The Material Handling Blog

Battery-powered counterbalance trucks are really nothing new for internal operations – they’ve been the standard choice for decades, due to their quietness and lack of emissions.
However, many companies that use counterbalances outside, in yards or uncovered loading and unloading areas, still choose diesel or LPG trucks due to their fast refuelling and ability to cope with the elements.

Due to demands from the market and improvements in technology, it’s now feasible to electrify your entire counterbalance fleet, even for those trucks that work outside. It could even bring a number of benefits.

2019 has drawn to a close, and the new decade is finally here! To say goodbye to the old year, we've looked at the figures to find the posts which attracted the most readers in 2019.

There's been a lot of new content published, and plenty of new subscribers - but these are the five posts which you liked the most.

Christmas has finally arrived, and the busiest time of the year for many businesses has come to an end.

Peak times can vary dramatically depending on the nature of a company's work and the industry it operates in, but for most business-to-consumer companies, the pre-Christmas period is hard work. Customers are rushing to buy presents for loved ones, and with the recent advent of Black Friday, the pressure is even higher.

But at times when demand for goods may be twice as high as during other times of year, how does an operation keep up? If the materials handling operation is well-optimised, there shouldn't be any 'spare' trucks or manpower that can be brought into action. So how can sudden spikes in demand be met?

Order picking is a demanding process, and with the continuing rise of eCommerce, it's becoming a bigger and bigger part of the logistics chain. 

Compared to other materials handling processes, it's also very expensive. To illustrate this, we can look at the costs of handling goods in different parts of the materials handling process. If we estimate that the cost of unloading 1000kg of goods from a transport is around €1 to €2, and the cost of placing the same quantity of goods into storage is around €3 to €5, then the cost of picking 1000kg of goods can range from €30 to €100, simply due to the amount of labour involved. That's why if you want to reduce your operation's costs and boost efficiency, focusing on improving your order picking is a smart solution.

Winter has well and truly arrived, and it's time to wrap up warm, switch the heating on and start scraping the car in the mornings.

But when the temperature drops below zero, spare a thought for forklift operators working in cold stores — where temperatures can be as low as -35°C all year round.

Battery changeover is a necessary pain for most operations that use electric trucks. Changing the battery involves removing the forklift from its ordinary operation and taking it to a purpose-built battery changeover area or a larger battery room. Here, the extremely heavy spent battery must be removed and connected to the charger, and a new battery removed from the charger and connected to the truck.

Special equipment is required to make the battery change possible, like a battery roller that can push the new battery into the compartment while pushing the old one out, or a specially-adapted pallet truck with an attachment designed for handling batteries. On top of all this, lead-acid batteries require regular fluid top-ups, cleaning and maintenance to work effectively and safely, and ventilation systems are essential to stop the build-up of explosive hydrogen gas produced during charging.

With all of these factors to consider, it's unsurprising that Li-ION batteries are becoming a popular energy solution for forklifts.

The forklift world is rapidly changing, and manufacturers are constantly releasing new models and products to keep up with the market's demands - whether that means better ergonomics, more stable masts, or innovative attachments made for handling specific products.

Buying forklifts outright brings many advantages, and the right machine can bring many years of faithful service. However, it also means you may not be able to take advantage of new solutions and advances in technology until it's time to purchase new trucks again. Choosing leasing, on the other hand, allows you to start using new models much sooner.

Important ergonomic forklift features often take the form of driver-adapted controls or smart safety sensors. But good visibility is an important ergonomic factor, and it's vital in ensuring the safety and well-being of drivers and other warehouse staff.

At their European distribution centre in Belgium, Skechers uses a fleet of 169 UniCarriers trucks to manage their materials handling in their 118,000m² warehouse and ship out thousands of customer orders every day.

However, despite Skechers automating many internal process and the fleet's large size, a helping hand is still sometimes needed during busy periods - and this is probably the case in your operation as well.

Many managers in materials handling operations would admit that their staff could benefit from training - even for experienced drivers, getting a refresher in the basics and learning more about laws and safety rules that affect drivers.

However, budgets can often be tight, and it's easy for training to drop down the list of priorities - especially when there are more pressing challenges to address in the operation.

This is understandable, but training shouldn't be seen as just another expense. In the long-run, having well-trained drivers with the right attitude can actually end up saving you significant amounts.