When a prospective client wants to visit your 3PL facility, it’s critical; you could be on the verge of new business.
You want to show them why they should select you as their 3PL of choice; that you’re the best choice; that you can be trusted to help them serve their clients. It’s no easy task running a successful warehouse or third-party logistics company – it’s a multi-faceted organization with its own specific attributes and specialties.
Tags: lean warehousing, warehouse, Third Party Logistics, warehouse flow, ecommerce, Warehouse Management, warehousing, Material Handling, 3PL
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
The forklift is ubiquitous in warehousing, manufacturing, distribution and other industrial operations, but many companies are actively working to reduce fleet size—or eliminate forklifts entirely.
This seems to be mostly about safety. Powered industrial trucks ranked sixth for OSHA violations in the most recent data. They’re always near the top. They cause about 100 deaths in the United States every year, and tens of thousands of injuries, with a high percentage termed “serious.” Forklifts are often the single most hazardous machine in any facility that operates them. Can you truly make a warehouse forklift free, as many EHS experts recommend? Maybe not, but you can minimize forklifts and keep them out of the most dangerous areas. Let’s dive into some methods.
Tags: Warehouse Management, Material Handling, Industrial Lifts, forklift
Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
Conveyors are ergonomic equipment by nature. They reduce manual lifting, pushing, pulling and stretching by delivering product to workers and reducing the stress of carrying or pushing it manually. Whether in a large integrated system or a spur of gravity, conveyors are great for reducing the number of people who engage in potentially dangerous activities that could cause musculoskeletal issues. Let’s dive into ways to be sure your conveyors are contributing to an ergonomic operation.
Tags: ergonomics, Safety & Ergonomics
Posted in Conveyor Optimization|
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With the rising costs of workers’ compensation insurance and global pressures to increase productivity, warehouse and distribution center managers are taking a much closer look at improving ergonomics. With as many as 65% of worker’s compensation claims associated with manual materials handling, insurance companies are raising their rates—or mandating ergonomic improvements for continued coverage.
Equipment suppliers are responding to the need, engineering and designing features into their products to help workers minimize the strains associated with lifting, reaching, twisting, pulling and pushing. These new product features can also help address the demand for increased productivity as well.
Tags: ergonomics, plant safety, Order Picking & Fulfillment, Safety & Ergonomics, Material Handling, order fulfillment, warehouse safety
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
We help clients with structural mezzanines and rack supported systems in a range of facilities.
Mezzanine options range from professionally manufactured to home-made to local fabrication shop to professional contractors. If you have a mezzanine or storage platform custom fabricated, you need to be sure your contractor is complying with OSHA & local safety regulations, particularly on guard railing, stairs and gates. If your fabricator doesn’t routinely work with mezzanines, this is something you’ll have to do on your own. The best policy is to look at established vendors if you don’t want to micro-manage the details of building permits, code compliance, and OSHA’s blessings. Here’s a breakdown of the handrail issues you might run into:
Tags: code compliance, building codes, Space Optimization, warehousing, Material Handling, OSHA, Mezzanines, industrial safety
Posted in Mezzanines & Industrial Platforms|
Working at height continues to rank high on the list every year when it comes to OSHA statistics, potential causes of major injuries and even fatalities.
Research shows that far too many people end up injured or worse because of their work on ladders, rooftops or other spots above the ground. As a result, it is extremely important for EHS leaders to be aware of the potential hazards their personnel face when working at heights, as well as the best ways to keep employees safe on the job.
Tags: lean manufacturing, industrial safety, lean warehousing, warehouse safety, industrial accident prevention, Safety & Ergonomics, Warehouse Management, warehousing, Material Handling
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
The ideal storage equipment for a given product can vary based on load, picking method, throughput, shipping issues and many other factors. Usually it involves a blend of shelving, racks, cabinets, and other means of organizing product in a given footprint. One of the questions that comes to mind is the line where a product or group of them is best slotted into shelving and bins, or if that product is best suited for carton flow solutions. Let’s examine the factors.
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|
It’s always busy when you operate a warehouses or DC, but as noted philosopher Ferris Bueller once said, “life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” The same applies to your facility and specifically its pallet racks. A good way to ensure they’re being used correctly and safely is to stop and look around once in a while. In that spirit, let’s touch on some things to examine in your warehouse rack operation.
Tags: Warehouse Management, pallet racking, warehouse productivity, rack safety, Inspections, Walking Around
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
It’s been a sudden transition: many forklifts no longer use flashing strobe or beacon lights and have transitioned to LED “blue light” forklift safety lights that project on the floor rather than flash on the forklift itself. Workers have never liked an excess of flashing lights, but to some extent this is because companies aren’t deploying the beacon lights for the right application. LED floor lights are true warning systems, while beacons are visibility enhancements for already visible trucks.
Why do warehouse workers prefer LED systems?
Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
Winter is always coming.
While you might not be battling an army of zombie warriors, the seasonal surge in orders and fulfillment poised to engulf your 3PL warehouse can feel like a never-ending battle. Preparing for this fulfillment onslaught should be the goal for any efficient 3PL, so you can be ready for the inevitable increase in all facets of your business. By efficiently handling the high volumes of orders that flow through your warehouse during peak season, you’ll enjoy the spoils of higher production, correct shipments and overall customer/client satisfaction.
To enhance the preparation, you need to analyze each segment of your process and pick those that seem to be the biggest torment.
Tags: warehouse, warehouse productivity, Third Party Logistics, performance improvement, warehouse flow, Warehouse Management, 3PL, productivity
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|
