Productivity and reactivity are the tendency for storehouses. Companies increasingly do the choice of an automated manipulation in their plants to win competitivity and quality. We offer you to learn more about a specific equipment, the forklift truck, become essential in the handling industry. Which kind of forklift do you need to choose? Do you need to install a bridge crane in your plant? Which brand do you need to choose? A bunch of questions we are going to answer during this reading. Let’s start with the different options you have.
Choose the right equipment for your warehouse and flow of goods
When we think about handling, we often think about a forklift truck. You will find several kinds of forklifts with different load-carrying capacity and range of actions.
If it is about a little warehouse, with a low flow of goods, you would just need to acquire a standard forklift, perfect for the transportation of goods in the warehouse, without specific options, it would ensure all the goods’ mouvements you are waiting for.
However, if your requirements are more demanding, you would need to turn to a more specific forklift truck, as the turret forklift truck which enables to perform large movements thanks to a 360 degrees range of actions thanks to a rotating head.This model is designed for heavy loads from 500 to 1500 kg.
If your warehouse uses vertical space, some forklifts trucks are especially designed for narrow corridors where the freedom of movements is restricted. This equipment can reach 17 meters in height, allowing an easy access to all goods.
If a forklift truck is not sufficient, bridge cranes are also an efficient solution for the transfer of important loads. Requiring an important investment, it is essential in the management of large scale goods. Composed of a horizontal metallic structure laid on two rails, this equipment ensures a three-axis movements : cross-travel motions and the lifting and lowering motions. You would find different sizes for a bridge crane, mono-beam or double according to the load weights.
Source of energy, a factor that should not be neglected
When you would have made the choice of the right equipment, the energy used by the device will be the second criteria to take into account. Electrical, gas or petrol? Nowadays, you have the choice. You can determine the best price-quality ratio regarding your requirements, the frequency of use of your devices and the warehouse’s capacity.
First, you could choose an electrical forklift, which remains the most economical and the most secure energy. Reliable and silent, the electrical forklifts are equipped of powerful batteries which enable a considerable autonomy, for up to 8 hours of uninterrupted use.
Another alternative, an economical one also but more respectful of the environment, the gas forklift truck using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) with butane or propane. It operates with a standard four-cycle gasoline engine but with LPG. It is advised for a medium-sized warehouse so that the engine should not cover a distance beyond 60 meters. The main advantages of a forklift working with gas are its good crossing power and a simple supplies. However, the warehouse must be well ventilated, what is mandatory for security reasons. You also must not forget that the autonomy of the forklift is limited to the capacity of the gas cylinder, a restriction that you must seriously consider when the flow of goods is important and the warehouse is made for continuous operations.
To finish with, you could also choose a gasoline forklift truck. As a car or a motorcycle, you can refuel it very easily and drive on the road to move. But, to each energy there are restrictions, you will not be able to use it inside. Renowned to be noisy and polluting, it remains a solid value but less and less economic.
Brand new or used equipment?
Automate a warehouse can be a high investment. When it is about deep modifications of the warehouse logistic, you can easily reach colossal sums of money : handling devices are expensive. For example, on the brand new market, an electrical forklift truck for an entry level product, you will pay around 10 000€. On the used market, you would find the same forklift for 4 000€, a price difference which supposes a deep reflection. Revised and in a very good state, second-hand equipment are a good compromise to improve the logistic of your warehouse but also a reasonable investment when you consider the economical context. On Exapro, you will find more than 300 used forklifts of all major brands.
