Materiel Handling
Written by J.J. Smith
The need for speedy loading, unloading
elevates forklifts to 'key' logistical piece.
Because sustaining the warfighter is such an important part of a battle plan, moving supplies from location to location is vital to supporting a war effort. Yet such an effort can be slowed because of having to load and unload trucks by hand. Therefore, the need for speedy loading and unloading of trucks or aircraft, or anything that transports supplies, has made forklifts “a key logistical piece” of sustaining military operations, say representatives of companies that produce those machines.
When moving an armed force the size of the U.S. military, war planners need to be able to move mountains of supplies, and that includes loading and unloading containers and vehicles, said Jake Verhoef, JLG Industries Inc.’s director of government sales. The ability to do just that makes the forklift “a key piece of the puzzle of a giant military,” he said. Without a forklift, trucks have to be loaded and unloaded by hand, and the average warfighter is limited to single-handedly lifting up to 60 pounds, he added. Loading or unloading a truck by hand can take an exorbitant amount of time, whereas a telescopic forklift can pick up a palette or large items, and unload a truck in minutes, making “these machines invaluable when it comes to logistics support.”
JLG oversees production of the TRAK International 6000M variable reach rough terrain forklift truck (VRRTFLT); the JLG all-terrain lifter-Army system (ATLAS and ATLAS II); and the OminQuip Millennia military vehicle (MMV).
In 1990, TRAK International acquired the first contract for a 6,000-pound capacity, VRRTFLT, Verhoef said. Based on Army specifications, TRAK designers combined aspects of commercial sector forklifts with what they knew about tanks to develop a machine that can descend a steep grade, and operate in rough terrain and in temperatures ranging from -25 degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, he said. In addition, it had to meet requirements for a 24 volt system and run on JP8 fuel.
In 1995, TRAK was awarded a contract for the ATLAS, which has the same appearance as the VRRTFLT, but which increased lift capacity to 10,000 pounds, Verhoef said. In addition, the forks were narrowed and their profile lowered, enabling it to pick up 463L palettes, which are aluminum palettes that go on aircraft. ATLAS can unload the palettes from an aircraft in a non-airport setting, and move the palettes over rough terrain. It is more than traditional what vertical lift forklifts—operating on smooth, hard terrain—are designed to do, he said.
In 2001, OmniQuip modified an existing extended boom forklift to produce the MMV for the Marine Corps. The MMV is capable of operating over rough terrain and certified for rail, sea and air transport, and it too can move 463L palettes.
Because forklifts have become so invaluable to the U.S. military, each branch of the service has its own specifications and requirements for those machines, said Chris Saucedo, JCB’s vice president of military products. Different missions determine how the different materiel handlers are designed, he said. The Marine Corps looks for multiple use equipment that is mobile, or “expeditionary”; the Army and the Air Force look for more containerized type applications that are long-term uses, he said.
While use requirements might differ, there are aspects of forklift specifications that are militarywide, say forklift manufacturers’ representatives. Those specifications are transportation, reliability and protection. Of those, reliability is the most important, said Saucedo, whose company produces a highmobility rough terrain forklift (HMRTF) and a high-mobility engineer excavator (HMEE), which doubles as an equipment loader.
The HMRTF uses telescopic handler technology to load and unload standard containers—it has a lift capacity of 5,000 pounds up to 16.5 feet high—but what distinguishes the HMRTF is its ability to travel at a sustained speed of 52 miles per hour. In addition, the machine can be compacted so that it can be transported by attaching it to the underside of a Chinook helicopter or inside a C-130 aircraft.
However, the HMRTF is surpassed in speed by the HMEE, which can travel up to 60 mph on both paved roads and cross country surfaces, making it the world’s fastest backhoe loader, according to JCB. The HMEE has full suspension and anti-lock braking technology, allowing for controlled stopping in difficult conditions. In addition, it has run-flat tires, thereby reducing troop exposure and providing time for operators to reach safety. In addition, the speed of the HMEE provides battlefield commanders with logistics capabilities in front patrols.
