Every industry aims for efficiency. Yet, the quest to improve efficiency can be challenging. This guide offers insights into the importance of materials-handling equipment and the numerous benefits of proper optimization.
Materials handling equipment utilizes various appliances, tools, vehicles, and accessories. All of these are designed to transport, store, protect, and control the necessary items and equipment during various processes. These include but are not limited to:
Different types of handling equipment are used across many industries. One type is manual carts. These carts rely on casters to move loads easily, even while handling larger volumes of material.
Caster Concepts understands the ongoing need of casters across several industries. Many are available to address the need for mobility. Some types allow for a greater range of movement while navigating obstacles with agility and speed, even in situations that call for high speed.
Not to be outdone, automated material handling like robotics and conveyor belts serve a purpose. They have been proven useful in ensuring efficiency and productivity, especially when handling industrial operations that are too challenging for manual techniques.
Industrial material handling is a common practice in the manufacturing and distribution industries. Their tasks include but are not limited to, reducing material wastage, streamlining production, and enhancing the overall quality of all items they produce. In these industries, heavy-duty equipment is used due to the bulk amount of materials that they will handle on a regular basis.
This includes larger-scale versions of manual equipment. At times, industrial trucks like forklift trucks can be used to lift heavier objects such as full pallets. Other equipment that gets used include lever hoists, pallet jacks, electric lifts, tow tractors, and support structures like common cranes or stacker cranes. There is always a piece of equipment that will handle the tasks they are designed to do.
With the loads (and responsibilities ) they carry, casters that provide excellent durability and a high weight limit are worth investing in. For example, the TWERGO Xtreme casters from Caster Concepts are designed to handle those heavy materials while ensuring better ergonomic solutions for your employees. Which one is right for you?
You could try our 10×3 TWERGO Xtreme swivel, which has a load rating of 3,500 lbs per caser while allowing you to move with ease. For a lower load rating of 1,500 lbs per caster, try the 6×2 swivel version. Finding the right caster that fits your needs, industrial setting, and other factors will be important when it comes to increasing the efficiency of handling heavy items.
We live in the digital age, where the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence are both being introduced into the fold. They have been tested and already implemented to perform tasks related to materials handling. In addition, they have been relied on to handle tasks like predictive maintenance and real-time tracking. Their most common task is to ensure that human errors are reduced while increasing throughput. Such technology is designed to automate the way warehouses and distribution centers operate, including tasks like automated storage.
One example is a fulfillment warehouse. After the order request comes through, the item gets moved from storage racks and gets processed. It can be accessible by way of the handling equipment being used. A majority of the time, this would be an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV). These AGVs often follow a predetermined track. If the casters on the AGV aren’t tracking properly, they can take the AGV offline and fault the system out. To prevent this, Caster Concepts’ Swivel-on-Swivel (SoS) Technology provides AGVs with tighter tracking and increased accuracy for fewer faults.
Automated guided vehicles and conveyors are often used to reduce manual labor and improve the delivery time of products. As such, make sure you are monitoring for any bottlenecks that may exist. Fix them accordingly to ensure that the flow stays constant.
Swivel casters play a critical role in the speed and agility of moving items in non-automated tasks. Hand carts and similar manually operated vehicles can greatly benefit from these casters, especially when navigating through tight time windows.
Humans still play a crucial role in manual material handling. They move and manage materials using various types of transporting equipment. Human workers can operate with flexibility and speed while keeping things cost-effective, even in small-scale operations.
Twergo ergonomic casters
However, the challenge of ergonomic issues will arise and must be addressed as soon as possible. One solution is considering what casters you are using on you manual material handling carts. When used on manual carts, Caster Concepts’ TWERGO casters have been tested and validated to reduce push forces by over 55% compared to traditional casters.
Selecting the right options for material handling products is crucial when aiming to improve operational efficiency. Please note that factors such as overall durability, quality, and adaptability will play a role in choosing the right products.
Caster Concepts can play a crucial role in ensuring you invest in proper materials handling equipment. We offer casters that allow for fluid, fast movement and caster solutions that address your employees’ ergonomic needs. Explore our range of top-quality materials handling equipment today to improve your operational efficiency!
