A warehouse is a place meant for storage of a variety of products, before transporting them to their final destination. An efficient warehouse allows products to be lifted and moved easily from one place to another and this requires some essential tools known as material handling equipment (MHE). Having adequate and right equipment not only simplifies the life of working staff but also reduces the backbreaking strain they would otherwise suffer.
Material handling equipment refers to a wide range of tools, vehicles and storage equipment. These can range from small, hand-operated trucks to vehicle lifts, depending on the needs of the warehouse. They include forklifts, reach trucks, stackers, pickers and more. A hand trolley is one such piece of equipment. It is a two-wheeled, hand-operated trolley with a metal frame and a toe plate. Hand trolleys are meant to make transporting tiny goods easier. A pallet truck is another example of an MHE. These are used to deliver items piled on pallets and hence named so. These jacks feature twin forks that move beneath the pallet to allow for transportation. Besides, an order picker is yet another type of MHE used in warehouses. It is a small-sized vertical vehicle, an MHE that can collect and replace piled products from heights ranging from 10 to 30 feet.
In this blog, we are going to know in detail about Forklifts, Reach Trucks, and Stackers and understand which equipment performs what activities to suit varying needs in a warehouse. This will help you choose the right MHE for your warehouse. So, let’s begin.
Forklift, Reach Truck and Stacker- Choosing Equipment that Boosts Warehouse Productivity:
Forklifts
The most well-known lift vehicle in the warehouses is a forklift. It is most commonly used at a warehouse with a large inventory, since it is excellent for loading and unloading pallets and carrying things to and from delivery trucks. Most industrial forklifts can handle up to 2.5 tons, but certain heavy-duty versions may carry up to 12.5 tons, of weight. Side loaders and counterbalance forklifts are two examples of warehouse forklifts.
Reach trucks
Reach trucks are a certain type of forklift that are utilised in warehouses with narrow aisles. They are constructed with two exterior legs that aid in load distribution and a single pair of wheels at the back. Because of their small turning radius, reach trucks are ideal for palletized cargo stacking and de-stacking from racks, as well as multilayer stacking for a high-level racking system. It aids in the efficient use of space and storage.
Stacker
Stackers are small, inexpensive, and adaptable machines used to stack, retrieve, and move pallet loads in warehouses and racking systems. They can also operate in narrower aisles and smaller locations than a counterbalance forklift or a reach truck. Stand-on and sit-on electric stackers are the fastest and most powerful in general, but you should compare maximum speed numbers for all varieties. Furthermore, while determining capacity, the weight and size of your loads, as well as the heights to which they must be raised, must be evaluated simultaneously.
Summary
Choosing the right MHE can help in saving costs, the safety of the staff handling the products and preventing damage to the products. Amongst numerous pieces of equipment utilised in the warehouses, we have discussed Forklifts, Reach Trucks and Stackers here, hope this was helpful in deciding the right one for your warehouse. These are highly advantageous tools used throughout the entire chain of storage or physical movement of the products.
We have a wide range of forklifts and other MHEs that can meet all your warehouse requirements. We also rent the equipment to our customers. For more details, connect with us or drop a line at info@ommhe.com