The loading bay is probably the busiest area of the warehouse with commercial vehicles dropping off and picking up goods 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Warehouse owners need the loading bay to operate at maximum efficiency but they also need the area to stay safe. Possible risks include vehicle creep and the vehicle prematurely departing the loading bay.
This article was first published in the November 15th 2021 issue of Warehouse & Logistics News, subscribe to the magazine by clicking here.
Working together with SMB College Group at their Stephenson Campus in Coalville, Hörmann UK have introduced an apprenticeship scheme to train and educate the next generation of industrial service engineers, whilst providing young people with valuable experience in the workplace. The first apprentice Callum Irons, who joined Hörmann in early August, is working towards the Level 2 Engineering Operative apprenticeship standard.
Powerhouse Digital has won the Most Innovative Industrial IoT Company at the 2021 Media Innovator Awards. The consultancy works with companies in the IoT space to improve efficiencies in manufacturing and supply chains. It specialises in developing IoT monitoring systems and data visualisation solutions for manufacturing and technical engineering businesses, including the loading bay sector.
Thorworld Industries has supplied leading speciality chemicals company LANXESS with a bespoke modular dock to help with the loading and unloading of shipping containers. In its production site in Baxenden in the North-West, LANXESS needed an existing leveller replacing after years of continued use.
Integrated Third Party Logistics, one of the UK’s leading logistics companies relies on an installation of 32 loading bays from Stertil Dock Products to ensure the efficient loading and unloading of 160 vehicles every day. The Stertil equipment installed within the new extension includes the latest generation of S-series swing-lip dock levellers. Providing a dynamic load capacity of six tonnes, these levellers automatically adjust to the changing floor height of the vehicle during loading and unloading operations, even if the vehicle is unevenly loaded.
With warehouses packed, demand for pop-up loading bays has increased. Smart-Space’s flexible supply model works with the uncertainty of the demand – in that customers can off-hire as soon as they need to. Howdens Joinery recently added a pop-up loading bay in a tight space next to its Smart-Space interim building used to store sheet metal which has a high turnaround and requires a large storage area.
CopriSystems’ bespoke loading bays provide that flexibility and guarantee a high-performance solution, whether it is required as a short-term fix or is integral to a long-term plan. Customised to suit the individual needs of each business and space available, however irregular that may be, these prefabricated structures are relocatable. CopriSystems’ single span canopies or domes, with no internal supports, can help to conserve space so it is used more efficiently during busier times and used safely to comply with social distancing requirements.
For the warehouse to keep operating, the loading bay has to stay busy. The area also has to be safe, which means there has to be enough room to accommodate staff, trucks and forklifts. With careful planning, the loading bay can be efficient and safe.
George Simpson
Features Editor
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