Obstacles: Aisle size, application, budget
Solutions: Renewed Stand-Up Counterbalance
There are two things I have especially loved about this project
1. This is one of the first truck deals I have done from start to finish.
2. My customer. James has been phenomenal to work with and his product is one to boast about.
The Bruery is a craft brewery in Placentia, California. Paraphrased from their website, "They specialize in experimental and barrel aged beer. Their name is a fusion of 'brewery' with the family name, Rue." Check it out: www.thebruery.com
Now, as you may or may not know, I am a Beer Knurd. I, Paige Harper, have successfully consumed the 200 beers required to be honored with "The Ring of Honor" which is proudly hanging at the Flying Saucer in Little Rock, Arkansas. My mother has never been so proud. So needless to say, when James called me inquiring about a forklift for his brewery, I was happy to help.
A few keys I had to touch on in order to quote the correct forklift:
-Application
-Aisle Size
-Budget!
Propane vs. Electric: Being that this forklift is used in a food processing type application, I like to think an electric lift is a more suitable option. Though USDA does not prohibit food processors from using propane, a lot of my big grocery/FP warehouses are shying away using them indoors. I will gladly jump on that bandwagon.
Sit-Down vs. Stand-Up Counterbalance: Two major components to consider.
-We only have 11' aisles in the warehouse. A 4 wheel sit down CB requires on the upper part of 12-14.' A 3-wheel sit down requires 11-12' aisles and a stand-up counterbalance only requires 10.5-11.5.'
-The stand-up trucks are much easier on your operator and allows him to get on and off with much less effort. Also, with such a small space, we wanted to save as much time between picks so we needed the extra speed.
We had a pretty tight budget to follow. Which I appreciated because I know what goes into the production of beer and sometimes the margins are slim. I knew if we sold him an expensive truck, then they would have to spread the cost to the consumer. And no one wants that.
Lucky for the budget part, James informed me they would only be using the truck an hour or less a day. This was the PERFECT application for a Renewed forklift. We also put a refurbished battery in it and hooked it up to a used charger. As I mentioned in my ReNewed post, a great candidate for refurbished truck is one that uses a light to medium application - less than 4 hours/day. Since The Bruery is on the lower usage scale, the reconditioned battery was a great way to save some money. I will write a post on batteries another day...
We delivered the truck about 5 weeks after the PO was submitted. As you can see below, it is already in use and helping the beer world go 'round. And for that, we thank you.
The best part about working with a brewery, is regardless if they buy anything, you can still enjoy their tasting room. My husband Joshua, my brother Mike and I went and enjoyed a few brews at The Bruery's impressive tap room. They have a flight system where you pick 5 of their 30-35 beers, they create a beautiful wooden display of liquid perfection, and you enjoy 5 different blissful beer experiences. Let's just say, if the rest of the world could create a product as firery as The Bruery's Hot Sauce BA Black Tuesday, the world would be a much, much spicier place.
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