Warehousing is a completely essential component in just about every industrial and commercial sector. Objects and materials have to be stored somewhere. The more efficiently and safely they are stored, the better a business is able to operate. Here are some of the most commonly used types of equipment and industrial furniture in British warehouses.
Forklift Trucks
Forklift trucks are some of the most useful machines in any warehouse arrangement. They are simple, low-slung trucks that have a chain-driven set of forks mounted on the front or side. Forklift trucks come in many forms, although counterbalanced machines are the most commonly used in warehouses. To get a good idea of the other kinds of forklift truck that are used in warehouses, check out rentalift.co.uk/forklift-hire/ for forklift hire information. In recent years, many warehouses have replaced their combustion-powered forklift trucks with more environmentally friendly electrically powered types. Electric motors are great for lifting tasks due to their potential for very high torque.
Pallet Racks
Pallet racks are simple metal shelving units on a large scale. They are used to store pallets of material. Most good pallet rack systems are modular – meaning that they can be easily added to if a warehouse needs to expand its storage capabilities. These racks are typically made of vertical steel racks bridged by steel beams. Either wooden panels or steel sheeting is added in order to make a safe bed for pallets.
Conveyors
Many kinds of conveyor are commonly used in the warehousing industry. In advanced warehouses that use scanning and robotic helpers, conveyor belts are often used instead of forklift trucks. Amazon fulfillment warehouses, for instance, are crisscrossed with a lattice of conveyor belts. Workers barely move from their stations, instead allowing pallets and individual objects to come to them via the conveyor system. The systems of conveyors in Amazon fulfillment centres are immensely complex. Robots used in warehouses also ‘prefer’ conveyor systems to forklifts, as objects are guaranteed to be moving along exactly the same pathway every single time.
Scales
Industrial strength scales are present in almost all warehouses. These scales are used to measure pallets to calculate shipping arrangements or safe storage arrangements. Knowing the weight of the items stored in a warehouse is a matter of health and safety. If pallets are packed that are too heavy, they can buckle pallet racks and break lifting equipment.
Stretch Wrappers
Wholesale stretch wrapping is the dominant method for the safe shipment and storage of pallets. Automatic stretch wrapping machines have now become a standard feature in any warehouse that ships weather-sensitive items or stores items for long periods of time. The latest machines need very little human intervention. Some are designed to be operable in extremely tight spaces: these are known as turntable stretch wrappers.
Stretch wrap – otherwise known as clingfilm – was invented in the early 1900s as a domestic product for keeping food safe for long periods. It was quickly adopted by various industries due to its low price, adaptability, and non-porous nature, which made it perfect for protecting items.
