RCT – Powered by Epiroc is helping transform warehouse safety at one of Australia’s leading logistics providers with the successful deployment of its advanced Pedestrian Alert System (PAS).
The client identified increasing safety risks within its warehouse and distribution environments, driven by higher activity levels, mixed materials handling equipment (MHE), and frequent pedestrian interaction.
Determined to proactively address these challenges, the company’s National Asset Manager initiated a comprehensive evaluation of emerging safety technologies, seeking a solution that could deliver real-time, highly accurate pedestrian detection without disrupting operations.
Warehouse environments are inherently complex, with forklifts, reach trucks, and other equipment operating in close proximity to personnel at all times.
Despite robust safety protocols already in place, the business experienced a rise in near-miss incidents and identified limitations in traditional controls such as signage, barriers, and high-visibility PPE.
In addition, most existing detection technologies trialled proved inconsistent in high-traffic, dynamic environments, highlighting the need for a more reliable and scalable solution.
A nationwide trial was therefore conducted across high-activity sites, assessing a range of technologies including wearable solutions, tag-based proximity systems, and AI-driven camera detection, which included our Pedestrian Alert System (PAS).
Each solution was evaluated against key operational criteria, including detection accuracy, reliability, false alert rates, ease of integration, and operator usability.
Following extensive testing, our PAS emerged as the clear leader.
“The solution demonstrated exceptional real-time detection accuracy, with zero false positives recorded during trial periods, eliminating unnecessary operator distraction,” said RCT’s Industrial Global Business Development Manager, Nigel Goode.
“It also delivered consistent performance across diverse environments, including high-density traffic zones, while offering seamless integration across mixed Material Handling Equipment fleets,” he added.
Based on the successful trial, the logistics provider has formally adopted RCT’s PAS as its exclusive pedestrian detection solution.
A phased rollout is now underway across its national network, prioritising high-risk sites and facilities with elevated levels of pedestrian and equipment interaction.
The system is being deployed across a wide range of equipment, ensuring consistent safety standards across all operations.
“The PAS system’s ease of installation and configuration has further supported rapid deployment without impacting operations,” he added.
The adoption of PAS will significantly reduce near misses and potential incidents while improving operator awareness and response times.
“It also reinforces a strong safety culture and supports the company’s commitment to achieving zero harm across its operations,” he said.
This initiative marks an important step forward in leveraging advanced technology to create safer, smarter warehouse environments.
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For media enquiries, please contact:
Emma Young, RCT Communications Officer
One of the most pressing challenges in the mining and industrial sectors is ensuring that only licenced and authorised operators have access to mobile equipment. Unauthorised use jeopardises safety, reduces operational efficiency, and may result in costly downtime. Recognising the importance of managing mobile equipment access is vital to effectively managing these risks.
The unauthorised use of such equipment poses several significant risks and challenges that can have far-reaching consequences for personnel and operations.
Traditional methods of restricting access, such as manual keys or basic lockout systems, are insufficient. These methods can be easily bypassed, rendering them ineffective in high-risk environments.
The mining and industrial sectors require advanced access control solutions. Implementing systems like RCT's Machine Access Control offers a robust solution to this industry-wide problem. By immobilising each machine by isolating the starter motor circuit (or ignition circuit), the system ensures that no machine can be operated without a valid pin code or swipe card. This advanced technology is simple to implement and highly cost-effective and reliable.
RCT's Machine Access Control system tackles the critical challenge of unauthorised access, ensuring mobile equipment is operated exclusively by trained and licenced personnel. This reduces the risk of accidents and minimises costly downtime. With its customisable and robust design, RCT's Machine Access Control is a proven solution for enhancing operational efficiency and maintaining high safety standards in the global mining and industrial sectors.
RCT’s Muirhead® Speed Gates solution is revolutionising safe machine fleet practices across logistics and warehousing sites.
