Small-batch manufacturing sites usually feature limited operating space, scattered storage zones for different types of raw materials, and frequent material transfer demands between processing stations and temporary storage areas. Most of these sites have narrow working aisles, mixed distribution of production equipment and stacked semi-finished products, which brings huge challenges to traditional material handling solutions. Manual pallet trucks cost much labor force and take long operation time, while large-sized forklifts cannot pass through narrow passages safely, which easily causes accidental collision to production facilities or raw material stacks.

The compact electric forklift is developed to solve such pain points, with optimized overall dimension and minimum turning radius that can adapt to passages as narrow as 1.8 meters, which can flexibly shuttle between different functional zones inside the small manufacturing site without occupying extra production space. The zero-emission performance of the electric driving system can avoid exhaust pollution, which is suitable for closed indoor workshop environment without extra ventilation support, and the low operation noise will not interfere with normal production communication of on-site workers.

For raw material handling demands of small-batch manufacturing, this type of equipment can cover conventional load ranges that most production sites need, supporting stable transfer of different raw materials including metal parts, plastic raw materials, packaging supplies and electronic component pallets. The simplified operation interface allows new operators to grasp basic operation steps after short-term training, no complicated professional certification is required for daily use. The built-in safety protection functions including obstacle sensing and automatic speed reduction under low visibility conditions can effectively reduce operation risks in the complex on-site environment with mixed people and equipment.

In daily operation, the compact electric forklift can work continuously for one full work shift after single full charge, and the overall operation and maintenance cost is far lower than internal combustion forklift products. It can also cooperate with the temporary high rack storage system of small manufacturing sites to finish raw material storage and picking at different heights, which eliminates redundant manual transfer links. After popularized application, it can effectively smooth the whole logistics flow inside the site, reduce the waiting time of processing stations for raw material supply, and support the lean production management of small-batch manufacturing enterprises.