Warehouses are required to store more products than ever, but with limited space, facilities cannot expand and go out much further – the only solution is to go up. Over time and through advancements in technology, the heights within reach are growing higher and higher. There’s a clear demand for this evolution to create better space optimisation, but balancing this with safety is crucial.

Alexander Baal, Director of Sales Operations, Jungheinrich UK.

Advances in automation technology can not only drive businesses through the tough times, but also provide a solid foundation to weather the storms of the future. But what must businesses consider in order to pinpoint the tools and technologies that can help them to optimise value and space most effectively? Alexander Baal, Director of Sales Operations, Jungheinrich UK, explains.

The considerations

For reach trucks and warehouses to go higher, there are a number of variables that must be assessed. The higher the lift height required, the greater the need for control over lift and reach functions to ensure stability and safety.

Typically, the operator wants the forks to reach the pick destination as quickly as possible, but with a load on, the movement needs to be controlled to reduce sway. Intuitive technology that recognises the weight of the load, the height of the mass, and knows when to move fast and when to slow down for the operation of the operator can not only address safety points, but also add speed, value and efficiency.

During mast manufacture, hot steel is rolled to form the sections of the mast for stability. There are extra steps however that can be ensured to achieve maximum safety, for instance Jungheinrich pioneered an additional process called Cold Rolling, that is completed after the sections have cooled down. By rolling the sections again when cold, it increases strength and reduces tolerances.

Another consideration is the ratio between the length of time of each shift and how tight the aisle is. A common mistake is thinking that a bigger battery will solve their problems, but when adding a bigger battery the truck may not fit down the aisle.

The introduction of lithium-ion battery technology has helped transform the industry. With lithium-ion-powered reach trucks using the latest in battery technology, the battery size doesn’t change depending on the capacity – ensuring no restriction of movement down narrow aisles.

Changing environments

Covid-19 has brought new challenges, but has importantly highlighted the benefits of fully or partially automated processes and operations. The downturn in the economy has been an accelerator to the already escalating demand for automation.

This has been especially prevalent in some of the key industries such as pharmaceuticals and logistics, ensuring continuity in aspects such as food supply chains so that retailers can continue to keep stocks at optimum levels. This was particularly challenging when panic buying led to shortages of certain items but with automation creating efficiencies and speeding up processes, these challenges were quickly overcome.

Even for industries and environments where full automation isn’t possible or necessary, key aspects of processes can be automated for a hybrid approach. Furthermore, once lockdown measures are eased, productivity will become higher as humans take on more value adding roles and automation takes on the repetitive functions within the warehouse.

The future holds the next steps for automation too, with innovations already providing warehouse environments with self driving trucks, which are growing in popularity. For those businesses that already operate a ‘conventional’ truck, the adaptation to automation is relatively straightforward. The technology can be integrated into existing applications, so there isn’t necessarily the perceived need to rip and replace the current setup.

Conclusion

Innovations to maximise safety and extend the reach height and operations of warehouses are critical in unlocking value and space optimisation. By extending safely up, warehouse managers can see a better return on their available storage and efficiency can be maximised to help businesses make as many marginal gains as possible. Automation continues to grow and provide companies with a advantage, and all these factors combined mean that if, or when, another unprecedented event comes along, businesses will already have the most efficient and safest technology in place to eliminate risk for the future.

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