Essential Equipment for Your Warehouse
Every warehouse’s overall size and logistical design is necessitated by individual production needs and inventory requirements. However, regardless of volume or industry, every warehouse needs several key pieces of equipment in order to function at maximum efficiency.
Every warehouse will obviously have a constant need for inventory movement and relocation. To this end, pallet jacks and trans-positional equipment are designed to simplify the movement process. Pallet jacks and other trans-positioners come in a wide variety of sizes and weight certifications, customizable for space limitations and weight constraints. Whether it is transporting pallets from one location in the warehouse to another or stacking crates horizontally, a trans-positioner of some type has been designed to simply the process. Additionally, these pieces of equipment are available at every price point and level of automation.
In terms of preparing inventory for travel or storage, shrink-wrapping is the most accepted method of preparation. The type of machine used to administer and heat the shrink-warp again depend on individual industry needs, but the basic principle of covering a pallet or inventory load in plastic and then tightening the material remains the same. This is done in an effort to reduce friction and product movement during transportation.
As far as small-package transport goes, most warehouses rely on gravity rollers to complete the task. Gravity rollers are a system of roller wheels and bearing connected to movable stands designed to quickly transport material from one location to another with minimal force requirements. These are ideal for use around loading docks, as they can be easily placed inside mobile shipping containers for rapid loading/unloading.
In terms of employee specific equipment, most warehouses utilize several basic items designed to reduce workplace injury, either accidental or of the repetitive stress nature. Support belts are the most common, cinching around the waist and preventing improper bending during the lifting process. Anti-fatigue mats are large, usually black mats, placed in areas of high traffic to reduce the stress placed on joints and ligaments. The spongy material used in their construction acts as an additional shock absorber for joints and feet.
Of course this just touches the surface of items of equipment that are used and required in a warehouse. There are many others that are used to make life easier and save money (such as pallet inverters ) and those for extra safety. Each warehouse will have a different range of equipment but with many familiar faces across the board.