The need for material handling equipment has increased like never before. It is basically an assortment of products such as tools (forklifts), vehicles (trucks), accessories (wire rope slings), trolleys, and heavy appliances (overhead cranes) that help streamline transportation and storage of materials. This equipment finds applications in industries like automobile, steel, mining, marine and shipping, and cement, serving specific functions in each of them.
Designed to be either hydraulic, mechanical, or automated systems, they help you foster an accurate and cost-effective way to move goods across your premises. They make the work easy and reduce the amount of workforce needed to perform a task. With their help, you can generate the highest possible efficiency while keeping overheads down.
Here are five advantages of deploying a variety of material handling equipment at your work premises:
Reduces Manpower Needs
Whatever be the size of your warehouse, you need help to carry the goods/material from one place to another. Till a few years back, the material handling labor used to do such jobs, but with changing times, better tools and equipment are being introduced in the market to carry out all the bulk weight lifting and storage for you. With that, you no more need to employ labor in your warehouse and hire skilled people that know how to handle the machinery instead.
Ensures Smooth Workflow
A warehouse is a place where you cannot restrict the elaborate workflow. You have to address and persistently try to alleviate traffic intensity issues, staging congestion, the hassle of re-routing, and more. This is where using flexible and efficient material handling equipment helps. It allows a quick and effortless flow of material, which reduces stoppages in production and minimizes hazardous conditions.
Enhances Productivity and Efficiency
Using semi-automated or automated industrial lifting and material handling equipment reduces the loading, unloading, and transportation time for raw materials and finished goods within the facility. Besides, you aren’t just able to reduce the labor needs but also design the jobs to fit every worker, further operating the equipment and labor at their fullest capacity and increasing overall productivity.
Saves Operational/Production Costs
Another great advantage of using a material handling system is that you can successfully cut down your total production cost. It can happen either directly or indirectly, employing less material handling labor, lowering the chances of material damage, optimizing the warehouse space, reducing waste such as packaging materials and other protective devices, arranging the products well, and improving the flow of material, etc.
Improves Working Conditions
There is no doubt that manual handling of heavy loads and items can be time-consuming, risky, and frustrating. Plus, you have to rely on a healthy workforce, resulting in higher employee turnover and excessive need for training. At times, that can take a toll on employee morale as the working conditions may seem ruthless. However, with lifting and handling material of various sizes, shapes, and volumes, you offer better safety and comfort to employees, hence creating a positive impact on their mindset and productivity.
