b'14American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comWiggins Lift eBull(WIGGINScontinued from page 12) with customers to make sure our products Liftnowhasenoughonboardbatterymeettheirexactneeds,saidMcDowell. capacity to last through two or three fullWe are not a one-size-fits-all manufac-shifts without needing to recharge. Thisturer. We want to make sure the customer enhancement allows trucks to remain inreceives a product that will perform exactly operationforlongerperiods,increasingas they need it to for their operations.efficiencybecausetruckscanoperateThecompanyalsohasalonghis-through two or three shifts without need- toryofworkingwiththemilitaryand ing to recharge, expediting the offloadingothergovernmentagencies,providing of cargo. specialized material handling equipment WhileMarinaforkliftshavebeenfor unique challenges. Wiggins Lift once our bread and butter, the Zero EmissiondesignedaforkliftfortheU.S.Navys (ZE) industrial forklifts are quickly gain- Littoral Combat Ship, capable of operat-ingandareanticipated tomakeuptheing in heavy seas.bulkofourproductionwithinthenextDespiteitscontinuedgrowth, Wig-two to three years, said McDowell. gins Lift provides customers with direct s peCIalIzedd esIgnsl ead tO access to the companys owners and lead-ers. This practice ensures that user feed-C uttIng - edges OlutIOns that back is heard and leads to better products d elIverr eal - wOrldr esults and greater brand loyalty.From forklifts to nuclear waste han- Ourcustomersarenotnumbers, dling systems, Wiggins excels at custom- saidMcDowell.Theyaremembersof izingtheirequipmenttomeetspecificthe Wiggins family.customersneeds.ThecompanyhasRegardless of the type of equipment designedandmanufacturedspecializedthe company manufactures, Wiggins Lift attachments for forklifts, including rebarensures the safe operation of its products attachments, coil ram attachments, andthroughacombinationofengineering, nuclear waste handling systems. Wigginstechnology,andadherencetoindustry alsomodifiesexistingequipmentandstandards.designs specialized cylinders for variousz erO - emIssIOn equIpmentapplications.AccordingtoMcDowell,WigginsBenefIts CustOmers By lOwerIngfocuses on designing products that meetOperatIng COststhe specific needs of each customer. ByWigginsLiftactivelyworkstoWiggins has more than five years of real- WigginsLiftcreatesawin-winby listeningtoitscustomers,WigginsLiftdevelop products that reduce emissions,world data about electric forklifts, includ- designingzero-emissionequipmentthat notonlydesignsexcellentequipment,acompanypracticethathasbeenining a strategy to address the common painalsobenefitsitscustomersbyincreas-but it also addresses pain points that mayplace much longer than the most recentpoints experienced by users. ing efficiency and significantly reducing limit its utilization. zero-emissions requirements being man- One of the biggest hurdles to zero- operating costsAfamily-ownedandoperatedcom- datedbytheEnvironmentalProtectionemission adoption is operator reluctance,Somezero-emissioncustomers pany since 1955, Wiggins Lift differenti- Agency (EPA). saidMcDowell.Thatmeansthatthehavereducedoperatingcostsbyupto atesitsbrandbymaintainingthesameThecompanywasoneofthefirstmoreweincorporateoperatorfeedback80percentduetoreducedmaintenance commitment to building customer relation- manufacturerstodesignzero-emissionabout the feel, comfort, ease of use, andand eliminated fuel costs, said McDow-ships that helped the company evolve fromforklifts and now offers a range of elec- safety of our zero-emission products, theell. Zero-emission forklifts require very a niche provider to a leading manufacturer. tric forklifts, including the Marina eBullmore buy-in we get from operators andlittle preventative maintenance.We offer a willingness to work closelyand Yard eBull. As a leader in this field,fleet managers. s upply ChaIn strategyensures Its CustOmers ,despIteunfOreseen ChallengesTariffs,geopoliticalunrest,and uncertainty about the economy are top of mind for most manufacturers today. Wig-ginsfacestheseexternalchallengesby improving internal processes.Thelastfiveyearshavebeenone uncertaintyafteranother,sowehave become even better at keeping agile, being abletomoveourproductionschedule aroundasneededtoaccommodatecus-tomer delays or expedite requests, compo-nent delays, or shortages, said McDowell.WigginsLiftdoesfabricationin-house,allowingthecompanytostock heavilyonrawmaterialssothatitcan change fabrication schedules quickly and accommodatespecifictimelinerequests from customers.The company has also built a solid supplychainstrategy,whichisvitalin addressing new and evolving issues.Wigginshasalargeandrobust supply chain to draw from, including very close relationships with longtime vendors who stock locally, said McDowell. Our equipmentisfullyBuild America,Buy America compliant, so we are committed to maintaining a domestic supply chain for as many components as possible.'