Using technology to build and grow your business.
By Erick Rowe
We see it all the time — a warehouse running dozens of forklifts, walkies, and pallet trucks, often 24/7. With all that wear and tear, you have a steady stream of replacing batteries, hydraulics, pedals, tires, and more. And every minute of downtime costs time and money.
But what if you could get instant information about the most likely reasons for every fault code? What if you could see exactly what’s causing your downtime every day and fix the root problems? What if your junior techs knew all the tips and tricks that senior techs use? AI tools built specifically for materials handling equipment dealers can give you all of this — and the dealers who don’t start using AI may quickly be left behind.
Speed and Efficiency: Two Main Benefits of AI
For dealers, AI can answer questions and offer suggestions about your maintenance, inventory, employees, and more. For example:
- Why are certain parts failing more than usual?
- Which techs are most efficient — and why?
- How can I better manage my cash flow?
- Where should I keep my equipment to maximize rental opportunities?
What makes AI different from your current reporting tools (and employees) is that it can analyse vast amounts of data and give you recommendations in just seconds.
AI Agents: Always Working for You
When people talk about AI, they’re typically talking about either generative AI or AI agents.
- Generative AI is like the chatbot on the MHEDA website—you ask a question, and it gives you an answer.
- An AI agent takes it one step further; you set it up and tell it what to do, then it makes decisions and acts on its own, just as a human employee would.
Agents work best when each has a specific function, whether it’s assisting technicians, writing work orders, or predicting inventory needs. The more agents you add, the more problems you can solve.
But perhaps the best part is that everything works together — the agents “talk” to each other, solve problems together, and integrate with your ERP. AI agents understand context, which is crucial in a dealership where sales, service, parts, and finance are all connected.
You’re Still in Control
Even though AI gives you suggestions and answers, you still can accept and reject them.
If your AI agent gives you suggestions for how to repair a piece of equipment, for example, you choose whether to follow that advice. When you gain more trust in specific AI agents, you can give them more autonomy to guide technicians through repairs and make other decisions.
Your Data Drives Decisions
Your dealership generates thousands of data points every day. AI connects all those data points (and more) and processes them faster than any employee ever could, giving you insights and intelligence that you simply didn’t have before. Even if your data isn’t perfectly structured, AI can help identify gaps and inconsistencies to improve your data over time.
Look for AI Built Around Materials Handling Workflows
Just as you wouldn’t use a standard forklift in place of a man-up order picker, you should be cautious of tools that aren’t designed for your unique job. General AI platforms don’t always work for materials handling equipment dealerships due to factors such as strict uptime requirements, multiple OEMs, 24/7 operations, and fleet management.
What Can AI Do for Material Handling Equipment Dealers?
Here are a few ways AI agents can make your dealership more efficient and profitable.
- Diagnose Issues Faster to Maximize Uptime. With AI, your mechanics can ask questions and get quick answers based on past work orders, repair history, and user manuals across all OEMs. The AI interprets codes, integrates data from your ERP, and suggests the best repair. This lets you get more done with fewer people.
- Leverage Knowledge from Your Best Employees. Your top people have years of hard-earned experience. AI can integrate employee insights throughout your dealership, so everyone benefits from their knowledge.
- Maximize Profitability of Your Rental Fleet. Rental demand can change quickly based on your regional market, seasonal demand, supply chain issues, and other factors. AI analyses all these data points to suggest dynamic pricing.
- Increase the Percentage of Qualifying Warranty Work. AI can generate a full write-up of needed repairs, including all the relevant details and language.
- Improve Customer Communication and Satisfaction. AI-generated write-ups also provide more detail for customers, which helps you explain the cost of repairs and can lead to higher satisfaction scores.
Start Small, Get Big Results
Dealers who are successful with AI typically start slowly with one or two processes or workflows. We often recommend limiting access to managers at first. Then, once leadership sees how AI makes decisions and they gain trust in how it thinks, they can confidently roll it out to their teams.
AI agents make your relationships and expertise even more valuable by connecting all the dots. The best part is, you don’t have to be the largest dealer or even the most tech-savvy to get significant gains from AI. You just need to start, learn as you go, and build from there.
This article was contributed by MHEDA Member Vital Edge Technologies. Erick Rowe is the Vice President of Product Management. VitalEdge exists to empower dealerships to grow by simplifying their technology and operations. Learn more at vitaledge.com.
ARTICLE TAKEAWAYS
- AI Is Driving Profitability. Faster repairs, better work order write-ups, and less downtime lead to measurable gains in the bottom line.
- Your Data, Your Decisions. AI connects the data points from your dealership and offers suggestions you can choose to act on.
- Help for the Tech Shortage. With AI, every tech has instant access to full repair history, OEM manuals, and proven insights from your senior techs.
