Industrial Design of a Narrow Aisle Sit-Down Lift Truck

This report describes the industrial design and human engineering of a sit-down lift truck for narrow aisle warehouse materials handling applications. The objective of the design program was to develop a truck which would be (1) safe, efficient and comfortable to operate; (2) aesthetically appealing; (3) economical to manufacture and use; and (4) easy to maintain and service. A working mockup was constructed to demonstrate the feasibility of the engineering approach, and to validate human engineering, maintainability and safety provisions. Field use under varying conditions has confirmed that the concept of a seated position for the operator of a narrow aisle lift truck was a sound solution for reducing fatigue with no sacrifice in operator effectiveness.