The Equipment Decisions That Determine Warehouse Efficiency

The success or failure of warehouse operations depend in large measure upon the rapidity and reliability with which goods can be moved through the plant. The difference between smooth running operations and constant bottlenecks often lies in decisions regarding material-handling equipment that were made months or years previously. The effect of these decisions on daily efficiency in productivity is not always manifest when signing purchase orders but amounts to this when the actual operations take place.

In knowing why some plants are operated efficiently and others are not—although the lay-out and men-working conditions may be similar—therein lies the knowledge as to which equipment combinations have the most prolific effect on warehouse productivity.

Fork lift Capacity and Warehouse Flow

Rated capacity of fork lifts determines the load they can safely lift but affects the efficiency of the warehouse in less obvious way. Fork lifts that are being used about their maximum capacity operate slower and more carefully on account of this. Time is wasted by the operators in placing loads and checking to see that they are stable, to say nothing of the extra caution that is required in moving about. Each lift will take longer.

On the other hand, fork lifts which possess capacity well to the one side of the ordinary load weights permit of a faster operation and handling. The operator can work with confidence. Acceleration and braking are more responsive and the general pace of work increases. The difference in productiveness of a fork lift which is struggling with loads near their limits and one handling the same loads with ease would be 20 to 30 per cent. easily.

In considering this capacity the question of making equipment purchases looms particularly large. Operations exploring options such as forklifts for sale melbourne or similar markets in other cities must take into account not only the current maximum load requirements, but also typical working loads and whether added capacity increases operational efficiency enough to justify the cost differential. The temptation is always to purchase equipment which barely meets maximum requirements, in order to save money. But if the result of this is the equipment working at capacity now and regularly, the lack of productivity in the working life of the equipment usually exceeds the amount saved originally.

Lift Height and Vertical Efficiency

Warehouse space has a cost, and this causes facilities to have to convert to vertical uses of space, through high racking. However storage density means nothing, if equipment cannot be obtained quickly for the necessary work. Forklifts with insufficient lift height, cause time wasting work-arounds, double handling, where goods are placed temporarily at lower levels and then shifted to their final destinations, doing double handling and halving productivity. Equipment with enough lift height to go with the height of the racking system permitted single handed working. Goods come from the trucks direct to their storage locations. Orders are picked and put on the trucks for delivery, without intermediate steps. The savings in time mounts up over every transaction throughout the working day.

The relation of lift height to productivity is not continuous. A forklift a shelf short of the top level, causes almost as large a series of problems, as one too low several shelf heights for each floor of stock in the warehouse, as it necessitates alternative handling systems for a proportion of the stocks. Either the equipment can efficiently handle the total stock levels of the racking system, or it cannot. Partial systems lend partial efficiency.

Source of Power and Operational Patterns

Electric, LPG, and diesel fork trucks used in warehouses have different operating characteristics that affect warehouse efficiency in ways other than fuel costs. The electric fork trucks require charging which means either having sufficient spare trucks to run during charging periods or loss of time of operations. This limitation is felt by plants that run multiple shifts.

The LPG and diesel fork trucks can be refueled quickly and continue to operate, but they require a certain amount of ventilation and cannot operate in closed buildings such as cold storage. The exhaust and noise considerations also play a part in the where they can be used within a plant.

The destination factor is in matching the source of power with the actual operating patterns. A warehouse operating one shift which has time available for overnight charging would probably not suffer loss in productivity by using electric forks. One which operated three shifts would need either a sizeable electric capacity in order to switch trucks or employ internal combustion trucks which could be refueled quickly between shifts.

A wrong decision here leads to either having a lot of capital booted up in unnecessary equipment, or to operational limitations which lead to decreased operations and scheduling headaches. None of these alternate methods are inexpensive to untangle after the fact.

Turning Radius and Space Utilization

The turning radius of the truck affects the width of aisles necessary, which limits the amount of space the warehouse itself needs for the same amount of storage. The more tight turning radius that the manipulative unit has, the narrower the aisles which are necessary, which means more racking can be squeezed into the same area.

