The Material Handling Equipment You Need To Increase Your Warehouse Efficiency

Warehouses and their operations can often be complex, requiring the constant storage and movement of various items as needed. As moving items is a major aspect of many warehouses, the faster an item can be moved, the more efficient a space can be. While various efforts can be made to better organize a space, there are also numerous equipment pieces and vehicle types that can greatly increase efficiency. To help you revolutionize your warehouse operations, we will discuss some of the main vehicles and equipment that may be relied on for increasing speed and handling.

Industrial trucks are transportation devices employed by material handling companies for the means of easily moving items between areas. Such trucks can greatly range in size, and there are a number of common variations that may be used in a warehouse space. A hand truck is a fairly simplistic option, coming in the form of a two-wheel, hand-operated truck or trolly. Generally, such trucks are useful for moving small items, and may be capable of folding for saving space. For larger items that are stacked on pallets, a pallet jack or pallet truck can be used. With twin forks that reach under pallets, hydraulic power can then be used to lift items for movement.

Walkie stackers are the following step after moving up from pallet trucks, featuring a similar design albeit having a motorized stacker. While still movable by hand, walkie stackers permit pallets to be reached and placed on the second shelf of a stacking system. Generally, such options are best for indoor operations for the transportation of small items. With platform trucks, meanwhile, a frame and platform is placed on wheels, allowing hand stacked items to be moved quickly across a facility.

Order pickers are around the size of a small forklift truck, and they can bear more weight than a standard walkie stacker. With such equipment, items stacked upwards of 30 feet may be reachable. Sideloaders are useful for loading items from the side of the vehicle, allowing for an ease of item management within narrow areas. Despite this, they tend to have less maneuverability as compared to standard forklifts. The last common industrial truck is the AGV, that of which is a robot that operates with sets of floor indicators and components that permit guidance so that they may move items around a warehouse automatically.

When a large amount of heavier items needs to be moved, transporting in bulk is the best option for efficiency. In such cases, equipment such as conveyor belts can provide an automated, motor driven system for transporting items across a space. When the items reach the end of a belt, reclaimers can provide a rotating scoop to gather loose items so that they may be placed on another belt. Loose items can also be vertically moved with bucket elevators, those of which may be motorized or hand-cranked. Alongside such examples, other various bulk-oriented equipment may be relied on such as grain elevators, hoppers, stackers, silos, and more.

If you are in the market for top quality warehouse components for a platform truck, pallet truck, hand truck, conveyor belts, or other such equipment, there is no better alternative to Industrial Automation Parts. Industrial Automation Parts is an online distributor of industrial parts, offering customers access to an unrivaled inventory of items that have been sourced from leading global manufacturers that we trust. Take the time to explore our vast inventory as you see fit, and our team is always readily available for customers 24/7x365 to assist them through the purchasing process as necessary. Give our team members a call or email today and see how we can help you fulfill all your operational requirements quickly and easily.