Loading bays are becoming more complex as the distribution industry reflects changes in the way consumers buy and procure their products, particularly with respect to e-commerce, which this year could expect to see £100 billion online sales in the UK. It is important, therefore, that many new loading bay designs have future-proof aspects to cope with all kinds of vehicles, from double-deck 40 ft trailers to relatively small vans. Fortunately, the loading bay industry suppliers have been highly proactive in providing many innovations but even so not all suppliers have a full complement of designs and not all have equipment designed and installed to agreed standards of safety compliance. Without these safeguards it is impossible to know if an item of loading bay equipment is adequate, until after an accident shows that it isn’t.
To counter this, prospective equipment buyers should consider dealing with those firms like Assa Abloy, Hormann and Stertil who offer a wide range of solutions and a nationwide after-sales back up team. They should also consider dealing only with members of a reputable trade association like ALEM, for whom safety compliance is a pre-requisite for membership. There are 17 EU directives relating to loading safety.
At the design stage buyers should also be careful not to buy on price alone, however strong and understandable the temptation. The old maxim, you get what you pay for, holds true in the loading bay as anywhere else. If there is a wide divergence in quotes for new projects ask if the cheapest potential supplier has fully understood the stresses his equipment will undergo. He may not, for example, have fully allowed for the weight of forklift and load pounding on a deck leveller over multiple shifts. It is not unknown for a new dock leveller to be repaired after only one week because a supplier underestimated the rigour that buyers expect from their dock levellers.
This brings us on to the point of maintenance issues which, alas, are still largely neglected in this industry. A second maxim, prevention is better than cure, certainly applies to what is the most dangerous part of any warehouse. A regime based on preventative maintenance will be less costly in the long rune than one based on emergency call-outs, especially if a breakdown has led to serious delays in shipments, which in a consumer, time-conscious age could lead to loss of future business. Preventative maintenance will also build in a higher, more robust level of safety in equipment functions.
After safety and equipment reliability issues the next greatest concern for all loading bay operators is energy costs. It is important therefore that equipment buyers choose a contractor who can provide consultation on operational needs, using practical tools such as energy surveys and heat loss calculators to map building size, temperature, usage and heating/cooling costs. Finally, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Equipment buyers should take advantage of offers from supplier contractors to visit some of their clients’ sites to ask them about the efficacy, reliability and any problems associated with the equipment and after sales service.
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