The loading bay is one of the most dangerous areas of any warehouse, manufacturing facility or processing plant. These fast-paced environments see a significant amount of coming and going both inside the building with people and equipment, such as forklifts, and outside with trucks and trailers arriving and departing. Many if not all the accidents reported in the loading bay are preventable, some by following simple processes and others with specific safety equipment; so too are the risks generated through poor maintenance. Safety and efficiency do not have to be competing factors but are in fact wholly complementary. Wheel locking systems and vehicle restraints, dock levellers and safety barriers, communications systems and camera/detection technologies all have an important role to play.
This article was first published in the September 1st 2022 issue of Warehouse & Logistics News, subscribe to the magazine by clicking here.
Loading and unloading can become energy-draining activities if dock shelters do not seal properly. Most dock shelters accommodate a trailer along the sides, bottom and top, but corners may remain fully or partially open which can result in an annual energy loss worth between £1,200 and £2,700 per loading bay. For this reason alone, it is worth choosing dock shelters with optimum sealing features like those of the Eclipse from Rite-Hite.
BID Group Ltd recently supplied and installed Klimate High Speed Doors for a client which then led to an order for a new security barrier, boundary gate and they now have a loading bay project in the pipeline. Service contracts are also available from BID Group Ltd to ensure a regular programme of servicing for all its equipment, to ensure that any potential problems are highlighted at an early stage and prevent breakdowns leading to costly operational downtime. The company consists of established product divisions, providing a one stop shop for warehouse facilities managers, enabling them to cut out the lengthy search process when looking for suppliers that provide replacement industrial doors, gates, barriers and loading bay equipment for their premises.
Hörmann UK have announced a round of investment which will see additional capacity and efficiencies introduced to help them consolidate and improve the supply of both their industrial doors and garage doors into the UK market. The investment programme covers production facilities in Germany, together with facilities and services at the company’s UK headquarters in Coalville. Additional production and storage capacity are currently being added to four German plants at Amshausen, Brandis, Dissen and Ichtershausen, that manufacture and supply entrance doors, garage doors and industrial roller shutters for the UK market.
At loading bays and docks where areas are exposed to the elements, fast opening and closing door speeds are essential. EFAFLEX UK Limited returns to PPMA where three of their most popular high-speed doors used within the packing and processing sector will be in action. EFAFLEX will be showcasing their high-speed spiral featuring it’s EFA-THERM® insulating laths, the EFA-STT® turbo, and the fabric roll up option. As loading bays become more efficient, to accommodate increased orders of goods, it is imperative that safety remains a priority.
George Simpson
Features Editor
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