tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77857977332568564292012-01-27T20:05:49.407-06:00Toyota-Lift of MinnesotaForklift information, tips, and topical information.Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.comBlogger6371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-79330874597193573192012-01-27T06:21:00.000-06:002012-01-27T06:21:54.890-06:00CSR Certification: Three Make Third GearCertification doesn’t trump value, but it certainly validates.
Our CSR staff mentioned in yesterday’s post reached the pinnacle of Toyota’s validation process for their positions. Toyota’s Third Gear.
CSRs Ron Gohl, Bruce Wald and Steve Gerlach received this level over the past weeks after Toyota-Lift of Minnesota removed some of their last roadblocks by hosting Toyota training here last year.
Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-84090033087958882062012-01-26T06:21:00.000-06:002012-01-26T06:21:05.661-06:00"In business you get what you want by giving other people what they want"
Click to enlarge: Arrows point to contact portals
Credit to the quote author Alice MacDougall, it is what prompted me to write this post.
Customers have a lot of concerns they have to deal with daily, most of us do. When those concerns involve material handling issues we’d like our customers to know we are here to help them.
Technical concerns can be addressed directly with either Eric NelsonKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-60542418244906338442012-01-25T06:22:00.000-06:002012-01-25T06:22:46.678-06:00When Knowing Safe Isn't Enough
Eric Nelson: Technical Foreman during training
It’s one thing to know personally safety procedures to take with you on the job. Another too is to believe that such procedures are common knowledge. It is quiet another however to take that as enough in dealing with those procedures, even if they are pervasive around the workplace, and in handbooks. You have to go further.
OSHA requires that Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-82288415547304769682012-01-24T07:22:00.000-06:002012-01-24T07:22:59.878-06:00Safety Training: Are You Doing It Right?There are several reasons you need to focus on forklift safety, the first and most important is your staff. Subsequent to that you can look at concerns such as preventing damage [often very costly] to your equipment, then damage to product that your handling.
Once you’ve committed to training, a step we don’t take lightly because there are still far too many companies that haven’t taken that Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-64765595086675905642012-01-23T06:18:00.000-06:002012-01-23T06:18:36.707-06:00Get Out Of Our BusinessMore and more it seems companies are asked to manage processes and supply chains across the country if not globally, asking more of their organizations and people in the process. The requirement for attention to details in your core industry are intense, asking you to manage other concerns such as material handling is most often beyond your capabilities.
Short of “just leaving it up to the Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-54070696453942944242012-01-20T06:26:00.000-06:002012-01-20T06:26:15.966-06:00Toyota Forklift: Government Product NewsToyota Material Handling North America [TMHNA] made the December 2011 captured the cover of the magazine Government Product News. Government Product News (GPN) is a monthly product resource for public sector employees at the local, county, state and federal levels.
Toyota has a small article listed on page 11 inside the magazine. You can see the on-line article and the entire magazine here.
Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-30123822918274734782012-01-19T06:34:00.000-06:002012-01-19T06:34:52.412-06:00Safety Training: Spotlight On PedestriansOver the past several weeks there have been too many news reports of tragic accidents involving forklifts, and more, forklifts and pedestrians. It has been our experience that there is only limited or tepid involvement in forklift safety training, and it's even worse when you start speaking about pedestrian training.
I found a great piece dealing with the subject of training, with a nice focus Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-28827190878775154162012-01-18T06:31:00.000-06:002012-01-18T06:31:38.553-06:00Toyota's TIEM Manufacturing Plant: Rated Top 10Toyota, the manufacturer of the number one selling lift truck in North America, today announced its Columbus, Ind., manufacturing plant, Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg., Inc. (TIEM), has been selected by Industry Week Magazine as one of the 10 Best Plants in North America. The competition is part of Industry Week’s annual search for North America’s manufacturing excellence.
As the 22nd annual Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-45090172667135696072012-01-17T06:21:00.000-06:002012-01-17T06:21:28.825-06:00They're Retired, Not Tired
Equipment in the waiting
Slowly many of us are seeing the economy improve. Perhaps you’re seeing an increased demand for product moving through your warehouse or yard and are finding yourself either short on lift trucks to move the product, or reliant upon units that are displaying their age too frequently with breakdowns and larger needed repairs.
You’d like to purchase new or used equipment Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-60191466331571221822012-01-16T06:27:00.000-06:002012-01-16T06:27:59.968-06:00Three Of Toyota's Top Techs, And They're OursWednesday of last week Toyota Material Handling North America publicized this years recipients of their top accreditation for dealership technicians and technical trainers. We were very pleased to see two our technicians, Max Welter, Craig O'Dowd, and our technical foreman Eric Nelson receive this honor. All three are major contributors to the high level of service our dealership gives to its Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-57364539467655339352012-01-13T07:06:00.000-06:002012-01-13T07:06:37.531-06:00Not Investing In EmployeesDuring the ongoing recession we were made privy to the numbers of the technicians lost due to the economic downturn. The number was high coming in at almost thirty percent. It didn’t speak to us so about the economy as it asked about the quality of those positions, after all unemployment officially didn’t get to half that number, and the less reported but probably real unemployment figure didn’t Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-53037896244263279152012-01-12T06:26:00.001-06:002012-01-12T06:29:27.879-06:00Sellick Rough Terrain ForkliftAt the expense of some of our other OE's we tend to focus on a lot of aspects surrounding the Toyota line of forklifts and construction equipment. Of course we do represent a number of other equally fine suppliers, and our Sales Manager Greg Sanders penned this piece last month about one such line:
Toyota Lift of Minnesota is proud be an authorized dealer for the Sellick line of forklifts. Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-59303042783451768152012-01-11T06:35:00.000-06:002012-01-11T06:35:28.914-06:00Klout: Exit Stage RightI won’t go into what Klout is assuming that everyone has been exposed to it directly or indirectly. Last week we, after some considerable consternation decided to opt out of Klout for a number of reasons. It wasn’t that there isn’t some merit to Klout's methods; rather it was for what we saw as their deficiencies.
