Crown's jewel
February 1st 2006 Efficient, reliable, versatile, comfortable: Crown's TSP 6000 VNA turret truck looks set to please both finance directors and operators. Not the usual combination, but then Crown isn't the usual lift truck company. Brendan Coyne reports from New Bremen
Attending a forklift product launch in Europe usually involves fireworks, dancers, the odd opera singer and a lot of flashing lights. Arriving in New Bremen, a small town in Ohio, it quickly become clear there would be no side-show: Owned by Crown, New Bremen and its inhabitants literally live and breath lift trucks.
Founded by the Dicke brothers, Crown originally made heat controllers out of a small New Bremen workshop. Later with the introduction of mass produced televisions, it manufactured rotating antennae before branching into subcontracting work. But its big break came with the advent of the cold war, when the US, fearful of a nuclear strike, subcontracted work to small factories in rural areas to negate the possibility of military industrial support being wiped out in a single hit.
Because of this, Crown landed a contract to supply the Navy with turn and bank indicators (which tell pilots whether they are turning at the right angle for the speed they are travelling) in 1953.
The work demanded precision manufacturing - specifically state-of-theart Excello boring machines. At the time these were expensive and in short supply, so the government promised two to Crown - but the company almost lost out due to a fire at General Motors transmission plant which damaged all of its Excello machines.
GM put pressure on the government to brush aside the little company and let it have the Excellos. But Jim Dicke had other ideas. He went to Washington - and Crown got the machines.
Interesting story. But what does it have to do with the new turret truck? Essentially, had the company not acquired the precision machinery, it's manufacturing capability would never have arisen. Over the years it acquired huge electronic and mechanical engineering and manufacturing knowledge - and was able to invest in more machinery to further its development. It's first lift trucks shipped in 1956. Fifty years on it is the largest manufacturer of VNA trucks - with almost 50 design awards for its trucks. The company hopes to add to that tally with the TSP 6000. It probably will.
Crown control: the TSP 6000 Because of the knowledge it built up making so many different products, Crown today manufactures more than 85% of the parts used in the TSP. Virtually the entire town works for the company and the average worker has more than 20 years experience with the company: in a nutshell, everybody knows their job, and each other, extremely well.
According to the company, this means the TSP lives up to its core values: durability; reliability; efficiency; and operator comfort.
"We wanted to design and build a market leading order picker," says Ken Dufford, European Business and Marketing Development manager. "One of the key factors is vertical integration. While a lot of companies are outsourcing, we want to control everything from A to Z. It's not always possible to do that, but we feel we can control the quality and cost better. It's a lot easier for us to design a product with, for example, a motor that is designed for a lift truck and not a washing machine!
"In addition," says Dufford "We are the only company that can claim to have combined predominantly North American design and heavy duty engineering ethos with innovation gathered worldwide - a large part of which is coming from Europe.
We have a design team in Europe as well as over here and over the last 15 years or so, we've been able to take the skills of heavy duty philosophy in the US and combine that with innovative thinking in Europe to bring the best product to market."
Efficiency, reliability, comfort
Summarising the product's selling points, Martin Hainge, Crown's Director of Marketing and Dealer Operations, points to its 4m turning radius - helped by threepoint suspension and 180° steer angle which allow it to rotate between load angles. He claims its controls are the easiest to use on the market and that performance resulting from those controls - and ultrastable closed section mast - means operators are happier to work to maximum capacity at significant heights.
"You're sitting on a lift truck and you are 11m in the air," says Hainge. "What would be your number one concern? Mine would be falling. It's impossible for the operator to ignore the dynamics of the truck at that height: if the truck shakes and sways, he will slow down out of caution. So the key to operator performance is confidence," he says. "And stability drives operator confidence."
"The TSP 6000 series has been designed to minimise stress points and deflection throughout the entire truck," Hainge continues. "The mast is unique: the only mast with a full length closed section design. It was designed specifically for lift trucks and has been a Crown exclusive design since 1984." Why not use a ladder design? "Because a traditional ladder stye mast is not designed for sideloading. Any time you pivot or traverse a load, you introduce twisting forces on the mast. The greater the lift height, the more the mast will deflect - which affects running clearance, safety clearance between the pallets - and certainly how quickly the operator can move pallets."
He says smooth motor and friction breaking also improve operator confidence through reducing sway.
Smooth operator
Another key design aspect of the 6000 is its cabin layout: easy entry and exit on either side; foot pedals flush with the floor removing trip points; a move control seat with the ability to rotate through 110° and four positions for specific tasks, postural relief or simply operator preference.
Designed around "every operator" according to Hainge, the adjustable armrests fit any operator or task and all the controls move with the seat. For those that prefer to stand, the seat folds up and the controls adjust vertically to accommodate the operator. The underside of the seat is also padded with foam to provide a comfortable leaning surface.
According to Hainge, the most productive operators will blend multiple truck functions such as travel, the main raise and lower, auxiliary raise and lower, traverse and pivot. "The more tasks that can be done simultaneously, the more efficient the operation," he says. "Every control on the truck is located on the arm rest of the seat. All functions are monitored by noncontact infrared hand sensors to ensure operators hands are in the correct position for operation." He says the multitask controls, "developed with - and tested by - hundreds of operators result in intuitive controls that follow the natural movement of the operator".
Durability and versatility
It's no good having a truck that is easy to use if limited in the tasks it can achieve, says Hainge. "It performs full pallet put aways, picking, transporting and staging.
But what good is that if it's not reliable?"
In answer to this, the TSP 600 has a heavy duty steel frame and reinforced steel covers; the systems are isolated - electronics are separate from the traction and hydraulic systems - providing a cooler and cleaner environment for the electronics. He says the TSP's innovative hydraulic design eliminates hoses, connections and components for improved durability and serviceability.
In all, the TSP has undergone lab and field testing comparable to 60,000 hours (or 20 years) "of the most severe conditions," according to Hainge. "Which, when everything is considered, mean it really is now time to take a closer look at the TSP 6000." Unless, of course, you prefer fireworks and go-go dancers.
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