5 Material Handling Solutions for Distribution Centers to Move Bulky Loads
Lifting and moving bulky loads is among the most challenging tasks that distribution center employees face. Poor planning and moving bulky items without the right tools often leads to inefficiency and productivity loss. Worse, it puts employees at risk of injury. That’s why giving your employees proper training and access to the most effective material handling equipment is a must. Even simply upgrading to a specialized appliance hand truck can enhance the safety and efficiency of a warehouse or distribution center. Here are five tips to consider.
Convertible Hand Truck |
Plan Out Heavy or Bulky Moves
Combining the right material handling gear with proper planning is essential. Employees should plan out their routes before moving anything heavy or otherwise challenging. That includes removing or being aware of potential tripping hazards and taking note of doorways or other narrow areas. Pulling a back muscle from lifting and stacking is one of the most common material handling injuries, and there are many others to be aware of. Warehouse crews should always use proper lifting etiquette and stack loads with the heaviest items at the bottom for the best balance.
Use Appliance Hand Trucks for Bulky Loads
As the name suggests, appliance hand trucks are built to more safely and effectively transport larger items such fridges, ovens, or anything bulky. Along with being built for heavier items, they are equipped with a heavy duty strap to help secure challenging loads. For additional stability, consider upgrading an appliance hand truck fleet with a stabilizing fourth wheel attachment or a break back bar assembly.
Move Other Things with Convertible Hand Trucks
For their versatility alone, convertible hand trucks should be a feature of every distribution center’s material handling fleet. In addition to the traditional vertical orientation, the convertible hand truck has a 4-wheel mode to function in a horizontal configuration as well. By providing more surface area for loads, convertible hand trucks can move a wider variety of items than traditional hand trucks. Plus, the horizontal configuration is often capable of moving far heavier loads.
Upgrade to a Powered Hand Truck
As effective as appliance hand trucks and convertible hand trucks are at moving heavy loads, sometimes an even more robust material handling solution is called for. In those situations, powered hand trucks may be the best option. A powered lifting hand truck can repeatedly move and lift hundreds of pounds with minimal effort on the part of the employee. Meanwhile, a motorized hand truck can move up to 1,000 pounds over a variety of terrain types.
Trust a Powered Stair Climbing Hand Truck
Stairs complicate virtually every material handling scenario. They can result in bottlenecks and put employees moving loads up and down stairways at greater risk of injury. That is particularly true when it comes to moving larger, heavier loads. A powered stair climbing hand truck can solve that issue immediately. Powered stair climbing hand trucks take the strain out of navigating stairs with heavy loads and are likely to greatly boost efficiency.
About Magline
For 75 years strong, the Magliner brand name has been synonymous with dependability in the material handling industry. Every day, material handlers rely on Magliner hand trucks thanks to industry-leading durability and quality. The classic aluminum, lightweight Magliner hand truck offers a wide variety of customization options and is the cornerstone of the Magliner lineup. Other excellent products Magliner offers include a powered hand truck series, appliance dolly line, and other material handling equipment. Magliner tools are perfect for any business that needs to move, lift, or deliver items. Help your employees get their toughest jobs done more efficiently and safely with Magliner.
Find the material handling equipment your distribution center needs to succeed at https://www.magliner.com/