Crown Equipment Releases 2013 Global Sustainability Report | Construction News

Crown Equipment Corp. has released its 2013 ecologic report highlighting the company’s global efforts to minimize waste, manage energy use, and maximize product and facility lifespan. The 2013 report can be downloaded at www.crown.com.

The report emphasizes Crown’s energy efficient product including the Crown RM 6000 Series narrow aisle forklift, which features Xpress Lower technology that increases lowering speed to 240 fpm (feet per minute) without using any additional energy; and Crown’s InfoLink fleet and operator management software that helps customers monitor the efficient use of their forklift fleet and total operations.

“When you operate a Crown forklift, it’s obvious the company truly understands the design elements that make a good forklift and the relationship between operators and their lift trucks,” said Jim Slattery, vice president of operations, Fairrington Transportation. “As a result of this commitment, companies such as ours benefit from a product that doesn’t just look nice, but also helps to make an operator’s job easier and the entire warehouse more productive.”

Crown evaluates the ecological and human health impact of its products during their life cycle, which helps the company understand the cradle-to-grave environmental performance of the product design and manufacturing processes. Design and engineering teams also conduct human-factors research by test driving forklifts, researching trends, and talking to expert users.

“While it is crucial that we as a company make informed sustainable choices and implement strategies around reducing, reusing and recycling, it is equally as important that we help our customers achieve success with their own sustainability efforts,” said Brian Duffy, Crown’s director of corporate environmental and manufacturing safety. “The largest impact regarding energy consumption in the lifecycle of a forklift occurs during operation. With energy efficiency as a key element of a greener supply chain, it is important to provide customers with products and technologies that will help reduce energy use and lower their carbon footprint.”