Docks & Shipping | Warehousing Insights | Material Handling Systems - Part 2
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Dock Doors: Options for Security and Access Control

May 22, 2017

dock door security gate

Years ago, during a busy time at one of our warehouses, an intruder entered our building through an open dock door and proceeded to steal things from some offices. Thankfully, nobody was harmed and nothing was really lost, but the incident underlined the need to control access to our facility while still letting fresh Spring air flow. To prevent intrusions and still allow easy access, there are some options for warehouses and manufacturing facilities with large dock doors.

Since 87% of warehouse inventory losses occur at warehouses and shipping yards, dock doors – and the way they are guarded – play a critical role in overall security.

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How Dock Operations Improve Customer Service

January 10, 2017

flexible conveyors at dock door service

A loading dock is like a football center: It touches the ball every play, but gets no glory when things go well.

Almost all warehouses and manufacturing facilities induct and ship out almost everything through the dock area.  Your shipping and receiving areas are the conduit between your operation and the world beyond. Finding ways to improve operations in the dock area can yield positive results for almost any business. Whether your operation processes 10 pallets or 10,000 packages a day, you can improve the entire operation by optimizing dock operations.

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How to Make Shipping Docks Safer and More Efficient

May 19, 2016

shipping dock area

Loading docks are often the busiest area of any distribution facility. When trucks are being loaded or unloaded, they become a center of activity with a number of people and forklifts operating within proximity to each other. Usually this is fast work, with the need to quickly load or unload a truck. Everyone involved, from forklift drivers to warehouse workers to truck drivers to bystanders has a role to play in a safer dock operation. Here are some common issues and solutions.

OSHA lists some of the potential threats on its official workplace hazards resource.

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Yard Ramps: 4 Critical Specification Factors

April 12, 2016

yard ramp in use

Yard ramps usually perform one of two functions: (1) They allow forklifts or other equipment to load a truck trailer from the ground, or (2) they allow loading and unloading from the ground level to a dock. For many operations, where truck access to dock doors is impossible or impractical, yard ramps create flexibility. Loads can be deposited at the ground level, and left there until they can be dealt with. Loads can be staged outside the dock area and then picked up by truck later, using the yard ramp. Yard ramps are excellent for many loading/unloading issues.

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High-Speed Doors Enhance Productivity, Limit Contaminants, Reduce Energy Costs

May 12, 2015

High-Speed Vinyl Door

Somewhere in your facility, there may be a place where someone frequently shouts “shut the door!”

Perhaps you have operations that require maintaining temperatures within certain limits. There may also be areas heavy-traffic areas where a conventional overhead door’s slow lift and close rates cause delays, slower throughput and cause reduced productivity from waiting on a door to open.

These are situations where a high-speed door may solve a variety of problems. From limiting airborne debris, dust and contaminant infiltration to temperature regulation, high-speed doors pick up the pace in your facility even as they limit the amount of exposure to negative environmental influences. They open and close so quickly that forklifts and people hardly need wait on the door in order to pass through the doorway. Let’s take a few minutes to explore the types and key features of high-speed doors.

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10 Transportation Management Solution Considerations to Include in Your Logistics Strategy

February 3, 2015

Transportation management

Transportation management solutions are no longer just for moving freight at the lowest possible cost. Companies are using effective transportation management as a competitive advantage tool in the ever-challenging economic and commercial landscape. Additionally, shippers are now seeing both internal and outsourced transportation management solutions less as a commodity and more as a collaborative relationship between themselves and carriers as well as third party logistics services providers (3PLs).

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Cluttered Receiving Areas: Problems and Solutions

December 4, 2014

receiving area forklift and pallets

Cluttered receiving docks seem to plague far too many industrial facilities. Part of the problem is that the way receiving affects the entire operation isn’t clearly understood. Also, receiving functions are sometimes seen as a low-value-add part of the operation. Either way, adequate focus isn’t always given to this vital function.  When you can’t effectively receive shipments, everything upstream is compromised.

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Freight Claims: What to do, When to do it

October 6, 2014

Inspecting a shipment for damage

You placed your order and the freight truck just drove up to the dock. As you watch, workers unload the new equipment while the truck driver waits, clipboard in hand, for you to sign off on the delivery.

Stop. Don’t sign the bill of lading just yet.

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The Case for a “Supersized” Receiving Area in Your Warehouse

March 3, 2014

Dock door in a receiving area

Receiving is an often-overlooked but critical component to warehouse workflow. Receiving  mistakes can flow through every other aspect of your operation.

If you can’t quickly and accurately break down landed shipments and send them to effective putaway, you can sabotage every other aspect of the operation. It has a direct impact on inventory accuracy (and security – in fact receiving is an area of particular vulnerability), throughput, and accurate fulfillment. Too little receiving space tends to become a root cause for many errors and throughput headaches.

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How to Avoid Loading Dock Injuries

August 3, 2012

loading dock with forklifts moving

Since 25% of all warehouse injuries occur at the loading dock, warehousing and manufacturing operations need to pay close attention to this area. Shipping and receiving docks both suffer similar problems in that they are bustling places. At peak times they can get very busy, and when people are pressed for time, they become careless. So, what are the common injury types, and what can you do to avoid them?

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