Most of JCB’s military customers look at the reliability factor as the most important buying decision, Saucedo said. The concept of life cycle management of the equipment is very important to military customers, he added. To illustrate how important, Saucedo said JCB’s commercial products have a three- to five-year life cycle depending on the product. While a commercial big-wheel loader might have a seven-year life cycle and skiff loaders a life of up to three years, military customers look for products that have a life cycle of 30 years, making life cycle management crucial, he said.
The concern for a vehicle’s reliability and sustained performance has companies like JCB providing the government with cost projections for the use of those pieces of equipment, some as far as 15 years. In addition, some companies are forecasting when the product needs to be rebuilt, when equipment failures can be anticipated, as well as proactive maintenance schedules, Saucedo said. Monitoring those vehicles has JCB incorporating radio frequency identification (RFI) technology—which was initially used to track the movement of packages—so remote prognostic and diagnostic capabilities can be implemented, he said. The RFI diagnostic capabilities enable supervisors and mechanics to monitor maintenance needs of a vehicle—ranging from engine work to oil changes—on duty in Afghanistan from within the United States, half a world away, he said.
While in many cases, the features and capabilities required for a military version of forklift, telescopic lift and forklift are unique to a combat environment, in other cases, the same piece of equipment durable enough for a construction site may do equally as well with the military. Several other companies manufacture material handling equipment suitable for military use including: Terex, Genie (a subsidiary of Terex), Manitou, Gehl (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Manitou), Xtreme Mfg., Caterpillar, Case Construction, and Pettibone Traverse Lift.
PROTECTING THE LOGISTICIAN
Operator protection is credited with saving the life of Army Staff Sergeant Adam Smith. On May 29, 2009, Smith—whose unit is the 9th Engineer Battalion, 172nd Infantry Brigade— was operating a JCB HMEE near South Balad Ruz, Iraq, when an anti-tank mine exploded near the machine. Smith walked away from the explosion that destroyed a large section of the HMEE, and the machine’s armor is credited with saving the staff sergeant’s life.
In addition, JGL has armor kits available for the ATLAS, and the armor is credited with saving another, unnamed soldier’s life, according to Verhoef. In that situation, a mortar shell exploded near an ATLAS that was in use, and a soldier was wounded, “but only slightly,” he said. “The machine’s armor protected the individual,” he added.
However, military customers are not only concerned about protecting the operator; they also want to protect the machines, Saucedo adds. During the last several years, there has been a huge focus on protection, but it is not completely focused on the operator, but rather on the overall functionality of the machines, he said. Therefore, the machines are being designed to resist a mine strike, or being hit by a projectile, but in such a way so the machines survive, as well as the operator, he said. ♦
Select DoD contract efforts for material handling equipment.
Light Capability Rough Terrain Forklift
The Tank-automotive and Armaments Command is in the process of soliciting for a single model light capability rough terrain forklift (LCRTF) with a 4,000/6,000 pound capacity. Dimensionally, the overall length, with the boom retracted, should be 235 inches; width 80 inches; height, with the boom fully lowered, should be 84 inches. The extendible boom of the LCRTF is expected to have a minimum forward reach of 110 inches with a minimum boom lift angle of 60 degrees and minimum lift height of 140 inches. The minimum payload at 140 inches lift height has to be 500 pounds and the minimum pick load at 110 inches forward reach must be 1,750 pounds. In order for the LCRTF to provide complete operator protection in all directions against blast and fragmentation from munitions, a crew protection kit (CPK) must be available. The kit must be easily and quickly installed, and maximize commonality of attaching hardware with no special tools required for maintenance. The overall weight with the A kit cab, but without the addition of the B or C kit cannot exceed 14,322 pounds. This is driven by the helicopter transportability requirement. The LCRTF shall be able to load and remove standard 40-inch by 48-inch cargo pallets, stacked two high, from the 40-inch end, side by side inside an 8-foot tall, 20- or 40-foot long ISO container, without manual adjustments to the fork tines. The LCRTF, without the CPK installed and using a trained operator, has to be able to move 16 pallets from a loaded 20-foot ISO container, on the ground, into an empty 20-foot ISO container, on the ground, with an average cycle time of no more than five minutes per pallet. The maximum travel speed of the LCRTF (with A-kit) for self-deployment, is to be a minimum of 20 mph, without load, on improved roads for a distance of 30 miles. With a rated load, it has to be able to travel for distances up to 3 miles over unimproved surfaces, at a forward speed of at least 10 miles per hour. The expectant contract from this solicitation is expected to be a 5-year, firm fixed price award with an estimated 1,414 LCTRFs ordered.