Probably first and foremost was the reaction some of our customers had to the Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-52321501372738029012012-01-10T06:22:00.000-06:002012-01-10T06:22:07.714-06:00Free Forklift Training - To The VetThe ugly truth as we see it is, many potential employers are asking that applicants already hold a forklift training certification card, showing that they’ve been tested and deemed adequate in the knowledge and operation of a forklift prior to being considered for employment. With unemployment rates still in the double digits and workplaces looking to cut corners at every turn, it seems that Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-3602466825082510502012-01-09T06:31:00.000-06:002012-01-09T06:31:10.092-06:00Going To Do It? Then Do It Right
Some "budget savings" ideas just aren't thought through
I can think of several customers performing self-maintenance on their lift truck fleets where the level of care given is beyond adequate. That said, there are countless others where performance and reliability are compromised due to an insufficient level of attention given the needs and requirements of the maintenance staff. I was remindedKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-10268716705832081492012-01-06T06:23:00.000-06:002012-01-06T06:23:34.515-06:00Responsibility: Burden Or Empowerment?A lot of us are called on to continually prioritize our responsibilities, often we have to continually re-prioritize as circumstances change or make themselves known. The process is seen as exhilarating to some, frustrating and exhausting to others.
Whether you are a technician trying to sort the importance of a unit down over a previously scheduled planned maintenance call, a parts tech trying Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-69858278027557947812012-01-05T06:48:00.000-06:002012-01-05T06:48:24.657-06:00Customer Service = Responsibility, No MysteryFrom time to time I get an opportunity to break the chains that bind me to office and desk; last week was just one of those times.
Working with Malt-O-Meal in Northfield I was tasked with a little maintenance on the infrastructure used there to support both parts and service involving their Toyota equipment. While it was good to get out, the results of the work were mixed at best, certainly Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-5704464667949577052012-01-04T06:33:00.000-06:002012-01-04T06:33:16.015-06:00Practicing What We PreachDaily we council customers on the economic life of their equipment, pointing out how equipment becomes more costly to maintain, less reliable and prone to breakdown as the unit ages beyond its useful life. We’re often puzzled or left at a loss to explain at times why so many seem to ignore the obvious and muddle on with a unit that sees as much time up on blocks being repaired as it does out on Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-49031635446717926642012-01-03T06:29:00.000-06:002012-01-03T06:29:44.563-06:00Your Dock, Your Say, Your LifePhotos of forklift accidents at the loading dock are everywhere; sometimes they’re humorous but too often they show the aftermath of some tragedy. While I can’t say what the majority of causes are, one of the common ones is a truck moving away from the dock while it is being loaded. An accident that is so easily avoided there should be a legal requirement that works to do that.
And boom, what Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-79722607773540903332012-01-02T07:15:00.000-06:002012-01-02T07:15:31.454-06:00Late To The "Best Of" PartyI thought I would come a little late to the "Best Of" party with a list of our own. Some background first: Our blog was started in May of 2009 and since then we have put up 617 posts at a rate of about 260+ per year during that period. The blog was one part of our effort to become more open to the public, our customer base and to some extent our own employees. Like the quote says “there are a Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-66678702553053650692011-12-30T06:22:00.000-06:002011-12-30T06:22:39.320-06:00Gravity, Our Friend? Not So MuchIn the world of lift truck repair, gravity can often be one of those things you simply have to [must] deal with. Things falling, whether it is the fork we mentioned earlier this week, mast carriages, even forklift engine compartment hoods are all things that often just need to stay up. Fighting that position is, well of course “gravity.”
Next month as part of our safety meeting program we’ll be Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-62365167578490978252011-12-29T06:21:00.000-06:002011-12-29T06:21:42.525-06:00Job Performance: Measuring The UnmeasurableThere is a lot behind a good technician, even more behind a great one.
As mentioned in an earlier post Toyota Lift of Minnesota is working towards involving another aspect of measurement into our technician performance scale. Our technician performance scale currently measures areas which include tool and training responsibilities, as well as a multitude of measurable performance points such as Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-58385847295887633152011-12-28T06:40:00.000-06:002011-12-28T06:40:21.793-06:00Those Few Ounces Of PreventionRecently I published a post talking about the boot trucks visit, and how our technicians and parts personnel are put into steel toed, or in many cases steel toed and metatarsal protective footwear. Just after that post we were in fact visited by OSHA who praised the practice of our company insuring that level of protection was made available at company expense. During that interview I pointed outKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-62783922912249494862011-12-27T06:26:00.000-06:002011-12-27T06:26:03.683-06:00The Dream EpisodeImagine yourself going to bed one night confident in your abilities as a parts person, technician, rental clerk, delivery person, or unit salesman. When you awake the next morning you find that your role has changed. You no longer have the sort of control over your destiny you had as a skilled tradesman, rather you are now the customer service representative, or CSR.
You do a quick check, you’Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-25910133578778257052011-12-26T06:26:00.000-06:002011-12-26T06:26:27.749-06:00Fix It, Even The Little Things
Don't let anyone say we ain't got glamor
I traveled south last Friday to Mankato Minnesota to meet with a technician for another engagement meeting. The meeting has multiple purposes, but primary is the opportunity for me to go over department numbers and the technician’s personal metrics, of course I also like to hear from them any challenges they may face while performing their duties.
The Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-91152719265168298812011-12-23T06:21:00.001-06:002011-12-23T06:26:36.499-06:00Bruce Wald Achievement In Training
Bruce Wald: Third Gear Recipient
We were pleased to hear this past week that Bruce Wald who has been with us for almost a dozen years achieved Toyota Forklift's highest level for excellence in training. Bruce has constantly displayed his can do attitude, deep sense of humor and candid approach to serving the needs of everyone.
I've have stated before how lucky or even blessed we are to Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-54548116778274689352011-12-22T06:22:00.000-06:002011-12-22T06:22:12.827-06:00Have Yourself A Merry Little Error CodeAs seen in my RSS stream “How do I clear error code "c1" on a Toyota Forklift?”
This post really won’t address a wide audience, only those that seem to be searching for meanings behind error codes given by their Toyota forklifts, and presumably forklifts of other brands as well. With improving self-diagnostics on units you see the lift actually trying to assist the operator or servicing Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-22465917820720459482011-12-21T07:04:00.001-06:002012-01-17T10:48:33.407-06:00When It Hits The FanNobody wants it of course, but things go wrong with forklift maintenance. Occasionally it isn’t the repair that was the problem but rather the repair part. From gaskets to rebuilt components, parts can fail prematurely and when they do you’re not only facing equipment downtime, but you might also be facing paying for some or all of the repair all over again.
Reducing your exposure to risk of Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-55367677668236671842011-12-20T06:34:00.000-06:002011-12-20T06:34:03.188-06:00It Must Be True, I Read It On The WebThis past weekend I ran across an article on the web written by a Steve Wong titled “Toyota Forklift Repair”, you can see the full article here.
At first it seemed to be an article similar to so many others, filled with generic terms and the most basic of common sense statements, but as I read through it I found it was a “little better” than what I’d first expected, however that said there was aKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-36183056584044266942011-12-19T06:36:00.000-06:002011-12-19T06:36:20.839-06:00What Our Newsletter Is Not
Click to enlarge
It is not an email full of special offers and one time specials. Nor is it a conduit for self promotional rhetoric or one filled with images of products for you to review. It is instead a monthly collection of insights into our company and industry. Yes, there will from time to time be the occasional bit that is moderately close to promotional, but our goal is to share with youKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-2520816747718910632011-12-16T06:29:00.000-06:002011-12-16T06:29:29.040-06:00Ignorance KillsWe rent Aichi aerial work platforms or AWPs. Daily they are sent out to customers involved in a lot of different industries, some familiar with the equipment, others we worry not so familiar. We fulfill our obligation towards safety by providing a safe, well maintained piece of equipment that ships with operating instructions. You can watch the delivery truck drive away and wonder if on the otherKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-31499493043454174462011-12-15T06:56:00.000-06:002011-12-15T06:56:55.012-06:00Forklift Safety: Isn't AccidentalLike any skilled profession, forklift technicians have an immense amount of training to absorb throughout their careers. Because it is a profession that has them working around equipment, a lot of that training involves safety. If you have been in a forklift shop, or even seen work done to a forklift in your facility you might be familiar with the site of seeing that equipment up on blocks or a Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-31561107484895658482011-12-14T06:49:00.000-06:002011-12-14T06:49:57.584-06:00About Us: What Are You Missing?
Click to enlarge
Maybe you are already capitalizing on what we offer through equipment sales, parts, service or rentals. Perhaps you’ve even attended some of our safety training services; then again maybe you have no idea we do any of those things.
So often we discover that while a customer may be fully utilizing one aspect of our business, we’ve failed to communicate to them clearly that we Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-37798629066059637382011-12-13T07:53:00.000-06:002011-12-13T07:53:45.121-06:00Mommy Where Do Labor Rates Come From?I was looking at billing for some IT expenses last week and was taken back seeing that their hourly labor rate was over 27% higher than our labor rate. Having been around awhile there are times even I catch myself gawking at what our rate is, however understanding where that rate comes from I generally pull myself together fairly quickly. I realized as i was looking at the hourly rate from the ITKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-4016127720577722762011-12-12T07:36:00.000-06:002011-12-12T07:36:21.374-06:00Are You Renting History?It lumbers off the delivery truck like a prehistoric beast, and in many ways it is. Old, no long really vital or viable in today’s environment, it now sits in your facility as your material handling provider’s best for your rental dollar. Perhaps you’ve called for it as a replacement rental during a repair, or maybe you called because you’re busy and needed an extra machine. The price seemed Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-14331648160118308772011-12-09T06:49:00.000-06:002011-12-09T06:49:05.278-06:00Crane Maintenance Comes To TLMMaintenance and safety are two key areas that we preach to our customers as well as practice in day to day operations here at Toyota-Lift of Minnesota. This past week we had an opportunity to display that with some rather detailed work with our Shaw Box bridge crane.
Discovering the local Konecranes service dealer this past spring, using them for our annual inspection, we tapped them to come inKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-36539167547895699072011-12-08T06:31:00.000-06:002011-12-08T06:31:18.766-06:00This Little Piggy Hides Under SteelSo what do you think the price of a foot is? Or maybe just a few toes. We don’t know and we’re not anxious to find out.
