A Guide to Essential Warehouse Supplies and Equipment
Warehousing is easily one of the big businesses in the country. This billion dollar industry employs hundreds of thousands of people. However, there are differences in warehouses. The differences lie in their spaces, sizes, functionalities, and the number of people employed. But there are also shared characteristics and one is that certain equipment is essential to effective operations, regardless of size and function. Below is a checklist of the essential warehouse supplies and equipment that you would need.
There are many hazards in warehouses, and the potential for harm is high. In a warehouse you will have heavy equipment, moving vehicles, and inventory stored in high places and so on. And this is the reason why it is important to take safety precautions in line with regulations.
Warehouses need fire extinguishers. It is very easy to get a fire especially because of machinery at work. It is important to prepare fire safety protocol and evacuation procedures. A supply of fire extinguishers is necessary for your warehouse.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be provided to all employees. With PPE, the chances of accidents are reduced. Typical examples are high visibility clothing, hard hats, eye goggles, ear muffs, and steel toe-capped boots.
There are many different shapes and sizes of safety barriers. They are required to protect warehouse employees and visitors from various hazards in the environment. Collisions are prevented, access to dangerous places are regulated, and it channels people through safe walking routes if there are safety barriers around.
A warehouse needs storage equipment. Below are some examples of storage equipment used commonly in warehouses.
One shelving options for products stored on pallets are pallet racks. These pallet racks are frame-like units with no base to the shelving itself. Check out this guide for more on the best pallet racks.
If materials won’t fit on standard pallet racks, then you will need cantilever racks. Their design is for longer items like wooden beams, metal bars, etc. They can also accommodate bulky items that would be unstable for pallet racks. Cantilever racks can also be used for oversized, irregularly shaped items.
Downward sloping flow racks have roller tracks fixed along the base. Inventory is placed on the higher end and gravity pulls it to the exit aisle at the lower end. This makes preparation of orders faster. They are ideal for warehouses with large picking volumes.
Industrial shelving is like ordinary shelving units. They are heavy duty and capable of holding larger loads.
A warehouse also needs lifting equipment. Here are some of the lifting tools to own.
Pallet jacks are necessary for transporting pallet-stored items without the use of a forklife.
Forklift trucks are important to easily transport heavy pallet-stored goods. They minimize the chance of both injury and damage to goods.
Non-pallet items can easily be transported with hand trucks.