Awarding Customers Value Through Design

Since the 1960s, Crown Equipment has won over 45 design awards. But it isn't all about aesthetics. It is about producing real world results. Because at the end of the day, the success of a lift truck design is measured by the value to the customer.

Design at Crown focuses on the operators and their ability to do the task, whether that means performance, comfort, or adaptability. Other factors Crown designers consider include function, reliability, appearance, technology, quality, cost containment, time to market, controls, configuration and ergonomics.

The Crown PE 4000 rider pallet truck is an excellent example of how design relates to customer value. In designing the PE 4000, Crown designers actually spent time in the field working as pallet truck operators. The final design is a product that looks good but more important provides practical benefits for the operator. The truck's operating platform features a new integral skin, open cell foam composition and standard flexible, ribbed rubber knee pads, reducing back stress and knee discomfort.

The truck's operating platform features a new integral skin, open cell foam composition and standard flexible, ribbed rubber knee pads, reducing back stress and knee discomfort.

The recently introduced WP 2300 walkie pallet truck is another prime example of how good design equates to long-term value. The WP 2300 has been designed to be more robust, with 48 percent more steel than our competitors, and the revolutionary X10® Handle has advanced ergonomics that minimizes hand and wrist movements. Design enhancements, like a debris guard to protect the load wheel axle from items such as stretch wrap, dramatically reduces downtime and repair expense.

As technology continues to expand designers must ensure that new advances offer real value. Customers expect nothing less. Crown's Infopoint^® system of quick reference guides and product maps is an example of how design can impact the service technician by reducing maintenance worries.

In addition, design is a critical aspect of the company's vertical integration philosophy (Crown manufactures approximately 85 percent of its product content). Crown continues a philosophy of investing in vertical integration, which gives the company much more direct control over how the lift trucks are designed and manufactured. For example, design works in conjunction with engineering and operations on such evolutionary processes as Demand Flow Technology, ISO 9001:2000 certification and Powder Coat Painting systems. In this way design continues to play a pivotal role in being able to provide a high quality product that maintains the integrity of the Crown brand.