Fork Truck Free News


November 30, 2015
Volume I, Issue 3
                             Sponsored by:

Rethinking Intralogistics in the
Fork Truck Free Environment
 
Intralogistics are the methods used to handle, store, track, locate, and manage the inventory, parts, goods, and items within the four walls of an operation; they have a significant impact on productivity. In facilities relying on traditional static shelving for storage of non-palletized items, the inherent limitations of the storage method itself can hamper associates' ability to find the right item quickly and in its expected condition.
 
There are signs a shelf-based intralogistics practices might be negatively impacting a warehouse or distribution center (DC) operation including excessive replenishment. 
 
An indicator of poor intralogistics is extensive pick travel. Workers are traveling many miles during a shift; walking that translates into wasted time. In a manual operation - where workers must travel to the items - workers frequently spend as much as 60-65% of their shifts walking. Fork Truck Free environments rarely experience this waste.
 
Shelf-based storage forces workers to bend or stretch to reach inventory, or even use ladders to access the highest items. All of these activities can increase the chances of injury.

Fork Truck Free automated storage and retrieval technologies operate on the "goods to person" principle, delivering a required item directly to the operator. This dramatically reduces travel time, and improves worker ergonomics. Learn  more .
Tilt Carts Widely Used in Material Handling Industry 
Reports ForkFreeTruck.com
 
ForkTruckFree.com reported that tilt carts are utilized widely in the material handling industry. This is because they create a safe, controlled, and ergonomic delivery work station line side.
 
Tilt carts come equipped with a patented adjustable closed loop hydraulic cylinder that controls the energy of the load as it is tilted in the industrial tilt cart. It provides for a safe and controlled tilt movement in a full to empty application.  The degree of the tilt on a cart is designed and designated by the ergonomic picking heights needed line side. The development of the 60 degree tilt cart was accomplished to satisfy the need to tilt a cart's contents past the standard 30 degrees. Line side workers need to reach parts placed vertically in a container without exceeding ergonomic limits for reaching and bending.
 
Engineering the tilt frame to go past the standard 30 degree tilt presented challenges. Designers had to consider how the center of gravity would affect the design, the need for counter balances, and a possible foot pedal return assist. In order to combat all the challenges, the base of the cart frame was notched to allow the leading platform edge to go lower than the caster load height. The new design was able to keep a low center of gravity during towing and to reach the far side of the container. The design also minimizes the possibility of a serious pinch point as the platform is tilted. Learn more.
Complexity Factor Driving Fork Truck Free Environment

Ensuring the delivery of right parts in an efficient manner has become somewhat more difficult to maintain, as customization in large volumes of manufactured product is good for sales, but adds complexity to the production process. Throughput can be stifled by order complexity, impacting inventory, lead times and profits, though the effect is not easily quantified. 
 
Complexity and efficiency are two key factors driving the current urgency for forklift-free environments. Virtually all manufactured products are becoming more complex as consumers demand more specialized features, color choices, and power options. This requires more part density in the line side assembly area, which in turn requires more forklift traffic to move the parts to the line with higher frequency.
 
A fork truck free environment is far more than a direction. Several major manufacturers have a top down edict that all new lines will be FTF. This is driven by the desire to meet the demands of complexity, kitting, and efficiency while increasing safety, reducing line side inventory, delivering parts accurately, and increasing quality. Learn  more . 
Fork Truck Free Reduced 23 Passes per Day to 5 Passes per Day Using Planned Tugger Schedule

In a recent case study, with a major manufacturer, several findings resulted:
  • Savings on fork truck maintenance, warehousing and economically more efficient material handling
  • Overall traffic has decreased (all remaining fork lifts and tuggers abide by one way traffic)
  • Flow of material handling operations has become transparent
  • WIP at manufacturing and assembly reduced by 75%
  • Elimination of rack storage equals added manufacturing space (4,000 sq ft)
  • Elimination of up to 66% of fork trucks being used
  • Displaced fork truck drivers moved to tugger driving position and/or new value-added positions
  • Reduced 23 passes per day down to 5 passes per day using planned tugger schedule
Learn  more. 

Visit Topper Industrial at 
MODEX 2016 Booth #647
CALL: 800-529-0909