It is quite key for several companies to examine the process of selecting a lift truck. For instance, will your company choose consistently the same model for your warehouse or dock work? If this is so, you could be missing out on a more effective forklift. There may be different other units on the market that offer less exhaustion to operators and enable more to get done. You might be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more effective way. By doing some evaluation and research, you can determine if you have the best equipment to suit your needs. By reducing operator fatigue, you could significantly increase your performance.
When determining forklift models which deal with your particular concerns some of the key factors to consider could consist of:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
If your shipping department just loads out a few box trucks or semi-trailers per week, then you probably won't need a pricey lift truck to accomplish the job. A cheaper walkie-rider or walkie unit would be able to handle the task if: A 4500 to 6000 lb. capacity is sufficient and you do not need to stack loads in the trailer. Last but not least, you have to think about whether or not the transition from the dock floor to the dock leveler and into the trailer is not too jarring for the operator because the small load wheels should travel over the dock plate.
If your shipping facility is consistently loading trailers however, a stand-up end control unit may make more sense over a walkie model or a walkie-rider. These battery-powered forklifts fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door with no trouble. Their masts enable in-trailer stacking. These forklifts offer a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 lbs.
Operator Duties:
Each company has a slightly different system for material handling. In certain circumstances, some forklift operators not just load trucks in the shipping department, but store inventory on racks, replenish the manufacturing line, handle the paperwork connected with the loads, attach and scan bar codes and other tasks. Generally, the forklift operators who are always on and off of their lift trucks during their shifts find it a lot faster and less tiring to exit a stand-up control unit, as opposed to a sit down kind.