IEN: Has there been a shift to COTS solutions in the MH sector? How are vendors meeting such demands?
Smith: Wireless fleet management for material handling equipment is certainly a COTS application at this point -- fast becoming a best practice -- but many customers still need, if not outright customization, at least some configuration management to deliver the precise solutions they seek for their particular environments.
IEN: What innovations are in store for users of MH vehicles, equipment, systems, components, and software? Simulation? Wireless applications? RFID?
Smith: Wireless fleet management systems are generally getting more capable, with features like indoor location tracking that has GPS-like resolution and electronic checklists that can trigger automatic vehicle lockout and email alerts to management. Wireless fleet management also now incorporates all facets of battery management for electric fleets, including management of the latest fast-charge technologies.
(Pictured, new Battery Charger Monitoring Point™ [Battery ChaMP™] works with any industrial battery fast-charge system to provide automatic data uploads and real-time system visibility. Fast-charge systems generate multiple safety and environmental benefits, increased productivity, and lower operating costs for industrial truck fleets. The ChaMP eliminates all labor from collecting fast-charge system data, monitors crucial compliance with battery charging schedules, reports battery and charger problems in real-time, tracks essential battery warranty data, and simplifies battery life management.)
IEN: Which R & D hotspots are closest to commercialization?
Smith: In the realm of wireless fleet management, we are seeing the incorporation of many new equipment types, from complex cranes with multiple motors to automated factory robots that require real-time error monitoring. We anticipate this trend will continue, with an ever wider range of equipment -- fixed as well as mobile -- beginning to capitalize on the wireless fleet management infrastructure. The incorporation of RFID tag reading into wireless vehicle management systems is another area being developed.
IEN: How do you cope with the pressure of evolving standards?
Smith: Not all standards necessarily apply directly to a particular solution. What''s most important is that your systems be flexible and compatible with the most widely adopted standards and do not conflict with them.