiv-
ity.
In some cases, this may mean installing
dedicated equipment such as unmanned convey-
ance equipment, conveyor lines, and other
specialized handling equipment. However, in
many cases, an efficient and dependable forklift
can help speed handling tasks.

*Note: SAS=System of Active Stability

See “Basic Design of Forklift Trucks” (P31)

7
 (5) Cost Factors in Forklift
Truck Selection
A forklift is an expensive piece of equip-
ment. Each customer will have to carefully
consider many factors before making a decision.
The following factors can help you guide the
customer to the right decision.

Justification Analysis
A justification analysis includes two main
parts: a summary of existing factors and a
prediction of future factors and results. It helps
the customer see how the increased productivity
of a forklift will pay for its initial cost. Here are
some key points to be considered.

(a) Simple is Best (c) Use Formula to Accurately Calculate

Highly detailed analyses require a great Predicted Savings
deal of effort to create. These are usually only The methods of cost justification of forklift
needed when building a new factory or adding trucks are beyond the scope of this booklet.
production lines. They are seldom needed for However, it would be useful to list the cost
on-going operations. factors to be considered in the calculation of
handling costs. It would also be useful to
(b) Accurate Data include the incidental savings to a given han-
Use as much existing data as possible. dling operation. The following are the general
Most companies do not keep this kind of data so cost factors that may apply.
it may be necessary to measure distances and The material handling costs can be calcu-
time the operations yourself. Be sure to separate lated using the following cost factors: initial
the direct factors (such as fuel costs and hours of cost, operating cost and maintenance cost.
operation) and indirect factors (such as im-
proved quality and better customer relations).

8
How to Calculate Total Cost
The following is the total cost breakdown of the trucks.
This will help the customer to know the expenses required
for the new truck introduction.

INITIAL COST FACTORS MAINTENANCE COST FACTORS

<Initial Truck Cost> <Repair Costs>

This would be the "sticker price" of the There are the unexpected repairs, such as
forklift. If the forklift was financed, the total flat tires or engine trouble.
cost of the loan would be added to this value. <Consumable Costs>
<Auxiliary Equipment Cost> Consumables are the items that must be
This is support equipment for the forklift replaced, such as spark plugs, oil, oil filters,
such as a battery charger or LPG tanks. brake pads and hydraulic fluid. Take note of
<Installation or Modification Cost> not calculating twice if the items are included
Special racks or guide rails may be in the repair costs.
required for reach trucks or order pickers. The <Depreciation>
incline of ramps may need to be reduced for This is an accounting term to describe the
some electric forklifts. decline of value of an object over the period of
<Trade-In Value of Existing Trucks> its service life.
The existing truck may have some resale
value. This value should be subtracted from <FUEL CONSUMPTION TABLE>
the Initial Cost. Unit (engine): liters per day
Unit (electric: kWh per day
<Sales or Other Related Taxes>
1 Ton 1.5 Ton 2 Ton 2.5 Ton 3 Ton
Sales taxes and other fees such as regis-
tration or operating permits should be consid- 5K 15.3 15.7 16 16.5
Gasoline
ered. 4Y 25.2 25.7 26.5 27
1DZ 14.9 15.2 15.5 16 16.3
OPERATING COST FACTORS Diesel
2Z 14.6 15 15.3

< Annual Working Days> 5K 19.1 19.5 19.9 20.5

LPG
<Fuel Cost> 4Y 25.2 25.7 26.5 27
This cost can be roughly calculated using 7FB 15.9 19.3 21.7 27.2 32.5
Electric
the following "Fuel Consumption Table". 7FBR 9.7 13.5
Estimated Fuel Cost = Fuel Consumption
Rate* x Unit Price of Fuel x Annual Working Conditions
The engine-powered forklift is used for five hours a day at
Days 70% of full operation (Toyota 30 meter cycle test).
<Labor Cost> The electric forklift is used each day until 75% of the standard
This cost could be obtained by multiply- battery capacity has been discharged. Note that these are only
estimated fuel consumption values. They are not guaranteed.
ing the labor rate per day and above Annual
Workting Days.

9
 (6) Role of the Forklift in package was delivered from outside the facility.
However, the process would be the same if the
Material Handling package was received from inside the same
facility. In addition, some of the steps may be
As mentioned earlier, material handling is a abbreviated or by-passed.
sub-process and the forklift is one part of this Let's take a look at how the forklift can fit
sub-process. In this section, we are going to into each of these steps. Note that the names of
examine how the forklift fits into the material various types of material handling equipment
handling process. that you may not know about will be introduced
The basic flow of materials within a facility here. They are shown in italic type. This equip-
goes something like this. A package is taken ment will be explained in detail in the next
from the delivery vehicle, such as a truck or section.
trailer (Receiving). It is then classified according Receiving
to its next or final destination (Sorting). If the Here the forklift would be used to unload
package is not needed immediately, it may be from the truck, trailer or other delivery vehicle.
placed in a warehouse or other holding area A forklift could also be used to bring parts or
(Storing). Once the stored package is required, it final products from production lines to the
is taken out of the warehouse or holding area receiving area. From here the next step is deter-
(Retrieving). The package may need special mined.
preparation before it can go to its next destina- Sorting
tion (Packing). After all, these procedures have In this step, the package is positioned so
been completed, the package is transported to its that it is ready for its next step. This may include
next destination (Delivering). tagging large packages for storage or removing
Note that the above flow assumes that the the products from sub-packaging. It can also

Receiving Sorting Storing

10
include arranging each of the products for narrow aisles and high racks. By being dedi-
storage or sending to the next step. Here the cated to a specific job, these special forklifts can
forklift is used to collect and re-position the enhance the overall material handling operation.
packages. Smaller vehicles, called powered Retrieving
pallet trucks may be used to reposition items This means removing the stored package or
within a short distance or used to transport small parts. Again, the special equipment mentioned
loads a short distance. above will help enhance this operation and make
Storing maximum utilization of the floor space in the
This means putting the package or the storage area.
components in a warehouse or similar area so Packing
that they can be efficiently picked up when This is the process in which products or
required later. packages are prepared for transport to the next
Needless to say, it takes a lot of money to process. This could mean packing the products
prepare a building or special area for storage. in boxes or arranging the packages on pallets for
Keeping floor space of this area as small as easier delivery. Again powered pallet trucks are
possible is one method to save costs. Floor one of the most convenient ways of handling
space can be most efficiently utilized by using small loads for short distances.
racks and shelves. High racks and narrow aisles Shipping
can help maximize storage space. This means delivering the packaged prod-
While the forklift is capable of placing and ucts or parts to their destinations. If the package
removing the packages from the racks, special is being shipped to another facility, it will be
types of forklifts such as reach-trucks, narrow loaded on a truck, trailer or other vehicle by a
aisle stacker units and rack stockers are capable forklift. If the package is destined for location
of working more efficiently in storage areas with within the same facility, a forklift does the work.

Retrieving Packing Shipping

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