Thule Group benefits from increased efficiency and Amigo Mobility’s “Do the right thing” approach to customer service

When Amigo Mobility started manufacturing its line of mid-size motorized material handling vehicles several years ago, we knew that our long tradition of simple product design would also favorably impact the level and limited amount of service that our industrial customers would require.

Foundationally, when Amigo Mobility began in 1968, we also firmly understood that simple product design was the right thing to do. And we still do to this very day. The only difference now is how various forms of technology (e.g., programmable, visual, etc.) have evolved and been refined as integral components in today’s Amigo Mobility material handling vehicles.  

Swedish company’s DC relies on Dex Pro and Dex Pro+

One such industrial customer that’s benefiting from Amigo Mobility’s “do the right thing” approach to both product design and limited equipment service requirements is Thule Group, a Swedish company that owns a collection of brands related to outdoor and transportation products. Thule Group operates a combination of three Dex Pro and Dex Pro+ material handling vehicles as well as 10 trailers at its 200,000 square-foot Milford, Conn. distribution center (DC). 

According to Alan Motkin, Thule Group’s Director of Distribution and Logistics, his Amigo Mobility Dex Pro and Dex Pro+ vehicles have helped to enhance the efficiency of and streamline the DC’s small parcel process and overall picking operation. He first experienced the vehicles first hand at the MODEX material handling trade show in Chicago.

“The vehicles pull a variety of light-weight products including spare parts, ski and bike racks, backpacks and more that are destined for outbound shipment,” Motkin explains. “The vehicles and trailers cover our entire facility 10 out of 14 hours each day and have been a real win for us due to their being very safe and highly efficient along with a limited amount of attention needed for service.”

Motkin adds that in addition to his high satisfaction with the vehicles’ limited moving parts, long battery life, and trailer performance, his experience with Amigo Mobility customer service when the need did arise has been excellent. “Scott (Chappell), in particular, has been our main point of contact and helped us with obtaining some spare parts,” Motkin shared. “The company’s turnaround is fast which is what I expect. “If we’re down, any delay is a bad delay.”

Easy troubleshooting

“’Do the right thing’ is one of Amigo Mobility’s core values,” says Chappell, Amigo Mobility’s Industrial Sales Manager. “And that translates well into the customer service aspect of our component-driven industrial products which are a unique material handling solution that nobody else is offering.”

Chappell points out that the company’s industrial customers can easily troubleshoot any operational issues toll-free with an Amigo Mobility customer service representative by calling 989-777-0910 weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Amigo Mobility customer service team relies on a comprehensive diagnostic checklist when troubleshooting operational issues with customers. Such issues might include whether a vehicle’s battery is properly charged, the key is turned on, their vehicle only drives forward and not in reverse, and so on.

Each material handling vehicle’s enclosure also contains a handy reference key that corresponds to a simple list of eight specific error code numbers that will flash on the vehicle’s operating panel when an operational problem is detected. For example, “error code 2” indicates that the brake switch is left on. The error code reference key is also printed in the vehicle’s user manual.

Chappell further explains that self-diagnosis is one of Amigo Mobility’s strengths across the company’s entire product line, its industrial material handling vehicles being no exception.

“If a charger goes bad on one of our industrial products, the customer can easily order a replacement.  When it arrives, the customer can simply unscrew a few bolts to remove the bad charger and replace it with their new charger,” says Chappell. “As for other operational issues, the customer has the option to self-diagnose along with our help over the phone if needed, or we have a nationwide network of service technicians (who also handle the company’s motorized shopping carts used in grocery stores) who can make an onsite visit. Both approaches ensure that repairs are done right the first time.”

Virtually no preventive maintenance requirements

Because Amigo Mobility’s material handling vehicles are so simple from a design perspective, they require virtually no preventive maintenance (PM). With urethane or foam-filled tires, or tires composed of 100 percent rubber, they’re maintenance-free.

Chappell emphasizes, “Charging the battery every night will result in a vast improvement in battery longevity. Charging the battery that frequently means it will require less energy overall to bring the battery up to full power. A battery that’s nearly fully discharged will require significantly more energy to restore it to full capacity.”

For comparison, traditional forklifts typically require dedicated charge stations along with a PM program to properly maintain them. Conversely, Amigo Mobility’s material handing vehicles don’t require a PM program and can be plugged into any 110-volt outlet without a charging station.

For industrial customers who might opt to reach out to their Amigo Mobility dealer’s service team, the dealer may also contact Amigo industrial sales for prompt assistance. “Because dealer service teams are servicing more complex equipment (including traditional forklifts), working on an Amigo Mobility material handling vehicle can seem like a breeze,” Chappell says.

Learn more about the material handling lineup at https://www.myamigo.com/industrial/