Product Checklist

• Do you have fairly consistent load sizes - both weight and size?
• Are the loads stable enough for manual delivery?
• Are the loads stable enough for automatic delivery?
• Are the loads currently transported by manually driven vehicles?
• Are the loads currently transported by tow vehicle with attached trailers?

Operations Checklist

• Are your loads currently transported distances of more than 200 feet from pickup to 
delivery?
• Is there a fairly consistent or repetitive flow of items or unit loads?
• Would a conveyor solution for material transportation create “walls” that would restrict 
other material, pedestrian, or vehicle traffic?
• Are there threats to personnel safety because of heavy fork truck traffic in aisle ways?
• Is there a lag between the time material is required at a work station and the promptness 
that a fork truck driver or a manual handler delivers the material?
• If system expansion or facility changes are anticipated, would a more flexible delivery 
system than towlines or conveyors provide operational benefits?
• If system expansion or facility changes are anticipated, would a more flexible delivery system 
than towlines or conveyors provide operational benefits?
• Would a predictable delivery system provide benefits for material movement to and or from a 
bank of palletizers to storage or shipping?
• Are you concerned about a single point of failure from a towline or conveyor system that could 
stop production?
• Are you experiencing significant product damage from manual delivery by fork truck operators?

Automation Checklist

• Would automatic delivery of material provide a reduction in labor? 
• By automating material delivery for long distance travel, can you reassign manual fork 
trucks and thereby increase overall productivity?
• Could an automated delivery system provide the flexibility for sequenced or varying 
delivery options to work cells?
• Would an automated system for product tracking between facility zones or work cells 
provide management with the appropriate tools for planning or decision making?
• Are you faced with plans for increases in material flow that would require adding new 
staff? Possibly an automated approach would keep labor costs at a minimum and allow growth 
by reassigning material delivery labor to more productive areas.