Speed Gates ensure all industrial machines – such as forklifts and reach trucks – are travelling at an appropriate speed for its surroundings.
The system is easily deployed at entrances and exits within materials handling facilities and caps maximum speeds on any piece of industrial equipment passing through the zone.
A worksite may be set up to include four safe speeds per site ensuring the materials handling equipment can only travel at designated speeds within defined locations.
The Speed Gate system consists of a gate located above entrances and exits which communicate with a Machine Location Tag mounted on or close to the roof of an industrial machine.
The Machine Location Tag then communicates with a Muirhead® Speed Limiter to manage the speed of the machine.
Additionally, depending on machine type, the Speed Gates may be able to interface directly with OEM speed limiting features.
RCT Product Manager Mick Tanner said the system will effortlessly enable safer materials handling operations.
“Speed Gates will ensure machine operators are fully compliant with site-specific speed limits and keeping in-line with government safety regulations,” he said.
“Improved speed control within your warehouse will reduce the chance of accidents and protect machine operators and other workers.”
“The system is simple to install and requires no ongoing maintenance essentially the system is set and forget.”
“The system can be applied to any type of materials handling equipment regardless of manufacturer so is ideal for both large and small sites that operate mixed fleets.”
RCT has so far received positive feedback from fleet managers at sites which have been using Speed Gates.
All over the world, in warehouses, factories, freight terminals and shipping yards and all other industrial sites, companies use forklifts to move, lift and stack loads.
According WITS (World Industrial Truck Statistics), 1,534,000 units were shipped in 2018 and the lift truck market has grown from 872,000 units in 2008 to 1,534,000 (estimated) units in 2018 at a CAGR of 5.4%.
However, this increased use comes with its challenges, in particular with regards to the safety aspect for forklift operators and those working in the vicinity.
RCT’s Industrial Senior Business Development Manager, Grahame Don talks about the importance of reducing the risks in forklift operations and the materials handling industry.
The safety and well-being of forklift operators around the world is of utmost importance. In developed economies like the US and Australia, the human and financial cost of forklift-related incidents for the employees, industry and community is substantial.
According to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, forklifts caused 85 work-related deaths and 7,940 nonfatal injuries in 2018. Non-fatal injuries in 2018, were around 16% more than that in 2015.
However, there are precautions and initiatives companies can undertake to prevent these incidents from occurring.
Around the world, Government safety bodies require personnel to obtain a forklift licence before they are authorised to operate lift trucks due to the high-risk nature associated with working with heavy equipment. Today, companies are required to keep a record of employee’s licences, making note of when they need to be renewed. It is however not easy to keep up-to-date with current and expired licences when this information is recorded manually. The use of an industrial fleet management system, like RCT’s SmarTrack® Global, can prevent unauthorised use of forklifts with workers needing a pin code or swipe card to access a machine. SmarTrack® Global can also keep a record of valid licences ensuring everyone operating the machines are legally authorised to do so.
These include the simple task of a pre-operational forklift checklist. Ensure operators check the forklift is in safe, working order before you start. This checklist would typically comprise of checking the likes of tyres, fluids, seating, warning devices, seatbelt, controls and breaks. It is important a system be implemented that is both easy to manage and has longevity. Manual, paper checklists can often become quite tedious and people can become complacent about them. Due to these reasons, many companies are going digital by implementing fleet management solutions to address this safety compliance issue. Currently, SmarTrack® Global is one of the few fleet management systems with a multi-lingual checklist function to ensure operators can nominate their preferred language.
It might sound so simple, but wearing a seatbelt while operating a forklift is the most important safety precaution that operators can take. Seatbelts play a significant role in lessening the chance of serious injury and even death should a roll-over occur.
However, it is quite common for operators to overlook this simple task when operating a forklift for just a few minutes; for example, when they need to move a forklift a short distance to relocate it. These bad habits must be broken, and with a buckle monitoring system that alerts and reports when a seatbelt is not worn, can ensure compliance as they can reinforce safety policy and training at the site. These alert systems are a feature of fleet management systems like SmarTrack® Global.
