Forklifts’ management in warehouses

Electric, gas or diesel forklifts are the most used equipment in the current activities of the warehouses, whether they are factory or distribution warehouses. With their help we manage to unload, transport and load heavy weights, store them or arrange them at height or on the ground. However, given that they are man-operated, these equipments can generate very high losses if they are not dimensioned according to the activity, if they are not used efficiently and if the activity of the operators is not controlled.

In order to improve the control of forklifts in a factory, an on-site assessment is started in order to better understand the situation and define the problem correctly.

Case Study:

The initial situation was that it was not clear where the forklifts were distributed and whether they were used efficiently. After a careful analysis, it was discovered that the operators actually worked throughout the shift, giving their full interest that the tasks be fulfilled (to unload all trucks, to deliver all orders in production, to load all the goods to be delivered to customers). They were all very well-intentioned. So well-intentioned that when a truck unloaded, 3 forklifts appeared, even if they did not have enough space, at a truck load they tried to load 2 forklifts at the same time, even if there was a risk of hitting each other and endangering the quality of the loaded goods.. And speaking of the quality of the goods loaded, there was even an incident with packaging that was penetrated with forklift blades and there wa no way of telling who made a mistake.

Good intentions are not enough.

The proposed solution was: dividing the activity of the warehouse into zones - dividing the forklifts into these zones (with the clear mention that they are not allowed to leave their assigned zones); measuring and standardizing the activities and distances covered; overlapping average volumes per shift and correct sizing of the number of forklifts for each area and activity; implementation of measurable indicators and establishment of the desired level of efficiency - periodic verification of the success of actions and refresh of improvements.

The result: accountability for activities performed at the operator level, correct assessment of the necessary resources, improving the times of activities performed, increasing employee satisfaction and motivation.