I recently attended training on a crossover and work platform product that continues to impress me for its flexibility and innovative engineering. Because of its modular design, it stands out from fabricated and manufactured products because it can morph and change as your needs change. There are times where a fixed, welded platform is fine, but it has hidden costs. Let’s examine those…
Tags: Erect A Step, Perfect A Step, Space Optimization, crossover, work platform, modular
Posted in Mezzanines & Industrial Platforms|
AisleCop® forklift safety systems are used by  many companies concerned with the safety of pedestrians who work near forklifts in warehousing, manufacturing and other operations. The system relies on a series of gates, sensors and intelligent controls to manage dangerous, high-traffic, or limited visibility areas. Aside from general traffic applications, AisleCop® is also utilized in innovative ways to guard work cells and other areas where people and traffic interact.
In a major product upgrade, new pedestrian gate systems have been introduced to increase the visibility and versatility of the system.
Tags: Warehouse Management, forklifts, industrial accident prevention, facility safety
Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
Often we think of hazardous chemicals storage in light of EPA and other regulatory requirements – what will I get cited for if I don’t comply? Forget citations – isn’t the real reason the safety of your workers and your facility? Let’s discuss safety measures that don’t require a large effort, but may help prevent significant issues.
Tags: waste chemical, spill prevention regulations, spill containment, safety cabinets, fire resistant lockers, hazardous chemical storage, chemical label
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
As your business grows, the flow of materials tends to bog down as demand increases, forced through the same channels and processes. Throughput grinding slowly down is a story as old as warehousing itself.
Frequently the operations that lag behind the rest of the process are in the picking, packing and shipping areas of your facility. What’s difficult is that these inefficiencies evolve over time, where they can almost be hidden from an analytical view. It seems that no matter how many people you throw at the problem, they never catch up, and error rates escalate. Often the solution is in simple steps toward organizing your packing areas and putting supplies conveniently at hand.
Tags: workbench, warehouse flow, throughput, packing, shipping, workstations, ergonomics, industrial work stations
Posted in Storage, Organization & Workstations|
Industrial traffic is a danger, particularly to pedestrians. The injury and fatality numbers are so frightening that any operation that mixes vehicles should consider options above and beyond simple training when it comes to these issues. There are plenty of options that help increase visibility, warn drivers and help protect pedestrians. One versatile option is the ZoneSafe proximity and warning alert system.
It’s now represented in North America by Cisco-Eagle. Let’s talk about what makes it different.
Tags: warehouse safety, RFID, forklift safety
Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
In any warehouse or distribution facility, there are two critical—and usually very limited—commodities: time and space.
Warehouses and DC’s are limited by these two constraints – you basically have your square footage, your people, and 24 hours in a day—or less, if you aren’t running three shifts. These constraints drive us to refine processes and optimize performance. Let’s discuss a type of equipment that can save time and slash the need for space: spiral conveyors.
Tags: Space Optimization
Posted in Conveyor Optimization|
From throughput requirements to building expansions, you want to be ready for your company’s future. Sometimes these changes take place over longer periods of time, and sometimes they’re lightning-fast—your products and throughput can change from season to season based on shifting customer demands, market conditions, explosive growth, and other factors outside your control.
Sometimes conveyors are incorrectly called inflexible since they are often installed on a floor level, but their benefits can ultimately create greater versatility by optimizing an operation and creating more efficient material flow. Let’s look at 3 ways conveyors increase operational flexibility: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Hytrol, conveyor systems, 5S principles, flexibility
Posted in Conveyor Optimization|
Performance metrics are a universal way to measure a warehouse operation’s overall effectiveness, quality and productivity. In today’s fast-paced and competitive environment, setting benchmarks and goals for a company is essential, but it’s not enough to set lofty goals for the coming year in terms of revenue, profits or production. In the warehouse, success is the sum of all its parts. To reach overall production, quality, safety or service goals, an examination of each step is essential. Through this evaluation process of different performance metrics, managers can find actionable information and begin prioritizing problems within a warehousing or distribution operation.
We’ve previously discussed how key performance indicators (KPIs) demonstrate the value of warehouse functions. Now, let’s take a dive deeper into five specific performance metrics to consider implementing in the modern warehouse. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
The jib, gantry and bridge cranes used in material handling applications are typically smaller, lower capacity, and used with a much wider array of end effectors — magnetic connections, manipulators, bundlers and other specialized end effectors along with the standard hook mounts — than construction cranes, but many of the same safety and application issues are shared by both types of crane systems. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: hoists, cranes, jib crane, gantry crane, material handling cranes, balancers, effectors
Posted in Lifting & Lift Systems|
Pallet rack damage can be extremely costly and dangerous. Damaged racks are more likely to collapse or spill their loads, so avoiding that damage is critical.
Day after day, year after year, it’s inevitable that a busy forklift driver in a fast-paced operation will eventually hit a rack upright. I’ve been to many facilities and seen lots of damaged frames, ranging from paint scrapes to twisted steel. This might not cause an immediate collapse, although it can. It does set you up for trouble down the road when another truck impacts the same upright, the rack is overloaded or loaded incorrectly.
Any dented, gouged or twisted rack uprights should be replaced, but how can you avoid that damage in the first place? Let’s examine some common rack protector types and where they might fit for you.
Tags: Pallet Rack, Safety & Ergonomics, forklifts, bollards, Rack Protection, warehousing
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
