warehouse | Warehousing Insights | Material Handling Systems - Part 2
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Does a Warehouse Mezzanine Count as Square Footage?

June 20, 2023

storage mezzanine installed in a warehouse facility.

Above: is this a platform or a mezzanine? 

Mezzanines are a great option when you need to add more square footage into your warehouse or factory floor. They’re less expensive and easier to implement than alternatives like new construction or facility expansions, but also pose challenges when it comes sato dealing with code, safety and construction requirements.

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Posted in Mezzanines & Industrial Platforms|

Targeted Warehouse Automation: Manual Pallet Handling

April 13, 2023

stacking and wrapping pallets with manual processes
While many companies can benefit from full scale automation, the math isn’t the same for everyone. However, labor shortages continue to drive companies to seek ways to reduce dependence on manual processes in specific, labor-intensive functions. What are some areas you should target for partial automation?

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Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|

Warehouse Safety: Pedestrians, Workstations and Forklifts

November 10, 2022

Forklift aisle between warehouse work areas.

Above: work areas facing away from an active traffic aisle with pallet stacks that impede visibility for both pedestrians and forklifts. 

Forklift accidents make OSHA’s top-10 list every year without fail because forklifts are ubiquitous in American industry and interact with hundreds of thousands of people every day. One of the key places to prioritize safety is for pedestrians—the people on foot who work near and walk around forklifts on a daily basis.

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Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|

Pallet Racks and Warehouse Slab Specification

February 22, 2022

Photo of a warehouse floor, with a mezzanine installed on the left and a pallet rack system installed on the right.

Because high-bay warehouses with narrow aisles and heights of 30 feet or more have become common, it’s critical to understand your facility floor if you intend to add racks, change layouts or otherwise alter the operation. If you’re adding or changing an existing facility, and the design has changed so that higher density, taller or heavier racks are in play, what factors should you consider?

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Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|

Vanishing Point – Finding Warehouse Workers In The New Normal

July 20, 2021

warehouse workers walking and evaluating facility

As we navigate through a vaccination-ramped up world, many potential workers that either had tough choices to make or were left behind are now in demand by virtually all industries. The labor pool has shrunk, and many companies are finding the acquiring of talent a massive headache. Those roles within a warehouse that would otherwise be much easier to fill are requiring effort and enticement never needed before to bring in potential employees.

Warehouse employment is at an all-time high, so how can you sell your facility as an interesting and exciting place to work at? We review some options.

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Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|

Carry That Weight: What is Your Warehouse Floor Capable of?

May 20, 2021

Pallet rack floor

I’ve become an expert in the shifting soil beneath my house over the years. With most of my area enriched with clay soil, I have gotten to know and understand the subtle shifts that occur in my foundation for each season. There have been areas of concern and repairs to make as my foundation has shifted over the years. It’s something we just have to deal with.

Your warehouse covers a much larger area than my one-story home, but regardless of how much foundation you have, you want to make sure your floor can handle the shifts and carry the weight it holds.

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Posted in Mezzanines & Industrial Platforms|

Download Our Guide To Warehouse Security

March 4, 2021

warehouse security layout

Every facility fights a constant battle to keep its equipment and product safe and secure from theft. You want to maintain access for high-value items while also limiting availability to only those that really need to handle them. Our new guide to industrial security is here to help you find the right security options to fit your operations.

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Posted in Security|

Where to Add Warehouse Guardrails

February 9, 2021

Hallway with guardrail lining the walls for safer operations.

Facility safety for many warehouses focuses on industrial traffic and vehicles like forklifts or stackers, and no wonder—the damage that a simple mistake can do, and the people that can be harmed—is considerable. There are many varieties of guardrail systems, and they all function a little differently but have the same role: solid protection for a critical area when all else fails.

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Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|

Pallet Racks, Sprinkler Systems and Warehouse Fire Precautions

January 19, 2021

Pallet rack system

All warehouses have fire risks, ranging in severity. Facilities flammable loads like paper, aerosols, liquors or fiber are at higher risk than others, but any load on wood or plastic pallets can catch fire.  For instance, manufacturing facilities with airborne debris are at more risk than those storing ceramics or steel components. While storage racks are not among leading causes of warehouse fires, (or even a cause, except for their loads) they can play an important part in reducing spread and damage.

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Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|

Warehouse Bins & Containers Specification

January 5, 2021

Hanging warehouse bins on a rail system with small parts and labels.

Most warehouses use bins, cartons or containers as bulk product shipments are broken into “eaches” or smaller quantities for putaway, storage and eventual picking. This is also largely true of assembly and manufacturing lines where components are transported between workstations and work is progressively done. While they don’t exactly break the bank given their costs, specifying the wrong container can result in a less efficient, less ergonomic operation.

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Posted in Storage, Organization & Workstations|

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