![]() Consider all these important tools that you find on loading docks and incorporate their best use into your dock design: Pay attention to how each of your material handling tools interfaces on the loading dock. Good loading dock designs also take into account how every piece of material handling equipment works in efficient harmony with one another. That includes the most important team members -the workers who do day-to-day material handling tasks and work on the loading dock. Dock design should be a team approach with everyone’s input. Loading docks are such a vital component in a manufacturing and warehouse facility that they need the professional attention right from the early planning stage. The time to start dock design is before the structure is built. Vertical stacking is another way to increase the use of limited dock space. Loading dock doors should be a minimum of 10 feet by 10 feet to accommodate today’s large semi-trailers. Larger overhead doors and better dock leveling height can help to ease the flow. They can be overcome by properly designing accessories that make the space more operational. This leads to a domino effect which affects the efficiency of truckers who need to get back on the road to finish their routes and the success of facility workers who have to deal with jammed dock platforms and plugged aisles.īottlenecks are usually due to insufficient space. “Bottleneck”, for example, is the common term for poorly designed loading docks that get inundated with more shipping and receiving activity than they can handle. The dock area may have been designed with a different flow pattern or had lesser traffic flow. Sometimes this is due to purchasing a building that was occupied by a tenant in a different business line. Poor loading dock design is probably the number one reason for inefficiency in the material handling zone. But for the most part, efficiency improvements are made one step at a time, just like these tips are laid out. Some improvements are minor, and some require major overhauls of company infrastructure and corporate culture. Astute managers are constantly looking for ways to improve business processes. ![]() Getting the most out of time on the loading dock happens through company leadership. Improving efficiency takes many paths, but they all end at the same destination - a profitable company that meets or better yet exceeds customer expectations and surrounds workers in a safe and productive environment. That includes unnecessary waits while trucks sit idling and needless trips while workers shuffle material about. Loading Dock Efficiency TipsĮfficiency is all about getting the job done as quickly as possible while generating the lowest cost. With effective loading dock procedures and processes, there are significant productivity gains as well as energy savings and reduction in accidents involving equipment and employees. Increasing loading dock efficiency and reducing logistics costs should be a top priority for a facility manager. An ideal MHZ that runs at peak efficiency is properly designed, equipped and maintained. ![]() Docks are busy places, and they can be hazardous environments, especially when they’re not designed, equipped and managed efficiently.Įfficient and smooth-flowing material handling zones allow companies to avoid costly delays, prevent spoilage or damage to goods and meet tight schedules by revolving traffic quickly. It’s the place where product shipments interact with material handling vehicles and other equipment. They include dock design and positioning, trailer sizes and shapes, load configurations, and equipment systems used in the MHZ. There are many factors that affect efficiency. The loading dock or material handling zone is a critical component in warehouse productivity that includes shipping, receiving and staging areas. Loading Dock Efficiency Impacts Your Bottom Line Invest in Loading Dock Efficiency Solutions.Maintain a Safe and Efficient Loading Dock.Create a Healthy Loading Dock Environment.Improve Your Loading Dock Communications.Invest in Excellent Material Handling Equipment.Loading Dock Efficiency Impacts Your Bottom Line.
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