Just a few ways to improve your operation as the heat of summer approaches. There are many issues of productivity and safety that are stressed as the heat rises. As temperatures start to rise, it gets particularly hot in industrial facilities, warehouses, shops, and distribution centers where air conditioning isn’t always present, extremely costly, or always effective. Experts say that employee productivity increases when ambient temperatures are comfortable and plummets when they aren’t. Error rates are forced up, safety is reduced as workers fight through hot, sweaty conditions.

Cool down the facility with HVLS fans: If you can’t air-condition, or can’t adequately do so, there are methods that can cool large amounts of square footage for relatively low costs. Floor fans are all right for specific areas, but they suffer from their high volume. One of the most productive methods is to employ high volume, low speed fans. Warehouses have very high ceilings and vast spaces that are often reconfigured when stock and materials change. Warehouses and distribution centers face ongoing temperature control battles during the summer months, with or without air conditioning.

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Steel prices and fuel prices are headed nowhere but up in the coming months.

Price increases and surcharges have become commonplace, driven by increased steel costs and skyrocketing fuel prices. We look around and see manufacturers issuing price increases, steel surcharges and fees on a weekly basis. It’s industry-wide and it’s being driven by international demand and also some commodities market issues. We have seen manufacturers decline to provide a price – orders are priced at shipment. This is reminiscent of the 1970′s, and it’s welcome by absolutely nobody who runs an industrial facility or deals in material handling equipment.

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Unguarded rack is flat-out dangerous if orders are being picked in the lower bays, or there is consistent foot traffic below. Safety managers know this, insurance companies know it, and if you have rack in your facility, you should know it too. Look, we have all probably seen pallets break. We’ve seen drivers make mistakes when loading & unloading. We’ve seen things fall off. If you’ve been in the business any length of time, you may have walked into your warehouse in the morning to find a case of something from the fourth level split open on the floor. It happens to everyone, and if you’re in the industry long enough, it’ll happen to you.

Stuff falls off of racks, and if we’re fortunate, none of the stuff hits someone. But you can also prevent that drop in the first place and maybe save the stored inventory as well. So if you buy into the fact that your racks should have some fall protection, then the question becomes: “what kind?”

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Last year, there was a big splash when Hytrol introduced its E24 powered roller conveyor system - and rightly so, it’s great stuff. (See the link above for video, datasheets, and more).

E24 is a brushless, gearless, low RPM, high torque motor that drives conveyor rollers reliably and efficiently. The external motor provides exceptional flexibility, superb heat dissipation, and a robustness that cannot be achieved with motors embedded in conveyor rollers. But what really makes E24 superior to the conventional motorized roller conveyor? Let’s explore…

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From a total of 39,324 inspections last year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found 88,846 violations. For warehousers, distributors and manufacturers, the list is familiar.

1. Scaffolding
2. Fall protection
3. Hazard communication
4. Control of hazardous energy
5. Respiratory protection
6. Powered industrial trucks
7. Electrical (wiring)
8. Ladders
9. Machine guarding
10. Electrical (general requirements).

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