Every six months we do a little visit with the local Red Wing boot distributor to “avoid” or at least limit our exposure to foot injuries. This past week the truck was in and about sixteen or seventeen of our technicians were able to use our program where they’re entitled to a Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-29130691399563946332011-12-07T06:40:00.000-06:002011-12-07T06:40:22.525-06:00Toyota Certifies What We KnewToyota-Lift of Minnesota and Toyota expend a great deal of time and energy insuring that their joint customer base is cared for by individuals qualified to do so. This year was one where TLM was determined to get its staff recognized for the years of tenure each of them have. While we’re certainly proud of their training accomplishments, we are much more proud of their work in the field, as well Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-88395872474506581802011-12-06T06:38:00.000-06:002011-12-06T06:38:45.322-06:00Laptops, Headaches, Frown LinesSequestered, cloistered, study group, sheltered, and isolated, all words I wouldn’t normally associate or use in the same sentence with “service technician” except during the Toyota Platinum testing period. Friday last week marked the beginning of the testing here at Toyota-Lift of Minnesota for our Gold Level technicians.
Manuals, books, laptops, beverages and it seemed more than a little Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-79445172857805973922011-12-05T07:15:00.000-06:002011-12-05T07:15:44.243-06:00Toyota: Manufacturing in the 21st centuryToyota, the manufacturer of the number one selling lift truck brand in North America, is pleased to announce its Columbus, Ind., manufacturing plant, Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg., Inc. (TIEM), was awarded the Indiana Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence in the category Five Years of Continuous Improvement. This is the third time the award has been bestowed on TIEM for implementing Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-16458504235975036312011-12-02T06:29:00.000-06:002011-12-02T06:29:50.007-06:00Who Is The Best Material Handling Ally?Being called a “jack of all trades” can be taken a couple of ways, whether you include the “master of none” portion of the figure of speech or not.
First I suppose is the implication that the jack of all trades is something less than they might otherwise be, after all they aren’t a “master” anything right? Secondly however, couldn’t it also be said that the diversity that an individual as a “Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-60311566809329148422011-12-01T06:49:00.000-06:002011-12-01T06:49:47.837-06:00What's Unthought Of But Critical To Service?Minimizing travel and reducing or eliminating territory overlap are frequently considered as additional objectives in territory alignment. Poorly defined territories result in increased travel or “windshield” time. Poorly defined territories can lead to reduced selling time. By efficiently arranging sales territories you will be able to maximize the placement of your customer service Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-18424475674950862812011-11-30T07:12:00.000-06:002011-11-30T07:12:55.398-06:00A Tough Way To Improve Customer ServiceBest practices tell us: Territory alignment is not an exact science and unlike answers there are no right or wrong alignments. Typically, a territory alignment is a balancing act both in concept and in procedure. A territory that has the absolute minimum travel time [takes away from time for customer interactions] may not be practical because the market potential is so wildly skewed. Similarly,Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-66880599642989379002011-11-29T07:07:00.000-06:002011-11-29T07:07:28.190-06:00Sales, And The Sales TerritoryDespite the aspersions, the work, and the required nurturing a sales staff and their territories aren't anything less than a true treasure for customer and company. But yes, there is work required.
Territory alignment is “the process of assigning an “area” of selling responsibility to a CSR or group of CSR’s. Territory alignment can involve the assignment of an actual list of accounts or Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-4336540505123911822011-11-28T06:59:00.000-06:002011-11-28T06:59:24.380-06:00We're Not Answering Your Call ..What? Your guy too busy to return my phone calls?
The conversation isn’t held all that frequently, but frequent enough I can almost tell just how it’s going to go in the first few moments after picking the call out. A customer has placed numerous calls to a customer service representative [CSR] and has yet to hear back from them.
The call is always disconcerting to hear, and realizing Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-46763451362338525802011-11-25T07:52:00.000-06:002011-11-25T07:52:05.132-06:00The Little And The BigIt’s the little things that matter, or that’s how it’s put anyway. It struck me today as I was cleaning the images off of my phone camera and ran across a photo of a design made by one of our technicians. Travis Perkins one of our shop technicians took it upon himself based on input from others to modify how we mount our vise slide in conjunction with our van racking. The racking system is done Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-13839868344085668962011-11-24T06:55:00.000-06:002011-11-24T06:55:46.874-06:00Video: Thanksgiving Shopping By Forklift, OorahWe would like to wish that everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving, We will be closed today of course and Friday to celebrate with family and friends. We hope everyone has an opportunity to be with those they are close to, I'll [certain there is no hay to bale, rocks that need picking or manure that needs shoveling] be out at the family farm but still reachable by phone if an emergency call is needed. Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-80008637847366053432011-11-23T09:08:00.000-06:002011-11-23T09:08:09.498-06:00Toyota: American Pride In ManufacturingToyota, there is a lot of American pride built right in.
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Field Tech: Kirk Olson
Building on the point made yesterday about maximizing the use of time. While not sales centric as the first part of our day was, VP of Sales Greg Sanders and I spent some of Thursday afternoon meeting with one of Toyota-Lift of Minnesota’s newer employees field technician Kirk Olson. Kirk started with TLM in July and was due up for his engagement meeting. Through some Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-16886460736271127002011-11-22T07:01:00.000-06:002011-11-22T07:01:44.853-06:00Burning Time? Better Make It MatterTime management is always stressed to our sales staffs. Making the most out of your time, grouping sales visits to a geographical area and packing as much connectivity into each day that you can.
Last week Greg Sanders [VP of Sales at TLM] and I had a golden opportunity to put that to the test. As I mentioned yesterday our first visit scheduled was in Cashton Wisconsin at Organic Valley. That Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-35114863413395852312011-11-21T06:36:00.001-06:002012-01-27T20:05:49.418-06:00On The Road: Organic ValleyOn the odd occasion I get out of the office it’s generally for a good reason. This past week I had the opportunity to travel with Greg Sanders our sales manager to several locations in Southwestern Wisconsin and Southeastern Minnesota.
