Tom Ryder

TFS employees visit thousands of facilities each year. That's how we know that even the most respected names in manufacturing and distribution—Fortune 500 companies with huge budgets—are struggling.

While these big companies have more advantages than most of their peers, they still deal with long MHE lead times, labor shortages, and extreme pressure from the C-suite. We often find that material handling execs have no idea how many MHEs they have overall, let alone in different locations. They've usually lost track of the expensive rentals they're using to fill the gaps while they wait for equipment. And forget about getting the data they need…

The only thing that’s remained constant in material handling during the past few years is change. That’s already continued in 2023 as economic predictions are already shifting from a definite recession to the economy remaining on a growth trajectory.  The advanced technology and social shifts in terms of workforce and consumer demand volatility make this a difficult management environment for facility leaders.

Times are tumultuous right now, so it might feel like your company may have to choose between increasing profit and boosting sustainability—but the good news is that the two aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, when it comes to material handling, just asking the right questions can unlock leaner, cleaner, greener, and more profitable decisions.

At TFS, we talk to a lot of companies about material handling. What we’ve found is that most businesses don’t even realize they’re not actively managing their forklift fleets and facilities.

Yes, it’s absolutely true that most are doing some sort of management, but when we crunch the numbers to demonstrate how much money they’re leaving on the table, they’re stunned. 

That’s because active fleet management means more than just dealing with a vendor to choose forklifts and negotiate a monthly payment.

Welcome to the Fleet & Facility Roundup! We’ve curated the latest, most practical news to help you keep up with material handling developments and insights.

Our takeaway this month? Inflation is up, lead times are still long, and the supply chain remains chaotic, so it’s safe to say that the end isn’t in sight yet. In short, it’s an ideal time to assess what actions you and your company have taken so far and see what efforts are paying off and which need to be redirected.

The pandemic, inflation, supply chain issues, labor shortages, and more: companies are grappling with one of the most unpredictable times in modern history—and material handling has been hit especially hard. While it may feel that you have no effective way to control costs, the good news is that you likely have many more options than you think.

It’s officially Spring! As if the world didn’t have enough going on already, unexpected things continue to crop up, such as the first Amazon union and the Ever Given’s sister ship, which also got stuck, exemplifying the worst kind of sibling rivalry.

To help you keep up, we curate all the need-to-know material handling news every month—so read on!

Finding operational savings and efficiencies can feel like squeezing blood from a stone. This is as true for CFOs as it is for private equity firms seeking optimal value from their investments. But as many dealing with material handling operations have discovered, optimization can be as simple as partnering with a forklift fleet management specialist.

Last time, we said that “2022 promises to remain a rollercoaster” and that turns out to have been an understatement. While we can’t possibly keep you up-to-date with the firehose of information that is the state of the world, the Supply Chain Roundup can curate the most valuable and innovative takes on supply chains, logistics, and material handling. If you'd like to sign up to receive it via email once a month, please subscribe (if you don’t already)!

As 2022 promises to remain a rollercoaster, The Supply Chain Roundup will make it easy to stay on top of the news by curating the most valuable and innovative takes on supply chains, logistics, and material handling. If you'd like to sign up to receive it via email once a month, please subscribe!