Top 3 Essential Pieces of Warehouse Equipment

As a warehouse manager, you know that your workforce is only as good as its equipment. Even the hardest working employees will find it difficult to maintain their productivity if they don't have the tools they need to best serve your company. What's more, those same tools are a necessity if you want to prevent the sorts of accidents and overexertion that can lead to costly injuries or even death. Though by no means comprehensive, the following pieces of equipment should be considered a must for any warehouse whose manager holds employee safety and productivity in the highest regard.

1. Pallet Stackers

Though pallet stackers are a common sight in any warehouse, many facilities still use outdated varieties that rely entirely on employee exertion to get the pallets off the ground. That's fine if neither you nor your clients are in a hurry...but if you're looking to move product quickly, safely, and efficiently, then it's time to upgrade to an automatic fork over or straddle stacker.

Fork over stackers works best with open bottom pallets, skids, and other containers. Their high level of maneuverability is belied by the fact that they can (depending on model) lift 2,200 to 3,000 pounds of material anywhere from 36" to 80". What's more, that lifting is entirely automatic - no longer will your employees have to strain themselves through the slow, agonizing pumping of their pallet stackers. With just a push of a button, the forklift's load can be easily adjusted to whatever height they desire. The power to do so is provided through a 12 volt DC battery, which can be easily recharged via the built-in charger.

Though straddle stackers also offer automatic lifting, rechargeable batteries, and the same incredible weight capacity, their design makes them more appropriate for loads that need to be lifted directly off the ground. The adjustability of its legs allows it to straddle containers that could be pierced or otherwise bumped into by the legs of the fork over stackers. The variety you decide on will be dependant on the type of loads your employees typically interact with - likewise, be sure to check out all fourteen stacker models in our catalog to be certain that you're getting the one that suits both the needs and the budget of your business.

2. Lift Tables

It won't, however, always be loads that need lifting. While stackers are great for pallets and other containers, lift tables are a must for any sort of work positioning, machine feeding, order picking, or pallet loading that your employees might be engaged in. They are similar to stackers, however, in that there are distinct varieties and models to examine when deciding which table is best for you. Our standard models cover a wide variety of capacities, possessing the ability to lift anywhere from 2,000 to 8,000 pounds anywhere from two to five feet. The one connecting trait is that every one of these tables features the unparalleled durability and excellence in construction that Southworth has become known for.

Warehouses that are in the practice of lifting extremely heavy loads, however, will be better suited by one of our heavy-duty lift tables. Designed to hold up under even the most massive of weights, the most capable of these models boasts a staggering weight capacity of 25,000 pounds. The last thing you want is for your employees to take a chance on a table that might not be able to lift what they need elevated - guesses like that can lead to disastrous results, both for your employees and your equipment. Our heavy-duty lift tables take all the uncertainty out of the question, giving you the peace of mind of knowing that they'll be up to the task no matter what needs lifting.

3. Conveyors

Conveyors aren't just for assembly lines - when set up properly, an effective conveyor system can reduce employee strain and greatly increase the speed of material transport within your warehouse. Think of the typical paths taken by by-products entering and exiting your facility, of just how many containers go back and forth among those paths over the course of a given day. Now imagine how much more quickly those containers can travel along those paths if they're guided along a conveyor as opposed to being carried or driven on a stacker.

But what if your facility is small or utilizes an unusual layout? Even if you're interested in installing a conveyor system, that interest may have been snuffed out by the thought that it's either unneeded for your warehouse or unable to be created in a way that suits your facility's design. Not to worry - at Handling Concepts, we do more than just dump conveyor parts at your doorstep. We work with you to design a conveyor system specifically suited to the needs of your business. Our industry expertise and our partnerships with the biggest names in conveyor construction make it so we can create an affordable system that'll increase your facility's efficiency and level of employee safety.

Essential Equipment for Your Warehouse

Setting up a warehouse is no easy task. There are questions of space, safety, and productivity to be faced at every corner. Luckily, you don't have to go it alone. At Handling Concepts, we want to be more than just your provider of warehouse equipment - we want to act as a partner in setting up your facility, in helping you to design its operations so that every task can be completed to the highest degree of safety and efficiency. If you'd like to learn more about all how we can assist your business, please feel free to get in touch with one of our friendly and knowledgeable customer service associates.