Organic Valley: Click to enlarge
We left early even by my standards to arrive at our first stop at Organic Valley in Cashton Wisconsin. Organic Valley quoting Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-29883248344677226802011-11-18T05:33:00.000-06:002011-11-18T05:33:03.321-06:00Ergonomics: Just Gettin' On With ItHow about this for a kicker? Even getting on a forklift can be looked at as one way to reduce effort and strain experienced by the operator. Looking again for the small things, those ergonomic points that are robbed of their moment in the spotlight I ran across this.
Ergonomically designed to be the easiest forklift in the industry to enter or exit the operating position safely. Toyota has largeKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-75415001456344132412011-11-17T04:01:00.000-06:002011-11-17T04:01:40.445-06:00Ergonomics, Get A Handle On ItContinuing to focus on the little things, those points more obscure but no less important when considering the prevention of reparative work place injuries we stop to consider the lowly handle and its role in safety.
No, it certainly isn’t out there in the spot light like say seat belt usage, or the value of an overhead guard, but in that it is in constant use by the operator it has to be Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-65543887845730256322011-11-16T06:55:00.000-06:002011-11-16T06:55:42.019-06:00Ergonomics: On The ButtonFrom top to bottom, manufacturers are [or should] be looking at equipment asking themselves what can be improved to put as much ergonomic safety into a forklift as say they put into a computer mouse. Lift trucks for the most part operate in work environments where the focus isn’t so much on repetitive strain injury as it is on production or simply getting work done.
Here is another real life Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-6968577421221962612011-11-15T06:43:00.000-06:002011-11-15T06:43:47.941-06:00Ergonomics: An Ounce of PreventionWikipedia says about ergonomics: “Ergonomics is employed to fulfill the two goals of health and productivity. It is relevant in the design of such things as easy-to-use interfaces to machines and equipment. Proper ergonomic design is necessary to prevent repetitive strain injuries which can develop over time and can lead to long-term disability.
Year after year lift truck manufacturers are Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-76773134741889406762011-11-14T06:43:00.000-06:002011-11-14T06:43:55.253-06:00Comfy? Why It Pays To CareErgonomics is often looked at to be synonymous with the word comfy, and while that’s probably fairly true it is also an understatement. I found ergonomics defined at Merriam Webster as follows:
Ergonomics
An applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely Safety being the operate word, safety carried out Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-36737005092189062902011-11-11T06:25:00.000-06:002011-11-11T06:25:35.733-06:00Maintenance: Why Design MattersBefore you start, take a quick stroll out to look at your forklifts, and more to the point look at their counterweights. See what we know you’ll see? The scars of day to day use, it’s universal for the most part a truck is going to time and again run into this and that. Understanding that let’s return to a moment to the presentation put on last week by John Smith with Toyota Material Handling. A Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-28524038961986688592011-11-10T06:57:00.000-06:002011-11-10T06:57:21.398-06:00Why Does A Seat Matter?I get an opportunity sometimes to sit in on informational meetings generally reserved for our sales staff. A peak at the sexy side shall we call it, being made privy to all the excitement and glamor available over there down the clean shiny hallways of equipment sales. To be honest I don’t feel compelled to, having seen the “proof in the pudding” shall we say, working closely every day with Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-6885529962854642492011-11-09T06:53:00.000-06:002011-11-09T06:53:15.235-06:006 Succinct Forklift Safety Points, It'll Make You ThinkHow many employees are injured every year in the U.S. while operating forklifts?
5,000
45,000
95,000
135,000
None of the above
Safety Fact #1 - 95,000 lift truck injuries each year – in all industries
Safety Fact #2 - About 100 employees are killed every year while operating forklifts – in all industries www.osha.gov/Publications/warehousing.html
Safety Fact #3 - Most forklift fatalities are Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-43324436180551781902011-11-08T07:25:00.000-06:002011-11-08T07:25:47.585-06:00Your Job's Responsibilities? You Figure It Out ..Yesterday I spoke of work done by Ron Gohl one of our material handling consultants. I'd like to share with you here a related post by Toyota Material Handling's technical staff regarding trouble shooting.
I don't think many of us can relate to a job where you go to work not really knowing what's going to be asked of you where and in what conditions. Kudos to technicians everywhere.
Before the Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-18448920757359362792011-11-07T07:05:00.000-06:002011-11-07T07:05:01.795-06:00Maintenance Trouble? Who's Got Your Back?
Ron Gohl - Material Handling Consultant
Friday I had the opportunity to work with Ron Gohl our senior customer service representative or material handling consultant. I was reminded while listening to the issue he brought to me just what value he brings to his customer base and our dealership, and I'll explain why here.
Ron had followed up on a forklift runability issue we were having with a Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-35967974434745117532011-11-04T06:30:00.000-05:002011-11-04T06:30:07.008-05:00The Law Of Attraction , Getting MetaphysicalI mentioned Monday that we have a new technician coming aboard. That prompted me to pull up Toyota’s best practices guide [it's how I roll], wanting to look again at their section on technician recruitment. Toyota among other things provides its dealerships with a wealth of information. Information like their guides that have over the years been a constant source of reference for dealerships likeKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-8826250164606791392011-11-03T06:50:00.000-05:002011-11-03T06:50:09.049-05:00Forklift, Sales, Reading Minds
Photo courtesy of WD Matthews
You’re getting ready to purchase your new forklift, and you have one or more vendors preparing quotes for units to fit exactly to your specific needs. If you’re truly working with professionals it is quite likely that they’re looking into options that you may not even know you need. At Toyota-Lift of Minnesota that can have them referencing one of two sources, theKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-61732185239585952412011-11-02T06:41:00.000-05:002011-11-02T06:41:01.612-05:00Drive It Like A Rental!Demand is up but it’s only temporary, or you have a piece of equipment that is currently down for repair, or a need has presented itself that is outside the capabilities of your forklift fleet. All of these are situations best filled by a rental unit. But you can make more of it than just expenditure, you can turn the situation into an opportunity to have someone guide you in the best lift and Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-17721409624180729892011-11-01T06:21:00.000-05:002011-11-01T06:21:50.075-05:00Nobody Likes Stale CheeseNobody wants to buy groceries they won’t use, generally you stock up in your weekly trip to the market with just enough to get you buy until the next week. You limit the impact to your immediate cash flow, and you optimize the supply so there is just enough to satisfy your average needs.