It is one thing to put in place a speed limit for forklift operators, but it is another to enforce that people abide by it to ensure safety. It is not 100 per cent reliable as there is human error/disobedience. Being able to alert drivers to exceeding the speed limit helps to prevent accidents occurring that are caused from speeding, such as driving into trucks and other equipment, or even rollovers. Speed alerts can create behavioural changes and can be executed with fleet management solutions such as SmarTrack® Global.
A forklift maintenance program should be mandatory in any organisation operating these industrial trucks. Preventative maintenance and inspections should be performed according to the manufacture’s recommendations and relevant standards. This servicing schedule should also adhere to components added to the forklift. In addition, all servicing should be carried out by someone qualified or trained to do so. It is easy to let servicing slide or perhaps forget when it’s due entirely. The use of a service scheduler, via a fleet management solution ensures the person in charge receives a notification when a service is due, based on hours and the calendar year, is extremely beneficial to ensure this important task is not forgotten about and for companies to remain compliant. In addition to this, service personnel are alerted to any checklist maintenance issues promptly.
SmarTrack has the ability through it’s “Out Of Service” feature to enable units to be locked out in the event of an impact. The unit can only be re-activated by the appropriate Manager or Technician. To assist management with the identification of risks within the workplace, SmarTrack® Global includes an area for incident reports. This enables information to be stored electronically.
While the safety and well-being of employees are, the most important reason for ensuring all these rules are abided by at all times, compliance also weighs in heavily. Companies have a duty of care for their staff, especially those operating heavy machines such as forklifts. Digitising the process improves safety exponentially, and ultimately saves organisations money.
Smart technology specialist RCT has finalised a project that guarantees appropriate and supervised control of forklift operations within a prison on the east coast of Australia.
Industrial specialists at RCT in Brisbane worked with Toyota Material Handling Australia (TMHA) to customise a Toyota 8FG25 Forklift to meet stringent safety guidelines so the machine could be operated safely within a prison in the region.
RCT technicians subsequently designed a technology package consisting of a ControlMaster® remote shutdown solution installed on the forklift linked to a handheld transmitter.
The system is designed so that the site supervisor must use the handheld transmitter to engage the forklift after which trained and certified machine operators can use the forklift as normal.
The technology package is also designed to automatically shutdown the forklift if it is more than 200m away from the handheld transmitter or if any part of the solution is interfered with.
RCT Account Manager – Industrial Nicholas Noorman said the project will provide positive results for the client going forward.
“Our solution ensures all machine operators will use the forklift in an appropriate and safe manner in line with prison guidelines,” he said.
“We have received very positive feedback from prison authorities and from THMA and look forward to providing ongoing technical support in the future.”
“This technology package can quite easily be applied to other scenarios such as forklift driver training courses to better equip and supervise a workforce.”
The solution is another addition to RCT expansive industrial product range which includes fleet management systems, safety products and electrical spare parts.
Global smart technology specialist RCT is pleased to partner with American company Reliable Industries to supply quality technology solutions to mobile equipment around the world.
The partnership involves RCT manufacturing its foundation products the Muirhead® protection systems, their industrial fleet management system Smartrack® Global and its AusProTec™ specialised electrical parts range.
Reliable Industries will supply the products to their existing customer base consisting of mining, power generation and industrial companies located in more than 60 countries.
The 40-year-old company will explore opportunities to implement additional RCT technology solutions to their clients on a case-by-case basis.
RCT Dealer and Product Management Andrew Sells said the partnership will greatly benefit both companies.
“RCT and Reliable Industries both have reputations for providing quality technology options around the world and going forward we can offer our services to a very broad customer base,” he said.
“Both companies understand that prompt service and having stock on the shelf ensures that our customer base is well serviced, both RCT and Reliable share this common value.” he said.
