Material handling equipment has not changed much through the centuries, at least until perhaps the last twenty years or so. If you wanted to design something that moved material from place to place, then any kind of platform on wheels would more than suffice. The bigger the load, the bigger the equipment – it really was that simple!
Of course, once you transported your items to somewhere within your warehouse, you would need to know where they were stored. Warehouse managers would keep extensive ledgers, detailing what came in, where it went, and what was shipped out. This laborious task was eventually simplified with the advent of computers.
Over the past ten years in particular, all forms of technology have made significant strides and this boost in technology has affected the evolution of material handling equipment, accelerating the efficiency by which any cutting-edge warehouse or production facility could function. Here we take a look at some of the ways technology has helped in the recent evolution of material handling equipment.
Modern Technological Solutions that Augment Material Handling Equipment Efficiency
- Bar Code Scanners
These days, if you pick up any item at your local supermarket or pharmacy, there’s a 99.99% chance of it having a bar code. Bar codes are a superb way of succinctly detailing important information about an item, even if it is not easily readable by the naked eye.
Bar codes were initially slow to take off in warehouses and production facilities as the scanners, software and computer equipment needed to operate a successful bar-scanning operation were too expensive, even when thought of in relation to potential increases in efficiency and other cost savings.
All that has now changed. Most modern mobile phones are equipped with bar code scanners, and even handheld scanners capable of a multitude of features are relatively inexpensive. Any warehouse worth its salt will have a computer system these days. So it’s just a question of linking the scanners to your inventory system. Such scanners can easily link to computers via wireless or Bluetooth technology.
Bar code scanners will also help prevent mistakes and miscounting. Each pallet should have barcodes outlining product and volume information, plus an individual serial number. Such a system prevents the same pallet being scanned in twice or more by mistake, meaning your inventory figures will always be precise.
- RFID
RFID is an acronym made up of the initials of ‘radio frequency identification’. RFID technology was another technology that failed to take off immediately, as the RFID transmitters were fragile things that would break under stress or temperature extremes, and they also had limited broadcast ranges.
Modern RFID technology has eliminated such issues. Today’s RFID chips are much more robust, and their broadcast range is easily large enough for most warehouse uses.
RFIDs are small chips that broadcast information about their products. When an item first enters a warehouse, a chip will emit ‘arrival’ information once it passes a certain point. The computerized inventory system will note this arrival, will enter the chipped item into the product inventory and inform the fork-lift driver where this item needs to be placed. The computer will then check that the item is in the right place every few minutes or so.
This eliminates the need for human intervention via manual inventory entry. It’s also a powerful way of managing your inventory as you can use your computer to maintain your stock in the most efficient way possible – i.e. stock that is constantly in demand can be placed in areas that result in the shortest journeys.
- Audio Technology Including Voice Recognition
Communication is key in any warehouse facility, but there are easier ways to communicate than others. For example, most people prefer speaking directly as opposed to writing something down and then showing the person they’re communicating with what they’ve written.
In a busy warehouse, verbal communication is key, but verbal communication has to be better than just shouting! Highly effective warehouses will have their employees use radio headsets to communicate with each other, and such headsets can now be used to communicate with much more than other workers.
Voice recognition software is by no means perfect, but it has increased in efficiency over the past five years or so. As a result an inventory system can listen to radio communications and control inventory via voice recognition. To prevent mistakes, the software asks questions so that the operative can confirm what the voice recognition program has deduced.
Some experts have observed that voice technology can improve the efficiency of a production facility by over 35%.
- Automated Locker Systems
An effective warehouse is not just about moving stuff from A to B, and then from B to C and so on. An effective warehouse has multiple functions, and multiple tools and other items are needed for a warehouse to function at full capacity. The ‘right tool in the right place’ is an important mantra to adopt, but what if it didn’t matter where the right place was? What if you could find what you needed instantly, no matter where it was?
That’s where an automated locker system proves its effectiveness. When an item is placed in a section of an automated locker system, a chip attached to the device tells the locker where it is. This information is then relayed to a computerized system. When an item is required, the employee just asks the system where the item is, and the system points the operative to the correct locker.
It really is as simple as that! With an automated locker system, time spent locating required items is reduced to a minimum.
For Advice About Material Handling Equipment, Contact Douglas Equipment
When it comes to material handling equipment, the team at Douglas Equipment is the true expert. We stock multiple items from hand-trucks to enclosed drum rollers, all from the best manufacturers that America and the rest of the world has to offer.
You can speak to one of our friendly sales support staff at any time. Just call 1-800-451-0030, or use the online contact form that’s available on our website.
