Industrial Forklift Operator

Job Description Summary:
The Industrial Forklift Operator safely operates sit-down forklifts, stand-up forklifts, Combi lift multidirectional forklifts, and other authorized material handling equipment to support manufacturing, receiving, storage, shipping, and internal logistics within a mass timber factory. The position moves lumber, non-hazardous adhesive materials, work-in-process inventory, finished mass timber products, machinery parts, pallets, crates, and production supplies. The operator uses scanning, labeling, and inventory tracking technology to accurately identify, move, store, and transact materials, while supporting the Lumber Inventory Manager and coordinating with Production, Quality, Maintenance, Shipping, and Receiving.

Job Description:

Key Responsibilities

• Safely and independently operate sit-down forklifts, stand-up forklifts, Combi lift multidirectional forklifts, and other authorized Forklift in accordance with training, site traffic rules, and equipment operating procedures.
• Load, unload, transport, stage, and store units of lumber, work-in-process material, finished products, non-hazardous adhesive materials, machinery parts, pallets, crates, and production supplies.
• Handle long, heavy, oversized, and irregular loads using the appropriate equipment, forks, attachments, load-centering practices, travel direction, and spotter support when required.
• Supply production work centers with raw materials and remove completed products, scrap, dunnage, and work-in-process inventory to maintain safe and efficient material flow.
• Use handheld scanners, barcode or label-printing technology, and company inventory systems to identify, label, receive, transfer, store, issue, and ship raw materials and finished products.
• Verify material identification, bundle or unit tags, lot information, quantities, inventory status, and storage locations before completing physical moves and system transactions.
• Create, apply, replace, and verify material labels and location identifiers in accordance with company traceability and inventory control requirements.
• Support the Lumber Inventory Manager by maintaining storage discipline, verifying location accuracy, assisting with cycle counts and physical inventories, and reporting inventory discrepancies or transaction errors.
• Receive incoming shipments and compare materials with bills of lading, packing slips, purchase orders, and receiving documentation; report visible damage, shortages, overages, or incorrect materials.
• Prepare and load outbound products and materials while protecting product quality and following established loading, blocking, spacing, and load-securement requirements.
• Inspect lumber packages, finished products, pallets, crates, and other loads for stability, damage, proper banding, and safe handling conditions before movement.
• Conduct and document pre-use inspections of assigned equipment, including forks, tires, wheels, mast, hydraulics, brakes, steering, warning devices, restraints, batteries, fuel systems, and safety equipment as applicable.
• Perform authorized operator-care activities such as equipment cleaning, battery charging or change-out, fueling, fluid checks, and reporting maintenance needs.
• Immediately remove unsafe equipment from service in accordance with site procedures and report equipment damage, mechanical concerns, near misses, product damage, and unsafe conditions to supervision.
• Maintain clear aisles, designated storage locations, trailer approaches, staging areas, and pedestrian routes; support housekeeping and 5S expectations throughout the plant and yard.
• Coordinate material priorities and movements with the Lumber Inventory Manager, Production, Quality, Maintenance, Shipping, Receiving, and supervision.
• Participate in safety training, equipment qualification, incident prevention, continuous improvement, and cross-training on additional material handling equipment or logistics functions.
• Complete required records accurately and complete other responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

• Suggested 2+ years of forklift, industrial truck, Forklift, or material handling experience in a lumber mill, plywood plant, veneer facility, engineered wood products plant, warehouse, distribution center, manufacturing facility, or similar industrial environment.
• Demonstrated ability to safely operate industrial lift trucks and handle long, heavy, oversized, or irregular loads in areas shared with pedestrians, production equipment, trailers, and stored materials.
• Ability to obtain and maintain company qualification or certification for each assigned class and type of powered industrial truck.
• Experience or demonstrated ability to use handheld scanners, barcode labels, label printers, inventory tracking systems, warehouse management systems, ERP systems, tablets, or similar digital material-control technology.
• Ability to accurately complete physical material moves and corresponding inventory transactions while maintaining material identity, traceability, and storage-location accuracy.
• Ability to read and understand work instructions, equipment inspection forms, product labels, inventory records, bills of lading, packing slips, purchase orders, and shipping or receiving documents.
• Strong situational awareness, attention to detail, and commitment to safety, product protection, inventory accuracy, and housekeeping.
• Ability to communicate effectively by radio and in person and to work collaboratively with inventory, production, quality, maintenance, shipping, receiving, and supervision.
• Ability to work flexible schedules, overtime, weekends, and assigned shifts as required.

Preferred

• Experience operating Combilift or other multidirectional or side-loading forklifts used for long lumber packages, panels, or engineered wood products.
• Experience operating both sit-down counterbalance and stand-up forklifts in industrial manufacturing or warehouse environments.
• Experience in lumber mills, plywood plants, veneer facilities, OSB plants, sawmills, mass timber, CLT, glulam, LVL, engineered wood products, or related wood-products manufacturing.
• Experience with barcode-driven inventory processes, manufacturing execution systems, warehouse management systems, or ERP-based receiving, transfer, storage, and shipping transactions.
• Experience loading and unloading flatbeds, vans, curtain-side trailers, containers, or machinery and maintenance shipments.
• Experience with load securement, rigging, overhead cranes, or other heavy-material-handling practices.
• Knowledge of Lean manufacturing, 5S, TPM, root cause analysis, or continuous improvement principles.