| A busy warehouse or shipping and receiving | | | | into the floor. This way, the employee only has to |
| department can often be a bottleneck in a | | | | pull the load onto the scale, pull off with the pallet |
| production line. It is also an area commonly | | | | jack or used forklift, and record the weight. You |
| overlooked. To improve the output of this area, | | | | can weigh with the equipment under the load, but |
| you need to increase the speed and ease with | | | | be certain it sits in the same place on the scale |
| which it operates. Rather than increasing the | | | | each time and that the weight of the equipment |
| number of staff members, consider the | | | | is subtracted for accuracy. |
| equipment used in this area. Is it really doing the | | | | Securing Products |
| job it needs to do or is there additional equipment | | | | To prevent damage to the product while |
| that can make this job more efficient? | | | | traveling, the products need to be secured on the |
| Moving Pallets And Loads | | | | pallet. This often requires some kind of shrink |
| The equipment used to move loads around your | | | | wrap or plastic wrap around the outside. Instead |
| building and in and out of trucks depends on your | | | | of having the rolls on a handle, consider an |
| set up and the amount of space you have | | | | automatic shrink wrap machine that spins the |
| available. A used forklift with a narrow aisle design | | | | pallet and covers the entire load in one step. A |
| might be better for moving loads through a | | | | strapping machine will prevent boxes from |
| warehouse toward a loading dock. You will also be | | | | opening up during transport. For larger equipment, |
| able to use reinforced industrial shelving to store | | | | consider having stands that hold the straps and |
| waiting loads vertically, saving valuable space. | | | | clasps all together in one spot so the worker can |
| If you have no need to raise loads to great | | | | keep everything together. In addition, consider a |
| heights and only need something to move pallets | | | | custom made stand that holds labels, bills of lading, |
| on and off transport trucks, you may want to | | | | packing slips, knives, tape, and any other minor |
| consider a pallet jack instead of a used forklift. If | | | | equipment needed to get a package wrapped, |
| you find yourself having to constantly wait on a | | | | loaded, and on its way. The fewer steps each |
| rental, why not purchase a used forklift? | | | | person makes, the less time wasted, giving your |
| Purchasing the right style of used forklift and | | | | employees more energy throughout the day. |
| accessories may seem like an expense at the | | | | Whether you run a grocery store in a small town, |
| start, but the return on investment will be well | | | | or a large warehouse with a shipping and receiving |
| worth it in the end. | | | | department in Illinois, forklift and moving |
| Weighing Loads | | | | equipment, weighing stations, and even the |
| Anything shipped by a transport company has to | | | | securing of loads can eat up a lot of time if they |
| be weighed before it can be loaded. Having to | | | | are inconvenient. If you find this area doesn't |
| weigh each pallet out by the piece is a long, | | | | work as efficiently as the rest of your business, |
| drawn out process, particularly if everything on | | | | carefully examine each task in the area and see |
| the pallet has a different weight. Rather than | | | | where you can make improvements. Even the |
| having staff use a small desktop scale, consider | | | | smallest change can make a huge difference |
| having a scale the size of a standard load installed | | | | when added up over time. |