It is quite important for some companies to examine the process of choosing a forklift. For instance, would your company select always the same model for your warehouse or dock work? If this is so, you could be missing out on a more effective forklift. There could be other models available on the market which enable more to get done as they offer less exhaustion to operators. 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 right equipment to meet your needs. By reducing operator exhaustion, you can drastically increase your performance.
Some of the important factors to consider when determining forklift units which address specific problems consist of:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
You probably won't need a pricey lift truck to accomplish jobs if your shipping and receiving department loads just a few box trucks or semi-trailers a week. An inexpensive walkie model or walkie-rider will be able to handle the task if: A 4500 to 6000 pound capacity is sufficient and you are not required to stack loads inside the trailer. Lastly, you should think about whether or not the transition to the dock leveler from the dock floor and into the trailer is not too jarring for the operator because the small load wheels must travel over the dock plate.
If on the other hand, your shipping facility is always loading trailers, than a stand-up end control will make more sense over a walkie-rider or a walkie model. These battery-powered forklifts fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door with no trouble. Their masts allow in-trailer stacking. These kinds of forklifts offer a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 pounds.
Operator Duties:
Each company has a slightly different system for material handling. In some circumstances, some forklift operators not just load trucks in the shipping department, but store inventory on racks, replenish the manufacturing line, handle the paperwork associated with the cargo, attach and scan bar codes and other tasks. Usually, the forklift operators who are always on and off of their forklifts during their shifts find it a lot quicker and less tiring to exit a stand-up control unit, rather than a sit down type.