Are you responsible for the operations of a new warehouse that’s starting from scratch? Or are you a warehouse manager with years of work under his belt looking for an upgrade in efficiency? Either way, you are probably facing the challenge of establishing a smart and reliable materials handling system. No matter what kind of materials or products your warehouse is responsible for keeping, it’s important that they are transported carefully and stored safely. Therefore, robust and precise handling equipment is the key factor in the preservation of your warehouse goods.
Different warehouses stock different goods and therefore benefit from different equipment. However, there are certain types of materials handling equipment you are guaranteed to see in any successful warehouse. The process of loading, transporting and stocking materials largely depends on the following groups of equipment.
Transportation Equipment
A large portion of the materials handling equipment in a warehouse consists out of the various transportation means. This includes trucks, silos, drum handling equipment, grain elevators, conveyors, but mostly – trolleys. Transportation equipment can be either automated, for example conveyors, or non-automated – trolleys. Trolleys are the staple in a warehouse, which existed long before there was such thing as a warehouse. There are many types of materials handling trolleys, but the most common ones are hand trolleys and platform trolleys.
Storage Solutions
Warehouse storage equipment is used to hold materials during “downtime”, or when they are not being transported elsewhere. Robust shelving, plenty of racks, space-efficent pallets, and secure containers are the most common equipment a warehouse uses to safeguard its materials. These storage solutions come in different sizes, and if you use them wisely, they can accommodate the entire stock in your building in an orderly way. If your warehouse stores items for long periods of time, enclosed storage units can be the solution which will keep the goods protected and away from dust and thus prolong their lifespan.
Lifting Equipment
A warehouse is a large unit, and there are plenty of activities happening throughout the entire space. Since a good warehouse knows how to use all the available space efficiently, goods are stored on every level, until the ceiling prevents you from doing so. Lifting equipment like cranes is a common sight in a large warehouse facility. Mounted on a ute or a small truck, the crane can lift boxes and materials even weighing as much as 900 kg that need to be stored on the top shelves, as well as take them down.
