Palletizers are great for higher-volume operations. They increase palletizing speed, increase safety, and build solid, consistent pallets without human intervention. In today’s tough labor market, palletizing is one of the best places to automate and reduce manual involvement. Fully-automated systems come in two basic varieties: conventional and robotic, either of which could be the right fit for your operation.
Palletizers: Robotic vs. Conventional
Tags: Palletizers, Safety & Ergonomics
Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|
Pallet Rack: Anchoring, Safety and OSHA Compliance Factors
Warehouses use pallet racks because they maximize storage space, streamline operations, and organize inventory like no other system. We discuss rack safety in depth because it’s so critical for protecting people, property, inventory and facilities. A rack safety fundamental is anchoring: the right anchors, installed correctly, into a subfloor designed for that purpose. Think of the floor-rack connection as the very basis of your rack’s balance and capacity.
Tags: warehousing, storage, Safety & Ergonomics
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
Does a Warehouse Mezzanine Count as Square Footage?
Above: is this a platform or a mezzanine?Â
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.
Tags: industrial storage, Safety & Ergonomics, Space Optimization
Posted in Mezzanines & Industrial Platforms|
How to Prevent Pallet Rack Push-Through Accidents
When heavy pallets are stored on horizontal beams in your pallet rack system, there is always some danger of a pallet or items stored on it, being pushed through the back of the rack. Items or full pallets can then fall or push the pallet behind them toward the next aisle in double row systems. What are some options to reduce the hazards related to push-through accidents?
Tags: Safety & Ergonomics
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
AGVs Implementation And Pathway Considerations
Automated Guided Vehicles are no longer an anomaly when it comes to adding productivity and efficiency to operations. As robotics of many varieties infiltrate facilities and work alongside human counterparts, adoption is becoming commonplace.
With this new embrace of automation, and specifically AGVs, comes new considerations within your warehouse. Daily interactions lead to new precautions to protect workers and your new equipment from damage. One area that must be addressed is your floors and aisles, for they will see a new age of comings and goings.
Tags: Safety & Ergonomics, Robotics, AGV's
Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|
Motorized Carts For Ergonomic Material Movement
Forklifts are the usual method to move heavy materials, but there are plenty of times—and many good reasons—you might not want to use one. You can use pallet jacks, stackers, tuggers, pallet dollies, AGVs or even conveyors, but what about the instances where you don’t need forklift power, but your loads are too heavy or the travel time too far for pushcarts?
Enter the powered cart. This option resides in that “sweet spot” for material movement. But what exactly can a powered cart offer you, and what are your options?
Tags: labor, ergonomics, Safety & Ergonomics
Posted in Material Handling|
Free Falling – Ways To Reduce Mezzanine Falling Items
Mezzanines offer an affordable way to increase the vertical cube of your facility. This expansion can fuel growth and reduce the need for additional locations (especially in this new normal of sky-high commercial real estate).
When looking at a mezzanine install, or even when operating with an existing version, worker safety is paramount. One safety aspect to pay careful attention to is the risk of falling items from your mezzanine. To help reduce these risks, there are multiple methods of protection available, but which one is the best fit for your mezzanine?
Tags: Safety & Ergonomics, Space Optimization
Posted in Mezzanines & Industrial Platforms|
How to Choose the Right Pallet Drop Gate
Pallet drop safety gates help ensure that employees and material will be protected from falls and injuries while materials are loaded and unloaded from mezzanines and other elevated platforms.
There are a wide variety of pallet drop gates in the market; however, many of the devices are better suited for specific applications and environments. It’s not always easy to pick the right design, so Aaron Conway of Mezzanine Safet-Gates has answered a few questions about the process for us.
Tags: Safety & Ergonomics, Space Optimization
Posted in Mezzanines & Industrial Platforms|
Prevent Defense – Pallet Rack Protection Options from All Angles
Traffic coming and going within your facility’s pallet rack storage areas is a daily occurrence (or at least it better be!) and the higher the traffic, the better off your operations are probably doing. With tight supply chains, inventory shortages, longer lead times and limited patience from customers, movement around your rack is a constant. You can’t afford an accident. With that constant activity comes the potential for rack and inventory damage from various angles and situations. With that in mind, what are some simple ways you can protect your pallet rack?
Tags: Safety & Ergonomics, Pallet Rack, rack safety
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
Pallet Racks, Sprinkler Systems and Warehouse Fire Precautions
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.
Tags: Safety & Ergonomics
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|