It isn’t so different in parts, but there is an added dimension. That dimension is not so much the unknown, Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-90414592517052859132011-10-31T06:39:00.000-05:002011-10-31T06:39:27.278-05:00The New Hire - Have A Plan?The new hire … so little time so many things to accomplish.
Toyota-Lift of Minnesota is very happy to announce the addition of another technician to our field service staff. No small matter, TLM is always critical of the caliber of individual it will bring on, as well as mindful of its present staff and the impact an addition will have on the available labor pool.
There is a lot that needs to Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-56636894800460719142011-10-28T07:49:00.000-05:002011-10-28T07:49:40.441-05:00Quality: Not Done AloneThe effort requires that everyone is pulling their weight, and I think that despite some of the occasional back and forth sparing everyone at Toyota-Lift of Minnesota would agree. We stay competitive, continue grown, and attract new employees because of the efforts of everyone.
Techs do not just install parts
Rentals does not just rent trucks
Sales doesn’t just sell trucks
CSRs for being the bestKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-22314791632789021902011-10-27T07:47:00.000-05:002011-10-27T07:47:00.961-05:00Trueisms And Aftermarket SalesmenI’m never entirely sure how to take truisms, I’ll embrace those that support my beliefs or the way I approach things, others I’ll look at sideways because they don’t seem to jibe with what I’ve seen, or that I’ve experienced.
Recently Pareto’s principle, the 80/20 rule was brought into question as I was doing analytics on our customer service representatives [CSR] territories, mapping out their Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-22432401904663734022011-10-26T06:37:00.000-05:002011-10-26T06:37:43.185-05:00Do It Once, Do It RightDo it once, and do it right. Certainly that’s something we all could apply to the way we approach our work, but it is critically important to those on our staff whose time and how it is applied impacts the customer’s own productivity.
Experience has taught our technicians and parts staff how to approach their work in a fashion that is most impactful, and in a manner that will achieve results Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-77879031248420238792011-10-25T06:30:00.000-05:002011-10-25T06:30:13.064-05:00Customer Service Means Saying NoWe spoke of time management and prioritizing yesterday, building on that for a moment I’d like to cover a point that is probably not something you can understand without a little explaining.
We’re not afraid to tell you “no not now.” There I said it, but let me clarify before you get the wrong idea.
To a man our field staff is tasked with performing planned maintenance on hundreds of units Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-24202663049554618982011-10-24T06:27:00.000-05:002011-10-24T06:27:13.027-05:00Squeezing All The Goodie Out Of TimeWe all have to-do list of some type don’t we? Whether you call it a to-do list, task list or project list it is the itemization of things that have to get done. For years I ran a with a leather bound day planner, then moved to the Lotus Organizer back in the Windows 95 days and haven’t looked back since.
I believe applying a level of tracking and of course organization to the way I approach Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-82971302682634480992011-10-21T06:52:00.000-05:002011-10-21T06:52:21.646-05:00Employee Metrics, Evaluations, Change and ControversyWe have spoken to a small degree in the past about our engagement meetings with technicians and about the metrics we use to gauge their performance. I would like to take a moment to point out how seriously they take this review, and the sort of weight they give the scale and their position on it.
The scale has not changed must in the past several years; it focuses on some of the normal points ofKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-61936795710743490152011-10-20T06:42:00.000-05:002011-10-20T06:42:19.620-05:00Where's Waldo?
Click to enlarge
It isn’t often when we make the call to pull all our technicians off the road, but there are times when you gotta do what you gotta do. Last Thursday was just one of those occasions, a scheduled safety meeting for shop and field techs, as well as our equipment delivery personal and warehouseman.
We will normally work closely with our insurance company, finding that they offerKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-10155591730305405102011-10-19T06:50:00.000-05:002011-10-19T06:50:34.324-05:00Runnin' On EmptyLast week I pulled out of the garage and saw I was almost out of gas, in a hurry, I opted to ignore the gas station literally next door to me and just head out down the highway. It was only a short time later when I was warned by my car that that may have been a hasty decision. Ignoring the warning I pushed a few buttons and was able to monitor the miles the car estimated I had left before I’d Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-58843018355469261182011-10-18T06:27:00.000-05:002011-10-18T06:27:09.686-05:00OSHA Should Be The Least Of Your ConcernsAt least when you compare OSHA to the potential threat of personnel injuries and product damage. EVERY operator is owed safety training.
Driver training is first and foremost our responsibility to our employee's health and well-being. Preventing injuries or even death goes beyond business sense, it is a moral responsibility. Driver training will also reduce other costs that are perhaps more Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-373527039188991912011-10-17T07:18:00.000-05:002011-10-17T07:18:19.854-05:00There's A Regulation For ThatAs the warm weather season winds down, the political season is heating up. One of the issues garnering headlines is the size and scope of government. We all face regulatory pressures in our day to day business. Your lift trucks are not without demanding their share of attention as of late.