SEI Manufacturing Inc., Huntsville, Ala., awarded a $27,000 contract for miscellaneous material handling equipment. The Army Contracting Agency, Fort Shafter has issued a solicitation for a Hyster H280HD forklift or equal. (Solicitation Number: W912CN09R0077)
The Army Contracting Agency (ITEC4-West) has issued a solicitation for forklifts. (Solicitation Number: W9124A09T0246)
The Naval Facilities Engineering Command has issued a solicitation for a 100-ton straddle/rubber tired gantry crane for the Defense Logistics Agency, Barstow, Calif. The estimated range of the procurement is between $1 million and $5 million. (Solicitation Number: N6247009R7004)
The U.S. Amy Sustainment Command has issued a solicitation for a 400-pound capacity manipulator with attachments and an 800-pound capacity manipulator with attachments. This procurement is for the purchase of one 400-pound lifting capacity manipulator with a custom attachment to handle 5-inch, 8-inch, 105-mm and 155-mm munition projectiles; and one 800-pound lifting capacity manipulator with a custom munition attachment to handle 8-inch and 155-mm munition round and a custom munition attachment to handle MK-82 type bomb. Each manipulator is to include the option of added base weight (counterweight) for extra lifting capacity, to be integrated within design for the unit. Approximate weight of the counterweight could be as much as 3,000 pounds. (Solicitation Number: W52P1J-09-T-3035)
V&H Material Handling LLC has been awarded a $219,153 contract for the proposed procurement of two storage devices for the tool crib area of Building 370, Letterkenny Army Depot, Chambersburg, Pa. These devices will operate with a programmable logic controller to include: software capable of displaying weight of tray and allowing various speeds for both vertical and horizontal movements and compress open spaces within the storage device.
Intercontinental Truck Body, Conrad, Mont., has been issued a contract by the DLA for a ramp loading vehicle in the amount of $49,494. (Solicitation Number: SPM8ED09T1035)
The Army Contracting Agency, Fort Hood, Texas, has issued a solicitation for a 6,000-pound capacity, gasoline-powered forklift. (Solicitation Number: W45NQ99140N207)
The DLA’s Defense Supply Center Philadelphia-Construction & Equipment—BSM has awarded an $87,367 contract to Intercomp Co., Medina, Minn., for a material handling series MH300. (Solicitation Number: SPM8EF09T2226)
The same office, Defense Supply Center Philadelphia-Construction & Equipment—BSM, has issued a solicitation for a rail cargo flatrack (NSN 3990014587323). (Solicitation Number: SPM8EF09T2384)
The Army Sustainment Command has issued a $128,000 contract award to Rapid Rentals & Sales, West Chicago, Ill., for multidirectional forklifts (Combilift Model C22000 or equivalent).
The National Guard Bureau of Nevada has issued solicitation for a compact wheel loader with a Caterpillar C3.4 diesel engine and 906H MA3 comfort cab. (Solicitation Number: W9124X09T0006)
TACOM-LCMC has issued a solicitation for a rough terrain 5,500-pound capacity diesel-powered forklift to support the Iraqi and Afghanistan security forces. (Solicitation Number: W56HZV09RG090)