Summer is heating up and so is your operation without the proper summer solutions in place. During these hot months, the health, safety, and working conditions take priority as does the performance and longevity of your material handling equipment. Here are a couple ways to maximize your material handling performance and keep your operators safe and happy to ensure that all daily operations are running smoothly.
Hotter temperatures mean increased labor stressors…Keep a close watch on your employees/operators and their working conditions, most especially during heat advisory days. Be sure that they are taking more frequent breaks and drinking plenty of water. Hotter temperatures can fatigue your material handling operators causing more lag time, and increase the likeliness of injuries due to exhaustion. Wherever possible, implement a cooling system or provide additional fans within the warehouse to accommodate the summer heat. This will not only circulate more air flow to your operators, but will also provide cooling to the material handling equipment.
Consider, if not already implemented, automation solutions to alleviate some labor stressors on employees. Automation not only relieves the amount of labor required to operate and maintain the equipment, but it also optimizes the efficiency and productivity of your operation.
Properly maintain your material handling equipment...Your material handling equipment is your lifeline to production. And the heat generated from your equipment during those hot months can be intense. To avoid overheating of any equipment, a daily visual system inspection by your on-site operators may have benefits. Have them observe any unusual noise, overloaded conveyors or safety concerns and address them immediately. Regularly scheduled monthly, quarterly or bi-annually preventative maintenance can extend the life of your equipment, but more importantly minimize any downtime in your facility. Consider opting in to a maintenance program or at the very least have your material handling equipment visually inspected routinely over the summer to diminish any interruption in your daily operations.
Taking all possible actions to keep cool during the summer will have your operators in step and your material handling equipment performing at its best.
Author: Heather Connors, Director of Marketing, Conveyor Handling Company
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