17/10/2024
Ένα εργαλείο με χρήση σε κάθε αποθήκη: το κλαρκ (Clark). Η ιστορία του:
The Interwar Period: The First True Forklifts
The period between World War I and II marked the transition from platform-based industrial trucks to forklifts. First, Eugene Clark at Clark Material Handling Company in Kentucky developed the first seated counterbalanced lift truck in 1917 called the “Tructractor.” Although often referred to today as the first forklift, it actually did not have forks. As Clark was dealing with heavy truck axles at the time, the Tructractor was initially developed for movement within his plant. But soon, visitors to their plant began requesting variations of the model for their own use. And in about two years, Clark started to export to foreign markets. Around this time, there was also demand for a way to stack materials on top of one another. The reason was that warehouses were eager to fit more material in less space, which allowed them to save money. This led to Yale inventing the first electric truck with forks and a mast in 1923. In terms of design, it resembled modern-day forklifts. And as such, it could properly be considered the first forklift.
Who Invented the Forklift?
Unfortunately, there’s no real consensus on who invented the forklift. That said, the following could be considered the inventors of the first lift truck: (1) Yale, with their 1923 electric forklift complete with forks and a mast. (2) Clark, with their 1924 modified Duat tractor with forks and a chain-supported mast
The truck worked by using a ratchet and pinion system instead of a tilting platform like in earlier designs. This was a breakthrough in the sense that the mast could be elevated above the height of the truck for the first time ever. And consequently, warehouses could take advantage of vertical space by double-stacking loads. A year later in 1924, Clark contributed another major advancement in forklift technology. This was the Duat tractor, which became the first internal combustion forklift.
While the design of 1920s forklifts was revolutionary, there remained a significant limitation on their usefulness: There were no standard pallet sizes. Because of this, pallets were often either too small or too large for fork trucks to handle.
By the late 1930s, engineers solved this problem by standardizing pallets. In fact, it was only after making pallet sizes uniform that forklifts truly went mainstream. Since forklifts were now being designed to carry pallets, the entire warehouse storage process was simplified. Not only could pallets carry more weight, but operators could more easily stack them. Now, this begs the question: Who invented the pallet?
The first patent was submitted by Howard T. Hallowell and approved in 1924. The modern-day pallet was invented by George G. Raymond, founder of the Raymond Handling Concepts Corporation. This concept consisted of a sturdy top face to support the load and a bottom face to rest on the load below. And this design allowed warehouses to store even more materials in the same amount of space by double-stacking.
By the 1940s, forklifts looked close to what they look like today. And they became even more popular during World War II. With a massive increase in the need for load handling, businesses needed forklifts that could run for a full work shift.
The demand for ways to increase warehousing efficiency accelerated in the post-World War II years. One of the key strategies for this was expanding vertically as opposed to outwardly. By doing so, warehouses could better use available space and save money in the process.
Source: Conger / Adam Tooze from Chartbook
