A new fleet for San Salvo: Optimum efficiency and safety

In order to make the logistics in its plant in San Salvo (Chieti province, Italy) more efficient and above all safer, Denso opted for an industrial truck fleet from STILL. With 170,000 employees at 220 sites worldwide, Denso is an internationally active Japanese corporation and one of the leading providers in the areas of production, advanced technologies, systems and components for renowned automotive manufacturers.

Denso’s San Salvo plant specialises in the manufacture of starter motors and small motors for windscreen wipers, fans and ventilators. The company has almost doubled its volume in the last five years – rising from 30,000 to 60,000 units per day, which are delivered throughout Europe on a daily basis. A fleet of 46 ultra-modern STILL forklift trucks is in use in San Salvo: this includes 13 RX 20 and RX 60 electric forklift trucks and 33 EXV high lift pallet trucks. The trucks are used to feed the production lines and load the lorries, and literally do the heavy lifting for all production processes within the company.

"Safety takes top priority at Denso", explains Plant Control Senior Manager Ivan Rosati: "In our efforts to achieve the highest efficiency and safety standards, renewing our fleet of forklift trucks proved a valuable opportunity to make further improvements. The integration of the STILL trucks into our internal processes went so smoothly that we now see them as a key part of our safety systems."

With a view to optimising its fleet management, Denso opted for the innovative FleetManager software, which allows users to check that each truck is being used effectively. This means the company can plan fleet rotation in order to avoid individual trucks being exposed to excessive wear, while the others are hardly used. FleetManager can be used to manage access to the trucks, which contributes to the driver’s sense of responsibility in using the trucks appropriately. The software can also be used to individually configure access and truck parameters for the respective driver. Using the FleetManager, the industrial trucks at Denso can send an automated notification to technical customer service if a fault occurs. Furthermore, Denso has opted to fit the forklift trucks in its fleet with a weighing system including automatic overload control, as well as a modern driver assistance system for reducing the risk of collision – in line with the principle 'prevention brings safety'. In terms of safety, all trucks used at the San Salvo site have a digital checklist: at the start of a shift, the system checks whether the driver has checked the most important safety aspects before commissioning the forklift truck. The truck's driving functions are restricted until all points have been checked.

"With FleetManager", continues Ivan Rosati, "we guarantee forklift truck diagnosis as well as ongoing monitoring of the performance and efficiency of the entire fleet. With the system for reducing collision risk, we were able to conclude the process of 'separating human and truck' and integrate a modern solution into our existing infrastructure. Overall, the individual equipment of the trucks supports the drivers in their day-to-day work and makes a significant contribution to our safety culture, something we live by every day here at Denso."