“Every once in a while, a new technology, an old problem, and a big idea turn into an innovation.” — Dean Kamen
In the world of material handling, there’s always a different transport problem to solve, and that’s why we love what we do at Electro Kinetic Technologies. Our industry keeps us creative and continuously looking for ways to make material transport safer and more efficient than before. With the development of new standard solutions in particular, we’re able to make some of the most convenient and versatile material handling products even more accessible.
Why Develop New Material Handling Products?
As transport problem-solvers, we like standard material handling products because they’re generally less expensive and have the shorter lead times that allow customers to quickly put them to effective use. That’s why we developed products such as the 1065 tugger and the Medical Gas Cylinder Carts. Our engineers are always looking for better ways to meet more universal transport needs as cost effectively as possible.
Introducing new material handling products also allows us to improve or expand upon already effective technology. For example, the additions we’ve made to the 1031 Motorized Platform Cart line-up over the years continue to build on product lines that are well-accepted in the marketplace. When there seems to be a common need for a broader size range, or increased capacity, our team will produce a new solution like the heavier duty 1032 platform cart to suit these applications.
Even when some customization is required, new standard motorized material handling products can also help simplify the process. For example, our engineers will commonly integrate a standard platform cart or tugger into a final retrofitted solution. This allows us to cost-effectively repurpose existing, yet still functional equipment without the need for entirely custom engineering. Sometimes a whole new standard product is developed out of custom design when we see that a custom solution has broad appeal.
How We Develop New Material Handling Products
Starting with customer and industry feedback, Electro Kinetic Technologies investigates the scope of a common transport problem. As part of our research, we study whatever strategy isn’t working in order to find out what might. Occasionally we end up engineering a whole new standard material handling product for that specific type of transport problem. As a matter of fact, that’s how our 2010 gas cylinder cartwas developed as an expansion of our existing product catalogue.
However, sometimes the solution is as simple as a new accessory or component that can be incorporated into existing motorized equipment models. Electro Kinetic Technologies’ 0244-301-12 pivoting ball coupler hitch is a great example of this. Small innovations like these keep costs down for the customer and maximize the potential of existing product lines.
Once we produce a new tugger, cart, or accessory prototype, engineers continue to test and refine it for optimum efficiency, functionality, and price point. At every stage of testing, we retool the prototype until it meets our standards for quality and reliability. Only then do we introduce the final product to our customers.
By continually seeking out customer feedback once a new product line has been released, Electro Kinetic Technologies takes the opportunity to make any additions or changes requested. Just as customers are our most important source of information during the product development process, so too they help us as we strive to improve each material handling product line we build.
For more information on our product development process or the standard material handling solutions available at Electro Kinetic Technologies, connect with an equipment expert via our Contact page.
