3 ways to maximise your warehouse’s efficiency

From extending your forklift battery life to identifying the best trucks and racking, this issue’s tips have been designed to help you get the most from your warehouse.

Racking up the profits

Advertisement

Mounting pressure from senior management towards ‘lean’ production has left many responsible for materials handling feeling themselves caught between a rock and a hard place.

With fewer resources and higher demands than ever before, streamlining production is daunting (to say the least). Although no two warehouses are the same, it’s important to remember that the efficiency of almost any warehouse can be enhanced with a little bit of time and effort.

A crucial element of unlocking your site’s profitability relies in determining the best racking system for your products. To ensure that the wisest decisions are made for your space, we highly recommend seeking the advice of a trusted supplier.

Intelligent design

Warehouse space comes at a premium - and that expense looks set to continue increasing. To keep costs low and productivity high, every effort should be made to reduce floor space used, while taking full advantage of all the cubic space between the floor and ceiling.

Your products, warehouse layout and needs directly impact upon the types of warehouse racking needed. For this reason many successful operations rely on at least two storage handling systems, so don’t be surprised if your adviser suggests a combination of equipment for your site.

Our conclusion?

Racking heavily influences productivity, but don’t allow it to overshadow your environment. After all, it can only be as efficient as its setup. So, to maximise your efficiency, seek advice from a forklift truck supplier you trust. Their knowledge and experience will provide you with the best combination of racking and trucks for your application.

Optimise your warehouse fleet

When it comes to picking the right warehouse truck, your choice is influenced by how much you want to lift, how high you want to lift it, how far you want to travel and how much space you have to work in. Our simple guide should help you pinpoint the truck type that best suits your needs.

Normal aisles

Pedestrian stackers are cost-effective and perfectly adequate for simple stacking tasks in an ordinary warehouse. They can happily lift loads of less than 750kg and stack to heights of around 4.5 metres. Rider stackers will lift to about 6 metres.

Reach trucks not only give you much greater load and lift capacities, but they can also come with telescopic forks - allowing you to stack pallets two deep. For extra flexible goods handling, there is a four-way reach truck (and even a multi-way), which, as the name suggests, can be driven in four directions. These are especially suitable for long, bulky goods such as boards, planks and pipes.

Counterbalance trucks, which are suitable for travelling longer distances, can also be used for stacking - and especially for block stacking, free stacking and stacking loads that weigh over 2 tonnes.

A tight squeeze

If you run a high-density storage operation then aisle space will be much narrower and the heights you will want to lift to will potentially be much greater. Man-up telescopic lift trucks operate in narrow-aisle, high-bay stores and give the driver a very good view of the stacking process. Man-up combi trucks are versatile, in that they can be used for both stacking and order picking, and can be driven in narrow aisles or throughout the warehouse.

Side stackers offer good stability for working at greater heights. Swivel reach trucks have forks that turn 180 degrees, making them suitable for narrow-aisle stacking, although again these trucks can travel all over the warehouse if necessary.

Our conclusion?

To find out whether your trucks are working for you - and your site - get in touch with a reputable supplier in your area. Their warehousing expert can arrange for a site inspection which can reveal the unlocked potential within your site. Armed with a thorough understanding of your business and its needs, they can advise on the best options available.

Maximise your forklift's battery life

A typical forklift battery is worth up to 30% of a new truck's value and offers you approximately 6,000 working hours. It is your fuel for the next five years or more... providing you look after it according to the manufacturer's maintenance guidelines.

In addition to this, our list of seven best practice battery care tips offers you some helpful hints and tips to help you avoid the common pitfalls and keep your battery (and truck) in peak condition.

1.    Schedule your workload around battery refuelling times

This reduces downtime and the risk of accidents caused by drivers rushing to recharge when the battery is running low.

Remember: Batteries should not be put on charge more than once a day.

2.    Don't run beneath 20% capacity

Deep discharging harms the battery and causes your forklift's electrical components to run hot - resulting in significant lift truck damage, including complete motor failure and burned components.

And if that weren't enough reason, your truck won't be running its best at that level, either. At 80% discharge your truck's traction and hydraulics will slow down, indicating that your battery is ready for changing.

If your battery does run flat - it will need a full, uninterrupted 8 hour charge cycle.

3.    Give your battery a lunch break

It's tempting to fall into the bad habit of quickly charging your truck during breaktimes. In the trade this is known as 'opportunity charging'. A battery's lifespan is determined by its charge cycles (i.e. how many charges it's had). Short charges will result in a steadily declining battery efficiency - to the point where it won't charge at all. Instead, allow your truck to cool off during downtime.

4.    Check your water level reguarly

Water plays a key role in the running (and life expectancy) of your forklift battery. During a charge cycle, it is heated up and splits into two gases, releasing hydrogen bubbles at the negative plates and oxygen at the positive. Allowing the water level in a cell to drop too low exposes plates to the air, allowing the active material in the plates to dry and become brittle, leading to permanent damage.

For this reason, it is essential for distilled water to be added to the battery at regular intervals (usually every 5 to 10 recharges). However don't be tempted to overfill! Ensure you fill only up to the desired mark or the water will expand and overflow... leading to permanent damage.

Always top up after charging, not before.

5.    Fast charge with caution

Fast charging might reduce downtime by as much as 10%, but it comes at a price. Any battery system can be fast charged, but the heat generated during the process can dramatically reduce a lead-acid battery's life expectancy. Nickel and lithium batteries suffer from this, but to a much lesser extent. A knowledgable dealer or battery supplier can advise on effective ways to avoid temperature control problems while increasing productivity.

Keep fast charging for emergencies.

6.    Keep a close eye on maintenance

One of the top causes of premature battery failure and loss is sulphation. This occurs naturally - as white sulphuric crystals attach to the lead plates - preventing the battery's ability to accept, hold and deliver a charge. This problem can be caused by overfilling and is most commonly experienced in warm environments. More information about this far-too-frequently occurring problem can be found here

Check your battery for the development of white crystals as part of your daily checks. If you do spot the tell-tale signs of sulphation request a visit from an engineer who can advise on corrective measures.

7.    Safeguard your charger