“Our Muirhead® and AusProTec™ products incorporate decades of experience operating in mining and industrial operations in some of the world’s harshest conditions and they will rise to any occasion.”
“We regard Reliable Industries as a very competent partner with a history of supporting clients in all of their operational needs.”
Reliable Industries International Sales Manager Christopher Callow has welcomed the partnership.
“Reliable Industries has worked in association with RCT for many years now and they rise to the challenge every time,” he said.
“RCT has a vast array of quality products that solve many problems which our clients encounter across the scope of their organisations.”
Smart technology company RCT is pleased to have committed to a technology partnership with Integra Soluciones to provide cutting-edge products to the Mexican materials handling industry.
The partnership involves RCT supplying products including its new industrial fleet management solution SmarTrack® Global which offers advanced features including Global Reporting from a single platform and multilingual capabilities.
SmarTrack® Global manages machine access and records machine impacts as well as extensive pre-and post-start checklists, weight, seat and seat buckle monitoring and out-of-service alerts.
RCT will also supply its safety products including machine-mounted LED arc lights, heavy duty spot lights and LED smartspot warning lights.
Integra Soluciones will deliver and provide technical support for these technology solutions to materials handling fleets throughout Mexico.
RCT Dealer and Product Management Andrew Sells said he is pleased that Integra Soluciones is working as a dealer for RCT products.
“Integra Soluciones has strong connections with the Mexican industrial market and they have a proud history of providing a high level of technical support to their customers,” he said.
“RCT is very confident that Integra Soluciones is a quality machine dealer and we look forward to working with them to deliver proven technology solutions.”
“We have received feedback that Mexican companies are seeking fleet management tools to better utilise their machine fleets and keep workers safe and SmarTrack® Global will definitely meet this requirement.”
Integra Soluciones spokesperson Patricia Gallardo Sánchez said they are very proud to represent RCT to the Mexican market.
“Since we are a company focused on material handling safety, we are sure that RCT’s devices are an excellent option for our clients,” she said.
“Based on our experience for around 10 years in the Mexican industrial market we are convinced of the excellent quality and effectiveness of SmarTrack® Global since we know and have tried other models and brands of fleet management systems.”
RCT will provide ongoing support to Integra Soluciones from its office in Salt Lake City in Utah, USA.
Representatives from global smart technology company RCT will be departing the company’s office in Salt Lake City in Utah to attend one of North America’s largest trade shows CONEXPO taking place in Las Vegas.
The delegation is excited to partake and discuss the company’s suite of fleet management, automation and protection technologies with regional equipment manufacturers, machinery dealers and potential clients.
RCT has a large suite of proven technology options developed over 48 years of business supplying clients across the global materials handling and construction sectors.
RCT Senior Business Development Manager – Industrial Grahame Don will be attending the show along with Regional Manager for North America Andrew Sells and Account Managers Mike Judd and Ben Booth.
Mr Don said the company’s sales team is looking forward to attending the trade show.
“CONEXPO brings together major figures across the materials handling and construction industries all under one roof at the same time so it represents a valuable networking opportunity for us,” he said.
“RCT has a proud history of supplying proven technology to benefit heavy industries and this is backed up by after-sales support and local assistance through our North American branches.”
“We look forward to promoting the benefits of our technology to attendees and demonstrating how we can improve their operations.”
CONEXPO 2020 will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Centre from March 10-14.
Would you like to meet with the RCT team at CONEXPO? Get in touch with us at xxxxxxxxx@xxx-xxxxxx.xxx
RCT Senior Business Development Manager – Industrial, Grahame Don provides some helpful advice for managers in the materials handling industry to further optimise their company’s operations.