Last fall we had the mandate that all new lift trucks shipped for use with load bearing clamps must comeKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-89804899086545613862011-10-14T06:32:00.000-05:002011-10-14T06:32:01.939-05:00Rentals: Why Own The Cow?At a recent MHEDA meeting in Chicago it seemed to a person that everyone was enjoying a boom in rental equipment. One of the largest concerns it seemed was worries over simply being able to fill the demand for equipment. After the downturn in 2008 there was some movement to reduce fleet size, and then of course when the uptick started some were caught off guard not only by the increase in demand,Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-36782049127264077572011-10-13T07:03:00.000-05:002011-10-13T07:03:17.214-05:00Personalized Inventory Performance Review
For want of a nail
I had the opportunity this past Thursday to get out on a customer visit. This is a larger customer who for the most part performs their own maintenance, so our focus is primarily on the interactions between their parts staff and ours.
Amongst other topics, there was discussion about the performance of our parts inventory based on their calls to it. One of the nice things Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-15996961634435032702011-10-12T06:52:00.000-05:002011-10-12T06:52:46.999-05:00Toyota: Monitoring Customer ServiceLast week we finished Toyota’s required reporting that outlines standard maintenance as well as planned maintenance done on every Toyota forklift in our area of primary responsibility at or below [believe this or not] the age of seven years.
The reporting at least through our system is laborious at best, but critical to Toyota and therefor TLM, as it helps keep Toyota informed that we are doing Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-24090445552164186682011-10-11T06:43:00.000-05:002011-10-11T06:43:24.256-05:00Kaizen: Support Materials and FormsKaizen, Japanese for "improvement", or "change for the better" refers to philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous improvement of processes
What could be drier than rambling on about paper work? Well certainly there are subjects out there worse, albeit paperwork isn’t generally something that gets us excited.
OK, that said and behind us, Toyota-Lift of Minnesota has gone back and Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-33101349259729222232011-10-10T06:55:00.000-05:002011-10-10T06:55:06.363-05:00Service Requires A Personal InvestmentWith the start of the new month reports are generated for use with technicians, parts staff and service support. This reporting deals with key metrics in customer service and personal performance. It gives us the opportunity review analytically where we are, and where we’re going across a number of areas that aren’t easy to understand unless the time is taken to do so. The primary objective is toKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-57133439259340071182011-10-07T06:35:00.000-05:002011-10-07T06:35:52.817-05:00Goals: Better When One Compliments The OtherWe were fortunate this past week to be visited by the amazing Toyota Material Handling training specialist Paul Shinn, one of the topics covered was goal setting which led me down this week's path of posts. Doing a little follow up reading trying to flesh out some ideas of my own I ran across this discussion in LinkedIn:
What goals in business are truly worth pursuing?
What goals - when at the Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-16977468835542708812011-10-06T06:33:00.001-05:002011-10-06T06:35:38.541-05:00Goals, Does Responsive Equal Responsible?It is one thing to be responsive, and quite another to be responsible, our goals have always included being responsive and responsible to the customer base.
From our technician there in your establishment, right through Toyota-Lift of Minnesota administration everyone is your audience.
Serving your needs, addressing your concerns is in our business model, it has to be or we would not have had Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-71369880364116936382011-10-05T06:25:00.000-05:002011-10-05T06:25:41.304-05:00In Goals, Does Size Matter?Our staff size will be as large as it needs to be to give the best customer service levels possible.
We are not committed to nor restrained from one size or another. Customer demand and quality service will set our goals in staff sizing. We are committed to a two hour response time to your call in the field, and internally to insuring there is a live, and knowledgeable person to answer your callKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-11162171077967615662011-10-04T07:12:00.000-05:002011-10-04T07:12:39.027-05:00Goals For Quality, Not MarketabilityWe have a goal which requires us to be as expeditious as possible in all service events, but not at the expense of being thorough.
Being fast means you are going to overlook and miss problems, overlooking and missing problems means in the end you really aren’t fast not to mention you are also not cost effective.
No, if you are looking for a provider that does a planned maintenance call in less Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-72508089910952163842011-10-04T06:43:00.066-05:002012-01-26T04:07:12.615-06:00One B2B Opportunity Listing #FBLT 300+ Strong
Image from the FBLT fan page
Have you ever heard of the Rotary Club, Jaycees, Lions or other networking organizations? Well those organizations are a lot like we see The FBLT effort. An opportunity to network with other like minded people, allowing you to learn through interaction and observation how they approach business through social media.
You either choose to belong, or you don't. It's Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-2708096035715094622011-10-03T06:36:00.000-05:002011-10-03T06:36:50.785-05:00Goals, But Which Goals?Goals are general guidelines that explain what you want to achieve in your work or business, you define them, and then they define you.
Which goals are important to a service provider, your service provider?
Here at TLM, one goal we certainly can not have is being "cheap".
The juxtaposition between low priced service and quality service is something we deal with continually. There are of Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-20013607955479749292011-09-30T06:27:00.000-05:002011-09-30T06:27:54.048-05:00Beyond Forklifts and Equipment: WarehousingA reminder that beyond forklift of equipment sales, repairs and rentals. Toyota-Lift of Minnesota has in house a staff skilled at resolving issues surrounding your plant, warehouse or yard. From the smallest shelving supplies to the larger racking systems we can work with you solving bottlenecks, storage room shortages and a lot more.
