subject: Materials Handling Equipment: Get It Right the First Time [print this page] If you make the right choices regarding your materials handling equipment the first time, it will save you money in the long run. If you make the wrong choice and either overcapitalize or undercapitalize on your equipment, your profits and productivity will suffer. How do you make the right equipment decision?
There is no denying the importance of materials handling equipment. There would have been no industrial revolution without equipment ranging from conveyor belts to forklifts. One of the most dramatic recent improvements in materials handling was the standardizing of shipping containers. This has been largely responsible for the globalization of the world's economy.
In spite of glaring examples like this, many industrial enterprises still use antiquated materials handling equipment or otherwise fail to make the most of the available equipment for handling materials. This is largely because they do not have the experience to properly assess their needs or are trying to cut costs inappropriately.
The foreman in a factory tells his boss they need a new forklift and the boss agrees. However, they're not agreed on what kind of forklift they need. Should they get a double or triple mast forklift this time or can they make do with another single masted one? Decisions like this should not be made lightly. They can have serious consequences now and into the future.
For instance, a small manufacturing company with only a half dozen employees got by for years with just an electric pallet jack with a single mast. As business picked up, they found they were using it more and more and decided that they needed a forklift. For a small operation like this, a forklift is a big materials handling equipment expense. To save money, the owner decides to buy an inexpensive single mast lift truck.
Not long after buying the new forklift, he decides he needs to buy a lathe for machining custom parts. However, floor space is at a premium in his small factory. What's the solution? Does he have to look for a larger factory?
He looks around the room and realizes that although he doesn't have the square footage he needs, he does have more than enough vertical space. All he has to do is rearrange his pallet racks and stack them higher. That way he can get the floor space he needs. The only problem is that his forklift won't be able to reach the pallets anymore. The only thing he can do is trade in his new forklift for a double masted model and accept the loss.
This is just an example of how important it is to choose the right equipment the first time. Your choice of equipment can have a drastic effect on your business both in the short and the long term. How do you know you've made the right decision, though, if you don't have prior experience? Make use of the expertise of a long-established, reputable industrial supply company. They are in the business of helping other businesses make the right decisions about their materials handling equipment.
Materials Handling Equipment: Get It Right the First Time
By: Bahrns
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