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.
Christmas has finally arrived, and the busiest time of the year for many businesses has come to an end.
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.
Working in these extreme environments isn't easy on the workers. High-performance thermal clothing is a must to avoid hypothermia or frostbite, and heated truck cabins may be required if drivers are spending long shifts inside the cold store.
However, these kinds of temperatures place some major stresses on the truck as well, which can cause huge problems for the operation if not managed properly.
In an ideal world, all unit loads would be held on standard pallets, in uniform weights and sizes, allowing for easy handling with all kinds of forklift. Unfortunately, that's not the real world - and in many warehouses, standard pallets are the exception.
Many types of goods - for example, pipes, construction materials or metal sheeting - are often quite long, and impossible to fit neatly onto a 1,200 by 800mm pallet. These loads can be difficult to get down warehouse aisles, even if they aren't particularly narrow.
Cantilever racking, solves the storage problem - this kind of racking is open-fronted, meaning there are no vertical bars to block the placement or removal of long goods.
But when you need to move these goods down an aisle, how do you get around the space problem? The simplest and most versatile solution is - with a multi-directional truck.
Forklift trucks are a natural part of everyday material handling. They are so common that it’s easy to believe they have always been there, but surprisingly, the forklift truck is a rather recent innovation…
Since they were first introduced as a material handling tool, forklifts have become ever more effective at lifting and transporting pallets. Standardisation has occurred across the world of logistics, meaning (with several major exceptions) that many goods are formed into unit loads and placed on pallets of a uniform size, allowing a wide range of goods to be transported and stored more easily.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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