Each of our sales staff members is skilled at listening to Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-35310681334249595182011-09-29T06:32:00.000-05:002011-09-29T06:32:48.446-05:00Fruit Loops and Forklift PartsYou want a part and you want and need it now. We know that, and do work to keep those parts on hand that are sold frequently enough in stock, and just as important, stocked at the right quantities. That said, why does it seem so common that what you want isn’t in stock, or is but there aren’t enough of them?
Well, it’s a numbers game.
The parts department has to balance its customer service Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-75207573204412292302011-09-28T06:41:00.000-05:002011-09-28T06:41:18.413-05:00Toyota versus Nissan: More on EfficienciesInterested in saving costs on several different levels in the warehouse? Consider this information on fuel consumption and its costs as well as its effect on productivity. The 2011 testing conducted by the USAC Properties Inc., a subsidiary of the United States Auto Club, has named Toyota #1 in Fuel Efficiency and Productivity once again.
TRUCK MODELS:
• Toyota 8FGCU25 (Toyota 4Y‐ECS 2.2L engineKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-22132686275227114372011-09-27T08:49:00.000-05:002011-09-27T08:49:34.164-05:00Another Free/Low Cost Forklift Safety IdeaDrivers buckle up!
Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen goodnight!
OK just a few more words. How difficult can it be to get your drivers to buckle up? There is nothing more critical to the drivers well being than staying in the cab area should there be a tip over or a dock incident. Never mind that OSHA specifies the availability and use of seat belts, doesn’t the desire to avoid a tragedy Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-13514265133475967602011-09-26T07:04:00.000-05:002011-09-26T07:04:46.420-05:00How About An Easy Free Safety TipWant a quick tip to lower you risk potential of the pedestrian in your warehouse or yard, one that won’t cost you anything other than a little time perhaps to implement?
Honk
Yes it can be that simple, just have your people sound their horn when approaching aisle ways or blind corners. Sure you might be able to hear another lift coming, but familiar sounds in the workplace soon are tuned out ofKyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-37145946604304871072011-09-23T07:02:00.000-05:002011-09-23T07:02:11.012-05:00Toyota vs. Cat: Efficiency And ProductivityInterested in saving costs on several different levels in the warehouse, consider this information on fuel consumption and its costs as well as its effect on productivity. The 2011 testing conducted by the USAC Properties Inc., a subsidiary of the United States Auto Club, has named Toyota #1 in Fuel Efficiency and Productivity once again.
TRUCK MODELS:
• Toyota 8FGCU25 (Toyota 4Y-ECS, 2.2L Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-38919350652726797832011-09-22T06:51:00.000-05:002011-09-22T06:51:27.736-05:00Toyota Parts Highest Quality & Reliability - AgainToyota Material Handling U.S.A., Inc. (TMHU) on September 15th announced that Toyota Genuine Parts ranked highest as the brand of lift truck parts that customers consider the best in quality and most reliable in a recent 2011 Lift Truck Parts Study.
The annual independent survey, conducted by Peerless Media, LLC – Research Group, gauges the most important attributes that customers evaluate for Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-43143974041844814232011-09-21T07:15:00.000-05:002011-09-21T07:15:42.902-05:00Waxing On About Technology And The Job
Image captured by phone camera
While at the MHEDA event I and another attendee had the occasion to pause for a moment and simply take in the technology around us. The conference started with a brief look at the comparison of some of the business model changes in the past ten years seen by the presenters as they prepared the outline for the meeting, while the list they presented was long, it Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-85103895712399157932011-09-20T05:02:00.000-05:002011-09-20T05:02:26.095-05:00What We Care About Doesn't MatterTo expand on a point heard this past week at the MHEDA conference. What we think matters may not matter.
Our customer service reps [CSR] and technicians have had drilled into them time and again what we think is important. Issues such as safety, productivity, equipment up time. Certainly what they’ve learned is valid, but while on the ground, in front of the customer they are face to the true Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-76441339655808425722011-09-19T07:05:00.000-05:002011-09-19T07:05:53.708-05:00Improving Service Through MHEDAThis past Thursday and Friday I had the opportunity to participate in a MHEDA [Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association] event held in Rosemont Illinois, I was there with about 70 other industry professionals to hear speakers Jim Ripkey of Barloworld Handling, Florida and Marcel VandenTop with Intella Liftparts, Holland MI.
Jim Ripkey - [Center] Leading a round table discussion
I Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-40287884497909622522011-09-16T05:39:00.000-05:002011-09-16T05:39:33.517-05:00Summarizing Forklift MaintenanceIn the end very little of forklift maintenance is rocket science. Certainly there is a small percentage of the work that works against that statement, but that’s heavily outweighed by the basics.
Keeping your lift truck up and running driving your company’s productivity is as important as it is easy. Diligence and action are critical, allowing you to be involved in that process IS as simple as “Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-77394837874194389912011-09-15T07:12:00.000-05:002011-09-15T07:12:39.775-05:00Level "C" MaintenanceThere is on any lift truck items that require vigilance, some more than others. The point of scheduled or planned maintenance is to reduce or eliminate the “surprise” failure; a good maintenance regime can do that with the possible exception of the occasional avoidable or abuse breakdown.
Part of our maintenance approach is to bring to your attention situations that while they are not optimal, Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7785797733256856429.post-59337025765305474172011-09-14T06:51:00.000-05:002011-09-14T06:51:10.137-05:00Level "B" MaintenanceNo, not second rate in regards to the level or quality of the repair, rather in reference to three levels of repairs a lift generally needs.
The level “B” repair is “components wearing into or harming other components.” Say a bad bearing allowing wear to the housing it rides in, or the item that it supports. Maybe that leaking radiator that always requires topping off, and usually runs low Kyle Thillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02736445993792672154noreply@blogger.com0