It’s no secret that innovation and success go hand-in-hand in today’s business landscape. Recent stats show that 82 percent of companies report innovation as a critical factor to their continued growth and success.
In the industrial space, companies looking for the type of innovations that drive higher levels of success often look to Wajax for products and support. As Canada’s longest-standing and most diversified industrial products and services provider, Wajax has a long history of serving the industrial sector with cutting-edge solutions that allow companies to be more efficient, productive, and profitable.
“We have a firm commitment to keeping our customers competitive in a dynamically changing world,” says Iggy Domagalski, CEO of Wajax. “Central to that commitment is developing and providing innovative solutions that allow them to gain a competitive edge.”
Driving continuous improvement through leveraging innovations is one of Wajax’s core values. It has been a guiding concept for the company since industrious entrepreneur B. J. Coghlin launched the company from a small blacksmith shop in 1858. Today, Wajax offers innovative solutions nationwide, serving over 32,000 customers through more than 120 branches.
“We believe continuous improvement is the key to success,” Domagalski says. “We always seek out new technologies, methods, and best practices to ensure we are always prepared to help our customers connect with the creative solutions that can best serve their needs.”
Empowering innovation in material handling equipment
Wajax’s work in material handling — a core component of virtually every industrial operation — provides an excellent example of how it supports innovation. By providing industrial companies with access to material handling equipment that leverages emerging technologies, Wajax empowers innovations with the potential to improve a wide range of operations.
Operator assist technology is one emerging innovation Wajax provides to the industrial sector by utilizing Hyster’s Advanced Dynamic Stability system. This is an intuitive technology that assists forklift operators by reinforcing proper procedures and increasing situational awareness. Operator assist tools use real-time location sensing technology to remove operator blindspots and alert them to dangers involving loads, pedestrians, or other equipment.
While operator assist technology supports the performance of human operators, the automated guided vehicles Wajax provides help industrial companies with the challenges posed by labor shortages.
“The industrial sector is one of many areas of the Canadian economy suffering from an acute labor shortage,” Domagalski says. “The shortage puts organizations at risk and creates a heavy draw on resources used for hiring and training. The automated guided vehicles we provide allow companies to leverage innovative features to gain independence from operator shortages and staff turnover.”
Today’s automated guided vehicles utilize infrastructure-free navigation, allowing them to seamlessly integrate into existing industrial operations and easily adapt to future changes in the operation. Their dual operating modes enable them to seamlessly switch to accommodate changing operational needs and provide a simple interface for the operators.
Wajax is also leveraging innovations to increase energy efficiency in materials handling equipment. Its hydrogen fuel cell innovations give industrial companies the power to work faster with fewer space demands and laborers. The cells provide consistent power delivery, quick refueling, greenhouse gas reductions, and a minimized facility footprint.
Guiding companies in optimizing innovation
In addition to offering a wide range of innovative products, Wajax also guides its customers in the best way to integrate those products into their operations. Through its engineered repair services (ERS) platform, Wajax puts its extensive technical expertise to work for industrial companies.
“ERS allows us to truly partner with our customers,” Domagalski says. “In some cases, Wajax team members are permanently on-site with customers to support their projects. We bring our commitment to innovation to them, providing them with the insights and skills needed to overcome challenges with cutting-edge solutions that drive higher levels of efficiency and productivity.”
Wajax’s reliability services are one of the more innovative offerings customers can access through ERS. The service uses the latest technology, including AI-driven analysis, to monitor and assess assets, products, and infrastructure, empowering operations to achieve maximum levels of efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness. With Wajax reliability services, companies can leverage predictive and preventative maintenance to reduce incidents leading to costly and untimely downtime.
“Technological advancements and shifting market demands have created an industrial landscape that is constantly evolving,” explains Domagalski. “We help our customers thrive in that space by anticipating their evolving needs and tailoring our solutions to meet them. Our proactive approach, which involves actively listening to our customers and closely monitoring industry trends, empowers us to stay ahead of the curve and ensures we remain a trusted partner in providing effective solutions to our customers.”
