Many factories and warehouses may lack the space to store the proper material handling equipment they really need. So they may use the most convenient thing available to them. Some might even get creative and use a rolling chair to get the job done.
While a start-up business might be able to get away with such…creative efforts, if you’re doing a good job on the front end of your business, you will quickly discover that the back end of your operations is going to need a serious makeover.
Preparing Your Business for Business
Sometimes, all this takes is just rearranging your warehouse so that not only will you be able to find a home for your material handling equipment, you can also take this opportunity designate a traffic route specifically for your equipment to avoid pedestrian accidents.
What this essentially means is that your warehouse operations needs to be as neat and efficient as the front end—meaning the storefront, whether it’s brick and mortar or virtual. This leads us to the next nugget of advice that’s guaranteed to help you get the most out of your material handling equipment.
- Make your business scalable on the back end as well as the front end.
A major issue that some companies tend to overlook is building a scalable business. The whole idea of making a company successful is by getting more business. The thing is not everyone plans that far ahead to figure out what the next steps are once the business actually grows. Many business owners might only consider what they need to do to take on more orders, but what happens after that? If your business isn’t consultation services, you’re going to be expected to deliver a product. So how is that going to happen quickly and efficiently?
Getting Your Warehouse Ready
Making sure that your warehouse if fully prepared to fill a large quantity of orders is key. Otherwise you’ll quickly discover that if your warehouse operations aren’t up to par, the amount of orders that you need to fill will dwindle significantly, and then you’ll have a completely different business problem to deal with.
How?
There are many things you can do to make your warehouse scalable and that’s making sure that you’re using the right kind of material handling equipment. For instance, instead of utilizing your warehouse employees to move product from one place to the next, think of ways to make their job easier. What kind of solution will help them move stock without putting much of strain on them physically and even mentally? Also, you want to consider what kind of equipment can be utilized to take on more business and demands increase.
- Ask yourself “What Can Be Done Better?”
In a nutshell, this is what you have to ask yourself. If you’re running a smart business, you’ll ask your employees this as well. They’re the ones on the front lines doing the work, so they’re the people you need to listen to.
You need to listen to what the current procedures are and what steps are being taken to execute a certain task. How many men does it take to move a drum from point A to B? If it takes two men to move one drum, then what you might need is a drum dolly, drum rack on wheels, or a drum truck. This will eliminate the need for two employees to perform one job and frees up the other worker to focus on other productive processes.
- Hand Trucks and Dollies
The hand truck and dollies are the most used tools to transport product. But what many people may not know is that there are a variety of different types for specific job purposes. Hand trucks are great because they make it easier to push product since the handles stand tall enough to support the load while you tilt the cargo on 2 wheels to move it along. The dolly makes it easier to transport a bulk amount of product because of its flatbed surface that sits on 4 wheels. So here, you can move more product than you could with a hand truck.
- Pallet Trucks
Speaking of moving large quantities of merchandise, that kind of a product is usually placed on a pallet. And these pallets need to be moved within a warehouse and even as an entire order. So, if you’re stocking pallets in your warehouse, it’s a must that you have a pallet truck. Douglas Equipment offers Wesco Pallet Jacks that can be operated manually or electronically. The manual jacks may take a little longer to operate, but you may not be using it very often. On the other hand, as your business starts to grow, you might want to consider an electric high lift pallet truck.
- Drum Trucks
You’re going to have a warehouse full of happy employees if you provide them with not just any hand truck, but a drum truck. Drum trucks are specifically designed to move drums. Now, an amateur warehouse operation might try to get away with using a hand truck for everything.
Don’t. Do. That.
Drum trucks are specifically designed with a bowed back and a wider brace to securely cradle the drum without it rolling off to the side. Douglas Equipment also offers a selection of Wesco drum trucks that have 2 smaller wheels that extend out providing additional support. These drums can handle 30, 55 or 85-gallon drums. They are made with handles that are easy to grip, and won’t slip from your hands.
What Have We Learned Today?
So let’s recap what we’ve learned. First, you must ask yourself if you’re even using the right type of material handling equipment. How you determine this is to reassess your current procedures. Next, find the right supplier.
Douglas Equipment: The Right Supplier
Douglas Equipment has over 60 years of experience perfecting the use of material handling equipment right down to the caster. Our mission is to assist our customers in finding the best equipment that will help them work faster and more efficient. So give us a call today at 1-800-451-0030 or if you’re in the Miami area, call us locally at 305-888-3700. We can also be reached online.