Logistics

Failing to notice and deal with safety issues can result in accidents. (Image source: Cat Lift Trucks)

Daily or pre-shift lift truck checks are all about avoiding tragedy and expense. Cat^® Lift Trucks offers practical advice on this, to keep your operation safe and profitable

Broadly speaking, daily checks have two main aims:

1. Safety – to stop lift trucks from being used in an unsafe condition
2. Optimum maintenance – to spot problems early, so they can be fixed before more serious damage develops

Skipping daily checks, or carrying them out incompletely, is a false economy. Failing to notice and deal with safety issues can result in accidents, leading to:

• Death or injury
• Employee sick leave
• Large fines (and damage to your company’s reputation)
• Repair bills for damaged trucks and facilities
• Replacement bills for damaged goods
• Downtime (with loss of productivity)

Failing to notice and deal with emerging defects, damage or wear can mean:

• Shorter component and truck lifespan
• Breakdowns (causing inconvenience, downtime and loss of productivity)
• Bigger repair bills

Considering these costs and consequences, preventative checks and maintenance actions should be seen as an excellent investment. At the very least, you should do what the laws in your country require. However, it pays to go beyond the minimum and take extra care of your business and your people.

Insist on training

Importantly, you should ensure your operators and any other staff involved in forklift checks are trained to carry them out properly. And if someone needs to switch on or move the lift truck during checking, maintenance or repair, make sure he or she is trained to operate it.

Follow the lift truck manufacturer’s instructions

The user guide that comes with your lift truck will tell you what should be checked and how often. That’s your starting point. Some items may need monthly or weekly rather than daily checks. Features to be checked will, of course, vary between models.

Think before you tick

Sometimes a daily checklist appears as little more than a list of systems and components. If an item looks OK, the checker gives it a tick. But what signs of a problem should the checker be looking for in each case? What would tell him or her if the item was not OK?

To help answer this, Cat Lift Trucks recently produced a daily checks guide. This expands the checklist into a series of more specific and detailed questions.

Look for clues

Taking just one example, a checklist might simply ask you to check the mast and fork carriage. Our guide goes further:

• Do any of the structures look worn, cracked, bent or otherwise damaged?
• Can you see traces of wall plaster or paint, suggesting they have been in a collision? Are they very rusty?
• Are there any loose or missing bolts or fixtures, particularly where the mast is attached to the chassis and the tilting mechanism?
• Are moving parts – including bearing surfaces – contaminated with materials like mud or cement, and are they well lubricated?
• Are there leaks from the hydraulic cylinders?

Report it

If you find a fault, report it immediately to the relevant manager. He or she will decide whether it’s safe to carry on using the lift truck or if it should be taken out of service.

Further information on Cat forklifts, warehouse equipment and related services can be found on its products page. See them in action here and follow the news on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Scheduled for completion by the end of 2025, this facility will span a 2,400 sq m. (Image source: MBRAH)

Mohammed Bin Rashid Aerospace Hub (MBRAH) has signed an agreement with Liebherr-Aerospace to establish a new MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) facility at Dubai South.

Scheduled for completion by the end of 2025, this facility will span a 2,400 sq m area within the Aerospace Supply Chain cluster at MBRAH.

Based in Toulouse, France, Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation SAS—a division of the Liebherr Group—delivers high-quality onboard solutions for aerospace and transportation, promoting sustainability through innovative products and services.

MBRAH, strategically located at Dubai South, serves as a premier free-zone hub offering global connectivity to leading airlines, private jet operators, MROs, and related sectors. This aerospace hub includes maintenance centres and training campuses, aligning with Dubai's goal to be a prominent aviation industry leader.

Tahnoon Saif, CEO of MBRAH, said, “We are pleased to sign this agreement with Liebherr- Aerospace. This partnership underlines our position in attracting the top players in the aviation sector to establish their presence at Dubai South and operate in an integrated economic environment where they can connect with international markets. We will spare no effort in supporting their expansion endeavours, in line with our mandate to solidify and cement Dubai’s position on the world aviation map.”

Daimler Truck MEA operates two state-of-the-art warehouses and its advanced training centre underscores the commitment to developing regional talent and delivering unparalleled service. (Image source: DT MEA)

Daimler Truck Middle East Africa (DT MEA), a subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, has announced expanded responsibilities for 59 markets across the Middle East and Africa

“This strategic move positions us to strengthen our regional presence and ensure unparalleled service for our customers alongside our strong partners,” said Michael Dietz, CEO and president of Daimler Truck Middle East Africa. “We look forward to the opportunities this new chapter brings as we continue to grow across these diverse and important markets.”

The new broader regional role will see DT MEA move even closer to its partners and customers to ensure continued delivery of products and services across all markets. The new regional remit has also been described as a further commitment to delivering quality Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Buses and FUSO Trucks and Buses for its customers.

Agility has been active in Saudi Arabia for over 20 years. (Image source: Agility)

Agility, a global supply chain services, infrastructure, and innovation company, has signed an MoU with the Saudi Railway Company (SAR) to explore opportunities for inter-modal storage, transportation, and processing facilities in Sudair City for Industry and Businesses, as well as near King Khalid International Airport.

As part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy, the Kingdom is heavily investing in modernising and expanding its logistics and transportation infrastructure to position itself as a global hub for logistics and trade.

Supporting various sectors

Agility has been active in Saudi Arabia for over 20 years, with its Agility Logistics Parks (ALP) business developing and operating advanced logistics and warehousing facilities in Riyadh and Dammam. A third logistics park is currently under construction in Jeddah. The Riyadh Logistics Park features "green" buildings, the first EDGE Advanced-certified warehouses in the GCC.

Agility also supports Saudi Arabia's energy, aviation, and e-commerce sectors, with its venture arm investing in local startups in e-commerce and digital freight matching for the trucking industry.

In 2023, Agility signed an MoU with the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA) to strengthen the healthcare sector by expanding digital health services and localising the medical technology supply chain.

Additionally, Agility is a significant shareholder in DSV, a global logistics provider and a key partner in the NEOM mega-city project, aimed at transforming the Kingdom’s northwest region into a futuristic smart city.

“Saudi Arabia is rapidly moving toward achieving its goal to be one of the world’s most important centres of trade, transportation and logistics,” said Agility vice chairman Tarek Sultan. “Agility has been a long-time supporter, partner and investor in the Saudi logistics sector. We have decades of experience here, and we’ve built some of the Kingdom’s most advanced logistics infrastructure. We see a future where Saudi and the region lead the world's supply chain sector. We thank SAR for giving us the opportunity to be part of this future and the opportunity to contribute to Saudi's growth and success story”