But the productivity aspect goes further than the productiveness of storage density. The narrow aisles that correlate closely with the capabilities of the equipment leave little or no margin of error. Operators work carefully and slowly, so any damage to racking or equipment means bigger problems because there is no area to work around problems.

Slightly wider aisles than absolutely minimum make fast work possible, so problems are easier to operate. The lost storage capacity may be justified if the production gain is great. It is a question of balance between space economy and speed of operation, and there is no absolutely right answer, but it depends whether the space is more cramped by the cost of space or by the demand for throughput.

Mast Visibility and Operator Safety

Possibly this seems unimportant, but labour productivity is affected very surprisingly here. The forms of lift showing good visibility enable operators to work faster and more certainly. Workman can see what is happening, locate loads conveniently at first hand, and negotiate spaces which are congested without giving rise to any slow-and-remind processes.

Poor visibility means that operators are obliged to work more slowly and more carefully with their lift. They require more time for the positioning for lifts and for adjustment and clearance. The operator may be skilled and experienced and competent, but the equipment imposes conditions for the speed of his work.

The whole labour position which stems from visibility differences adds up over a number of hundreds of lifts per day. The equipment which enables the operator to work for five or ten seconds reduced time per lift gets a considerable throughput over a shift. These are not differences which can be measured in a passing demonstration, but only come out in prolonged daily use.

Maintenance Access and Equipment Uptime

Reliability of the equipment is more important than any performance specification. The most productive forklift is the high-capacity, quick-cycle piece of equipment that is always available in time of need, rather than the slower, more remarkably satisfactory operating piece of equipment which is in constant need of repairs.

Maintenance access has a reliability effect beyond that of the normal quality of construction or the differents in operational procedures. When the serviceability of the equipment is made easy and direct it gets proper maintenance because there are no questions as to the needs. In case of items where bad serviceability exists whereby repairs require longer time and more labor to perform, usually the equipment does not receive the service, hence the reliability is reduced.

This question of accessibility covers also the matter of parts. Where equipment is manufactured and handled through a dealer on a local ownership basis, it is possible for it to be repaired in a very short time when troubles come in the line. On the other hand, where it is necessary to have parts followed from a distant house and secured by special order placed for them, the equipment becomes dormant for several days or even weeks, greatly lowering operational effectiveness, regardless of how satisfactory an opertating effect the piece of equipment may have shown when in operation.

The Equipment Purchases That Support Warehouse Efficiency

The decisions that determine the right kind of equipment from the standpoint of warehouse efficiency are not always the ones that dominate purchasing discussions. Items such as capacity, lifting height, and power units naturally generate conversation, whereas factors of equal importance for efficiency, such as turning radius, visibility, and maintenance access, often receive insufficient attention. Yet experience consistently shows they are factors of considerable importance to daily successful operations.

The challenge lies in the fact that these considerations can only be properly evaluated through actual operation over time. A lift truck may perform satisfactorily when all specifications are being met on paper, but prove problematic in daily operation due to visibility issues or serviceability challenges. Operations that have experience using similar equipment previously develop better intuition when equipment discussions arise. Buyers making their first equipment purchases sometimes focus exclusively on specifications without understanding which features actually contribute to productivity based on operational experience.

The most efficient warehouses typically have equipment slightly over-specified for their needs, allowing operators to work with confidence and speed rather than constantly operating at equipment limits. Equipment reliability ensures the necessary vehicles are available when needed. The equipment is selected to fit the specific operating procedures of the particular facility rather than being chosen based purely on general capabilities or price constraints.

The equipment purchases made during the buying process will support warehouse efficiency on a daily basis for years to come. A thorough understanding of the factors that affect productive efficiency helps ensure smooth operations ahead, rather than creating limitations where warehouse efficiency becomes constrained regardless of how skilled the operators are or how well the facility layout and processes have been planned and designed. The investment in properly matched, adequately specified equipment consistently proves worthwhile when measured against the cumulative productivity gains achieved throughout the equipment's working life.

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