8 Ways to Achieve Productivity Beyond the Forklift

The forklift is often the centerpiece of a company’s material handling operations. However, there are many other warehouse components that contribute to the productivity and efficiency of the operation. By working closely with your material handling equipment provider, you can more easily identify opportunities to enhance the performance and operation of not only your forklift fleet but beyond. Improvement opportunities may be unique to the equipment itself, but there are also times when changes in processes or the warehouse equipment itself can affect how your forklift fleet performs.

The following are eight activities that you should consider to help enhance productivity and efficiency beyond the forklift. 

1. Benchmark Your Storage Ratio

You want to provide your forklift operators enough room to maneuver comfortably and efficiently without wasting available space or causing damage to racks or equipment. Ensure that your rack aisles are wide enough for the product stored and the types of forklifts used and make sure that your warehouse personnel keep the aisles free of clutter and debris. Review your processes to ensure that product isn’t staged in areas where it can inhibit forklift travel. Your forklift provider can provide recommendations on how best to benchmark your storage ratio.

2. Design an Efficient Warehouse Racking Layout

Determinant factors can include storage ratio, available floor and vertical space, staging and docking locations, throughput and the type of forklifts used within your facility. The preferred racking may be based on the type of storage you need (e.g., narrow aisle, high-density, bulk storage). Also, if your warehouse is in an area that may experience seismic activity, compliant racking may affect your available aisle width and overall spacing. 

3. Protect Your Racking

Damaged racking is not just a potential safety issue, it may also prevent operators from quickly moving loads in and out of racks. Column protection, such as steel units that wrap around the base of the upright column, can help alleviate costly damage. End-of-aisle protection, such as a heavy guard at the ends of aisles where additional traffic occurs, can isolate and help reduce the effects of impacts on racking structures.

4. Consider Utilizing Vertical Lift Modules (VLMs) 

VLMs are enclosed, vertical automated storage and retrieval systems that use trays to efficiently store objects within a confined space. The trays are automatically retrieved and delivered to a window for picking. They come in various heights and widths to fit a variety of applications and are an especially good fit in manufacturing environments.

5. Carefully Place Rack Labels 

Smart rack label placement can help prevent damaging, missing or peeling labels, which could make them hard to read and scan. A common location for the label is on the beam directly under the pallet, but in applications using turret trucks, this requires the operator to first stop to scan the label, then continue to raise the cab and forks to the pallet location. In these cases, affixing labels to the upright provides convenience for easier scanning. 

6. Prominently Display Aisle Signage

Aisle signage is often used to alert operators to potential safety hazards or provide directional assistance. Make sure that aisle signage is put in well-lit and visible locations where they will not incur damage. Periodically inspect the signage to ensure that it is present and not blocked from view. A flexible alternative to aisle signage are ceiling-mounted projectors that display messages on the warehouse floor.

7. Strategically Locate Charging Stations

In lithium-ion applications, it is especially important to provide operators with easy and efficient access to charging throughout their shift. Ideal locations could be by breakrooms and dock areas. Charging station locations should be considered when designing the warehouse layout and racking to ensure optimal use of the space and adequate access throughout the facility. 

8. Update Training Programs

Make certain that any changes in rack layout, locations, labeling and signage are communicated to your warehouse employees, especially when new processes or workflows are involved. 

Although these activities are numbered, they can be addressed in nearly any order and not all will apply to every operation. No matter which activities you choose to implement, each one has the potential to enhance operator performance and safety and build upon efficiency gains you may have already achieved with your forklift fleet. 

For more information on the steps you can take beyond the forklift to achieve productivity gains, contact a Crown Warehouse Solutions specialist.