In recognition of its connected and automated material handling solutions, Crown Equipment Corporation, one of the world’s largest material handling companies, has been named to the Food Logistics 2020 FL100+ Top Software and Technology Providers list for the eighth consecutive year.

The annual FL100+ list features software and technology providers whose products and services advance the productivity and compliance of companies in the global food and beverage supply chain. Crown and other awardees on the FL100+ list are profiled in the November/December 2020 issue of Food Logistics and at www.foodlogistics.com.

Crown’s connected technology solutions transform forklifts into mobile information hubs that provide customers valuable data to enhance warehouse operations, product movement, worker productivity and equipment utilization,

said Jim Gaskell, director of global technology business development, Crown Equipment.

These solutions empower material handling operations in the food and beverage industry to align with customer demands for heightened return on investment. They are part of Crown’s integrated material handling solutions that include warehouse design, customized racking, lift trucks and equipment, making Crown the single source for complete warehouse solutions.

Crown’s technology solutions played an integral role in raising productivity and uptime for Lipari Foods, a wholesale distributor of dry, refrigerated and frozen foods. Crown helped Lipari develop a complete solution for a new 260,000-square-foot warehouse to support Lipari’s rapid growth. This included an engineered standard racking system, process improvements and RM Series reach trucks equipped with Xpress Lower technology, which increases top lowering speed from 110 to 240 feet per minute without using additional energy.

Xpress Lower technology enabled Lipari to implement a process change that prevented reach truck operators from raising and lowering the forks while traveling, a practice that had resulted in frequent damage to racks and required replacement of at least one rack upright each week. The reduced cycle times offered by the Xpress Lower technology enabled the company to maintain a high level of productivity and eliminate rack damage.

Crown was very instrumental in helping us select the products and equipment that we used. So, whether it’s the racking, whether it’s the material handling equipment, Crown has nailed it on both ends,

said Thom Lipari, president and CEO of Lipari Foods.

Crown’s other advanced software and technology solutions that help food and beverage companies increase productivity, safety and efficiency include:

• Crown DualMode technology, which enables vehicles to switch between manual and automated operation depending on the needs of the facility, without intervention from a specialized support team. DualMode technology enables warehouses to deploy automation solutions in a scalable, phased approach.
• Connected solutions, such as Crown’s InfoLink operator and fleet management system. InfoLink helps set and monitor productivity benchmarks, reduce major impact events by up to 80% and identify cost-saving opportunities.
• QuickPick Remote order picking technology, which enables operators to advance the lift truck to the next pick location with the press of a button on a wireless remote, increasing productivity and reducing operator fatigue.
• Auto Positioning System, which blends lift and travel to optimize the time required for lift trucks to reach and automatically stop at a selected rack location. This can increase productivity up to 25% compared to manual operation.

Source: Crown Equipment