Tip #1 One sided loading/unloading of trucks, trains, etc.

In order to survive within a competitive marketplace, business owners, production leaders and efficiency managers must continually strive to find new ways to reduce operational costs and improve efficiency levels. The following five tips in this article show you how small logistic investments can result in large operational cost reductions.


Tip #1: One-sided loading/unloading of trucks, trains, etc.

One-sided loading and unloading of trucks and trains saves time, space and money. By equipping your lift truck with KOOI-REACHFORKS^®, (hydraulic extendable forks), the lift truck can approach the truck or train from just one side. This means there is no need to waste time driving around or back and forth from side to side. The lift truck travels a shorter distance, which results in speedier operations and lower energy consumption. Safety is also improved as the lift truck operates within a given area and remains in sight of any person in the surroundings. The time saved is around 25% not to mention, the reduced wear and tear on the lift truck, its tires and of course decreased fuel consumption. Watch this video for an interesting comparison between one-sided loading/unloading and traditional loading/unloading.

Another benefit is space savings. The space required for single-side loading/unloading is far less as the lift truck does not have to drive around the combo, (trailer). This can lead to tremendous cost savings potential allowing space to be freed up for additional storage or revenue generating manufacturing area. On average, single-side loading can save around 64 m2 or 690 sq ft.!

Tip #2: Handle two or even four pallets at one time!

Many companies have forklift drivers transporting single pallets back and forth all day long. If you are able to transport at least two pallets at a time, you can reduce your internal transport costs by 50% as the forklift is only making half the trips as before. The simple addition of KOOI-REACHFORKS^®, (hydraulic extendable forks), can allow two pallets to be carried at one time.

Double-pallet handling also produces substantial savings on fuel and lowers lift truck usage which helps reduce overall equipment life cycle costs.

Tip #3: Maximize vertical and horizontal space utilization

Another way to decrease operational costs is to simply make better use of your current space. In many storage applications the warehouse racking is arranged single deep on each side of the forklift access aisle. Storage density can be dramatically increased by simply adding additional lines of racking to create 'double-deep' storage. This can allow storage gains up to 30% or more. Accessing these new storage locations is easy by simply adding hydraulic telescopic KOOI-REACHFORKS^® to your existing forklift trucks.

Tip #3 Maximize vertical and horizontal space utilization

Unlike reach trucks with fixed masts which must either straddle the floor load or utilize bottom beams on the racking, KOOI-REACHFORKS^® allow double-deep access without bottom beams. Not only does this help improve vertical space utilization, it eliminates the cost of bottom beams, allows access to floor loads with pallet trucks and helps improve house-keeping as dust and debris do not get trapped under the beams.

Besides horizontal space utilization, often times companies tend to overlook the full potential of available vertical storage space. If your business is beginning to outgrow your storage space, the solution can be as simple as adding more levels to your rack system. This can help you avoid offsite storage or facility expansion costs.

You may think this means you will have to replace all your existing forklift trucks to reach higher levels, but it doesn't! The special Mast Height Extension, (MHE), forklift attachment allows you to add extra lift to your current lift truck without changing the mast, (upright).

The MHE can add up to 40" of additional lift to existing forklift trucks!

Tip #4: Reduce damage

A hidden expense most companies often overlooked pertains to product and packaging damage which results from the use of improper fork length or overloading of the forks. This type of damage often leads to additional administrative work, (i.e. inspections, damage reports, etc...), as well as expenses for repackaging, return shipments and replacement. It is estimated that these costs can total anywhere from 1% to 1.5% of the capacity of the total logistic facility.

KOOI-REACHFORKS^®, (hydraulic extendable forks), can drastically reduce these costs providing a prompt payback and return on your investment. Your operators will always have the correct fork length available at their fingertips ensuring safe support and transport of your goods. A simple touch of a hydraulic lever allows the forks to extend or retract to the desired length.

Tip #5 Eliminate or reduce the use of pallets in your facility

Tip #5: Eliminate or reduce the use of pallets in your facility

By eliminating or reducing the use of pallets you can save your company a lot of money. Instead of pallets you can use a thin pallet-sized sheet made of plastic, heavy laminated Kraft paperboard or corrugated fibreboard, a so-called slipsheet. These slipsheets cost about 8 times less than pallets, (depending on if it's a used or new pallet and the type of slip sheet), they require zero maintenance and weigh about 20 times less than wooden pallets. First off, it will save you the cost of a pallet and hence it eliminates the need for pallet exchange. Second, it allows you to put more goods in the container or trailer, resulting in savings of 10-15% on transport costs. Third, the usage of slipsheets is safer and cleaner as they have no nails and splinters. Last, this solution makes a considerable contribution to the environment as they are made of recycled material and are reusable.

MSE Forks
St. Jacobiparochie, Netherlands
Telephone: +31 518 492929
email: send us a message
Website: www.mse-forks.com

For more company and product information visit the MSE Forks ShopFront

MSE-Forks is based in the Netherlands, with a wholly owned subsidiary in the USA and distributors in more than 60 countries worldwide. The company is the world market leader, being the largest producer of hydraulic lift-truck forks, more commonly known as "KOOI-REACHFORKS^®". However, MSE-Forks also produces a wide range of other innovative material-handling solutions, including: Mast Height Extensions and manual KOOI-REACHFORKS^®, as well as a complete range of pallet-less handling solutions such as ROLLERFORKS^®, Push-Pulls, Stationary Pallet Changers. Also, MSE-FORKS sells the patented FLEX-OPS^®, a safety enhancement for fork-lift trucks that helps prevent tip-over accidents.