When approaching pallet rack choices, cost, storage density and construction elements all play a role in making a choice. While cost is always a prime concern, be mindful that cost is often tied to storage density. Cheaper pallet rack tends to not have as much storage density as more expensive rack. But before you consider cost, you must decide what applications you will use the pallet rack for.
Tags: gravity flow rack, selective pallet rack, structural, seismic, mobilized
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
Forklifts are ubiquitous in warehousing and other industrial operations, but aren’t necessary in many other applications, such as small assembly shops, retailers, auto dealerships, and others that require materials movement but do not need a forklift, with its maintenance costs, safety issues, driver requirements and its footprint in a smaller facility. What methods can you use instead?
Tags: Material Handling, stackers, lift transporters, powered lift hand truck, portable stacker, counterweight, non-forklift
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
Choosing guard rail can be confusing unless you understand clearly what kinds of conditions you are protecting against and what assets you are protecting. Whether it be fall protection for workers or asset protection from industrial vehicle usage, there is a guard rail that fits that need.
Tags: guarding systems, warehouse safety, Safety & Ergonomics, guard rail, hand rail
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
Safety is a major issue in most industrial environments – especially those where industrial traffic like forklifts, AGV’s and other vehicles mingle with workers on foot. There are just too many ways people can get hurt; too many chances for things to suddenly go wrong. That’s why including some automated safety sensor systems in a facility can make a life and death difference on a day-to-day basis.
Tags: traffic management, safety systems, safety sensors, motion detection, infrared sensor, industrial safety, forklift safety
Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
Facility layout is a complex and sometimes frustrating process. You’re often limited by budget, space, time, or scheduling beyond your control. What factors should you consider when you allocate space, either in a new facility or a redesigned one? Facilities are sometimes designed without consideration for the space EHS compliance may consume. When that happens, your usable footprint shrinks, leading to a production facility that isn’t truly space-optimized.
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
Above: a driver security cage, which allows entry into a dock area door, but restricts access within the facility
It’s difficult enough to handle the people who are supposed to be in your plant every day, much less visitors. Even those you invite.
The problem has two components: safety and security. From a safety standpoint, you have no idea how an untrained guest might behave. That guest may not know which machines are dangerous. He may not know to use your specified pedestrian walkways, wear steel toe boots, or stay clear of running conveyors. He doesn’t have your safety training. From a security standpoint, guests can be problematic from a number of angles. A plant visitor who has access to storage areas has access to inventory. With even the cheapest of phones now having good cameras and video built in, a guest may photograph something you don’t want made public. That guest could also damage something, accidentally or otherwise. There are lots of wrinkles.
Tags: Industrial Security, plant safety, Safety & Ergonomics
Posted in Security|
When it comes to warehouse storage, pallet racks provide an optimal, easy-to-maintain solution. They’re the most common way of storing pallet loads in the world, and they’re used in the vast majority of warehouses, manufacturing facilities, commercial operations and even retail stores. Whether you’re dealing with selective, pushback, drive-in or other types of racks, the issues are frequently similar.
Safe pallet rack operation involves understanding how to properly use racks; an otherwise safe rack can become dangerous and expensive if used incorrectly. Here are 5 common mistakes people make with pallet racks—and what you can do to ensure you don’t make any of them in your warehouse.
Tags: Warehouse Management, pallet racks
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
People who aren’t paying attention are at the most risk, particularly those who walk near and around forklifts. People don’t pay attention because they’re busy, worried about deadlines. Or they’re absorbed in their smart phone, or in a conversation with someone. The reasons vary, but when forklifts are involved, the results can be deadly.
Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
2014 is shaping up to be a year of transition for the manufacturing sector, with issues in talent development, an aging work force, the re-shoring of manufacturing in some sectors, and the forward moment of automation taking center stage.
Where can you go for the latest in industrial manufacturing news, trends, research, events, and discussions? Social media is one solution. With roughly one billion registered users, Twitter can be an invaluable resource for discovering what distributors, suppliers, publications, consultants, journalists, bloggers, and industry experts are discussing.
Posted in Manufacturing|
We talk safety a lot, mainly because the environment we work in, and the customers we work with use equipment like forklifts and conveyors in areas where interaction with people is unavoidable. We believe the first responsibility we have to our customers, and the first responsibility our customers have to themselves, is safety. Many of the wonderful benefits of material handling equipment comes with the risk of injury. It’s powerful machinery, and people must pick from it, walk near, it or otherwise interact with it.
Tags: Conveyor, conveyor safety
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
