Palletways has launched new forklift truck-mounted sensor technology which it believes will make existing standalone pallet assessment and measuring obsolete.
Announcing the news at its 2022 UK Conference at Silverstone race circuit, the company said 'Palletways ID' is a world-first for the global logistics industry and takes operational efficiency and health and safety within pallet-focused environments to new levels.
The result of two years of research and development, it combines four key data measurements in one go and identifies a pallet through imaging and barcode scanning, while delivering pinpoint accurate weight measurements as the pallet is being moved.
For the first time, it also cubes its dimensions in seconds, again while the FLT is in motion.
Initially born from the operational need to capture and harness accurate data on individual pallets instantly and on the go, the technology is also said to deliver greater than ever real-time information for health and safety.
Palletways hopes to roll out the technology across its UK hubs by the end of June.
“This is not simply a first for pallet networks, but a first for the whole logistics industry," Palletways UK MD Rob Gittins (pictured) told MT. "This doesn’t just build on current technology, which involves stationary measurement tools such as cubing boxes and finger scanners. It effectively makes them obsolete.
“Our technology’s ability to effectively combine these four processes into one and capture instantly while on the move is a world first and a giant leap forward for logistics safety and efficiency.
“Health and safety is our number one priority. The accurate weight and size data gathered by Palletways ID on every single pallet sent through the network means that any potential safety issues can be flagged at source before they arise and acted upon to prevent an incident before it happens.”
Added Richard Miller, UK Head of IT at Palletways UK: “Crucially, the tech places into the hands of drivers all the information they need to safely deliver on a tail lift. With Palletways ID gathering the data on every single pallet, flags can be raised to ensure oversized, heavy or dangerous pallets are removed from the operation and rectified before reaching the lorry.
“We are tackling the age-old problem of how to improve efficiency and data quality but without hindering overall performance. You cannot buy time, you have to try and make it, and Palletways ID is the first technology in our sector to do this by taking four key data measurements in real time and in one swift FLT movement.”