Tips for Purchasing Your Warehouse’s Next Forklift

A new forklift is a serious investment for your business. When it comes time to purchase a new forklift for your warehouse, it is important to ensure that you are finding the best truck to meet both your needs and your budget. Because of the range of options for forklifts, there are a few key considerations you need to take into account before you make a commitment.

1. Know Your Business Needs

The first step in choosing the ideal forklift for your warehouse is knowing the needs of your business. If you have a large warehouse, you may require multiple types of lift trucks for different applications. With multiple factors in play, it is important that you match the performance of your new forklift to the needs that are not currently being met in your warehouse.

2. Compare Total Cost of Ownership

While you may be tempted to purchase the cheapest forklift that matches your needs, there are other monetary considerations to take into account. You should instead compare lift trucks based on total cost of ownership, which incorporates not only the cost upfront, but also overall productivity, repair and maintenance costs, financing, and energy use.

3. Check the Ergonomic Design

Another important factor to consider is the ergonomic design of the forklift. Research is showing that lift trucks that have a superior ergonomic design benefit the operator by improving energy and health. This leads to both higher rates of productivity and fewer missed days of work.

4. Ask About Maintenance & Repair

One major factor to take into account when purchasing a new forklift is maintenance and repair. First, you want to ensure that the parts for your lift truck will be readily available in case of necessary repairs. Second, make certain that your dealer has properly trained support personnel to provide maintenance and repairs for your forklift.

5. Trust The Dealer

Last but not least, before you make any forklift purchase, do your research on the dealer. Your dealer should have positive customer reviews and referrals as well as knowledgeable sales personnel. In addition, the dealer should understand the specific needs of your industry and be able to advise you on finding the ideal forklift for your application.