It is quite key for some companies to examine the process of choosing a lift truck. Like for example, would your company choose consistently the same model for your dock work or warehouse? If this is so, you might be missing out on a more effective forklift. There might be other units available on the market that allow more to get done since they offer less fatigue to operators. You may be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more cost-effective manner. By doing some evaluation and research, you can determine if you have the right machine to meet all your needs. By reducing operator fatigue, you could drastically increase your performance.
Some of the important factors to think about when determining forklift units that address particular problems comprise:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
If your shipping department just loads out a few box trucks or semi-trailers per week, then you probably won't need a pricey lift truck to accomplish the tasks. A cheaper walkie-rider or walkie unit will be able to handle the task if: A 4500 to 6000 pound capacity is adequate and you do not need to stack loads inside the trailer. Last of all, you need to consider whether or not the transition to the dock leveler from the dock floor and into the trailer is not too jarring for the operator since the small load wheels should travel over the dock plate.
If your shipping facility is consistently loading trailers on the other hand, a stand-up end control model could make more sense over a walkie model or a walkie-rider. These battery-powered forklifts easily fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door. Their masts allow in-trailer stacking. These kinds of forklifts provide a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 pounds.
Operator Duties:
For material handling requirements, each company has a slightly different system. Some lift truck operators would normally load and unload products in the shipping department along with storing items on inventory racks, replenish the manufacturing line, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, scan and attach bar codes and other tasks. Normally, the forklift operators who are always on and off of their lift trucks during their shifts find it less fatiguing and a lot faster to exit a stand-up control unit, rather than a sit down kind.