1. Brand agnostic Fleet Management Systems
Data is becoming an increasingly important tool to enable Managers to make more informed decisions throughout many areas of the workplace. Fleet Management Systems (FMS) assist in providing data in relation to mobile plant – this information is often used to better manage fleet size and maintenance by monitoring utilisation. Other features can assist with compliance, training and safety. Especially, if you have a business that runs a variety of equipment from different suppliers I’d recommend a brand agnostic FMS such as SmarTrack® Global. This will spare the administration of different FMS platforms and the cost of combining data from different FMS that often use different units of measurement.
2. Manage operator access
A common feature of FMS is the ability to control who operates your equipment and which equipment they can operate. Some include the ability to conduct Check Lists and combine with additional features such as Speed Zoning. Ideally, the FMS should be capable of operating on a range of equipment. For example, in a warehouse environment forklifts, order pickers, sweepers and burden carriers ideally could use a common platform. A platform that is capable of being used across multiple sites, even multiple countries regardless of the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) brand.
3. Out of Service Reporting
Understanding why your fleet isn’t working can be equally as important as knowing what is working. When considering fleet management products consider systems that enable you to understand your "down time". Is it always the same piece of plant that is experiencing down time? Is the down time planned? Understanding more about this aspect can assist in better planning of maintenance, asset planning and cost management.
4. GPS Zoning
GPS Speed Zoning is a readily available feature which provides a geofencing solution for equipment that requires strict speed control within specific areas of various industrial operations. In conjunction with Speed Limiter devices logistics managers can pre-program specific speed settings for different types of equipment based on any number of unique requirements for operations. For example, counterbalance forklifts can be programmed for a certain slow speed while inside an air freight handling warehouse or in an area where you can expect pedestrians. But if that forklift ventures out onto the tarmac for any reason it can enter a separate zone then operators will have different factors to contend with and have access to higher speeds. This sort of feature is more suitable for more spread out, open sites and is very flexible as managers can alter zone parameters easily.
5. Safety devices
Installing simple pieces of equipment such as safety lighting is a cost-effective way to protect warehouse personnel and meet Occupation Health and Safety rules. Halo zones and ‘SmartSpot’ awareness technology take the form of lighting beams specifically designed to be fitted onto machinery and project a visual caution mark onto the floor of your warehouse. This alerts nearby people and other machine users that a vehicle is approaching and that they should move to a safe area. Safety features like these are becoming an increasingly important part of industrial operations.
RCT is advancing the way companies around the world manage their materials handling fleet with the launch of its latest fleet management system SmarTrack® Global.
SmarTrack® Global offers several new features to the existing product range including global reporting, seat, seatbelt, speed and weight monitoring along with improved out-of-service functions.
RCT SmarTrack® Product Manager Les Healey said global reporting enables managers to view every site within a business and compare data between sites in different regions.
“The Global Reporting feature means anyone with the appropriate permission can access detailed information about a single machine as well as have an overarching view of how that machine compares to the entire fleet,” he said.
“SmarTrack® Global can be fitted to any piece of equipment and customised to the specific needs of the client so it offers significant potential to optimise operations.”
SmarTrack® Global has a multilingual operator interface which allows the preferred language to be selected based on the operator’s login ID, making the system even more user friendly.
The multilingual functions extend to the web portal with managers being able to select their language of choice.
SmarTrack® Global incorporates more than 10 years of knowledge in fleet management systems along with all the features of previous versions.
The new system expands on the already extensive reporting and system management features with highly configurable components which are all linked together through the intuitive web portal.
RCT Senior Business Development Manager – Industrial, Grahame Don said SmarTrack® Global enables managers to access data across multiple sites with mixed fleets on one platform in real time.
“Global Reporting provides powerful data from fleets regardless of location because it provides a truly global solution that supports different languages,” he said.
“The information is delivered to the end user enabling better understanding of fleet trends and events, assisting management to make more informed decisions.”
SmarTrack® Global is currently deployed at multiple sites supporting warehousing, manufacturing, construction and agricultural applications around the world.
