In a warehouse or facility,
ineptly organized material, inventory mismanagement and over-handling takes a
toll on your profitability. Well managed and handled materials makes a huge
difference in efficient operations. With the permutation and combinations of
capacity, lift heights and other specifications, a wide range of material handling equipment for floor transportation, towing, stacking, loading /
unloading and lifting are available in the market today.
Given
this, having the answer to a few critical questions before getting into the
intricacies of equipment selection, is necessary.
- Space requirement for operations and material storage
- Storage systems and racking arrangements in place also impacts the choice of material handling equipment.Aisle width & distance and ceiling height are key determinants in the space deficient warehouses and facilities and creating a fit is important for achieving desired efficiency.
- Products and material to be handled by the use of equipment
- Anticipated operations in the supply chain from production to warehousing.
This information is vital in determining the
requirement in terms of material handling equipment and selecting the apt one.
Apart from the above, mapping of the future business activities and expansion
plans is also necessary as it directly impacts your processes. With higher cost
of ownership, foresightedness in emphasized on while procuring material
handling equipment. If these parameters not taken into account with changing
business scenario, the equipment may become obsolete for your evolving
operations. Hence, maintaining flexibility in the fleet of material handling
equipment selected plays
a pivotal role in determining the type of equipment to be hand-picked.
No one will have a second opinion on the
statement that selecting the correct equipment can do beyond maximize space. Analysis
of the above mentioned parameters will go a long way in improving your
warehouse processes, increasing your warehouse efficiency and will impact
supply chain productivity at large.