How to Maintain Warehouse Facilities

Aug 09, 2022

Workplace safety plays a significant role in successful warehouse management strategies, but what are you doing to protect your physical warehouse facility from unnecessary wear, tear, and damage?

When your warehouse building and equipment don’t function as they should, the downtime can directly impact your bottom line. Consider these strategies to help avoid costly repairs to the property or replacing equipment.

Don’t Skip Regular Maintenance

The best way to avoid the cost and downtime that comes with emergency maintenance is to work hard to prevent serious problems from arising in the first place. Routine inspection and equipment maintenance can alert managers and employees to issues that could slow down productivity and cause a safety hazard. A forklift leaking a bit of oil may not seem like a problem until it causes a slip-and-fall accident in your warehouse.

Don’t hesitate to replace outdated or poorly functioning warehouse equipment during this time. Equipment repairs are less costly than replacements, but there may be a time when buying new is the only rational option. Work closely with your vendor to ensure that you’re getting top-quality equipment and a team that can help keep it well-maintained.

Using a warehouse monitoring system can streamline regular maintenance. Whether using warehouse management software or in-person observation, keeping an eye on the floor can help identify potential cleanliness or maintenance issues before they become problematic. Consider offering incentives to employees to help support monitoring initiatives and commit to a safety culture.

Focus On the Loading Docks

With a warehouse loading dock in disrepair, trailers can separate and cause accidents, forklifts and workers can collide, and other loading dock issues can lead to product and facility damage and injuries. The loading docks are notorious for being a high-traffic hazard.

Air or hydraulic levelers may present some with sticker shock, but they require less maintenance and have lower maintenance costs than their mechanical counterparts. Safety regulations may require food and beverage facilities to have tight seals on docks that protect products inside the warehouse from moisture, contaminants, and even pests.

Barrier gates can provide an extra layer of safety on docks that are often tight spaces with fall risks. Gates can be fixed into position or offer opening and closing functions that optimize the space and mobility of workers on the dock. Additionally, lighting that alerts when a dock is ready to enter for loading or unloading can be far more effective than a simple yellow line painted on the floor. These proactive steps will minimize the damage done to your loading docks.

Create an Emergency Plan

Even with a robust seasonal warehouse maintenance plan, it’s crucial to account for emergencies. Toxic spills, fires, hurricanes, and even earthquakes can wreak havoc on your team, and it’s important to prepare everyone for a potential crisis. Maintenance after disaster strikes may look a bit different than what you do on a regular, preventative basis.

This plan should be highly personalized for a variety of situations. Think about the most likely risks to your warehouse and create custom plans. Getting your warehouse back to order after something like a fire requires a different approach than losing power. This is not something that should be one-size-fits-all.

Once you know which resources you’ll need for your plan, make it a team effort. Recruit a handful of key players in your warehouse to be a specialized response team to execute the plan. Keep in mind that they’ll need the experience and certification to perform maintenance on specialized equipment like forklifts or conveyor belts.

Let Us Help

Suppose you’re not sure where to start when maintaining your physical warehouse property and equipment. In that case, it’s wise to consult with warehouse professionals to answer any questions as you move through your seasonal warehouse maintenance.

Turn to us at Benco: We provide sales, installation, service, and repair for the critical equipment in most warehouses. Our technicians are OSHA trained and Factory Certified in Hyundai and PowerBoss equipment. Whether you’re looking for equipment for your newly purchased warehouse or you’re looking to replace aging warehouse supplies, Benco Industrial Equipment can help – contact us today to get started!

Common Hazards in Your Warehouse (And How to Avoid Them)

08 Apr, 2024
Warehouses are the backbone of many industries, storing and distributing goods to keep the economy moving. However, behind the scenes of this logistical hub lurk various hazards that can pose severe risks to employees and property. Let's investigate some of the most common warehouse hazards and explore proactive mitigation strategies. Slips/Trips/Falls Slips, trips, and falls are among the most prevalent hazards in warehouse spaces. Spills, cluttered aisles, and uneven surfaces can easily lead to accidents if not adequately addressed. To prevent such incidents, warehouses should prioritize proper housekeeping, including regular cleaning and maintenance of floors. Additionally, using signage to highlight potential hazards and ensuring adequate lighting throughout the facility can significantly reduce the risk of slips, trips, and falls. Fires Flammable materials and electrical equipment in warehouses make them susceptible to fires. Faulty wiring, improper storage of combustible materials, and lack of fire suppression systems can all contribute to the risk of fire outbreaks. Implementing preventive measures such as regular equipment maintenance, proper storage protocols for flammable materials, and employee training on fire safety procedures are crucial in mitigating this hazard. Harmful Substances Warehouses often house various chemicals and hazardous substances, which can pose risks to employees' health if not handled properly. Exposure to harmful substances can lead to respiratory issues, skin irritation, and other serious health problems. To mitigate this hazard, warehouses should properly store and label hazardous materials, provide employees with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), ensure adequate ventilation systems, and conduct regular training on safe handling procedures. Falling Objects With shelves stacked high with merchandise, falling objects present a significant hazard in warehouses. Poorly secured storage systems, improper stacking of items, and inadequate safety measures can all increase the risk of objects falling and causing injury. Warehouses can minimize this risk by adequately securing shelves and storage systems, using barriers or guardrails to prevent objects from falling, and conducting regular inspections of overhead storage areas. Overexertion The physical demands of warehouse work can lead to overexertion injuries if employees lack adequate training or don't perform tasks ergonomically. Lifting heavy objects, repetitive motions, and working in awkward positions can all contribute to overexertion injuries such as strains and sprains. To prevent such injuries, warehouses should provide comprehensive training on proper lifting techniques, encourage the use of mechanical aids such as forklifts and pallet jacks, and implement ergonomic workstations to reduce strain on employees' bodies.

Common Inventory Management Mistakes

08 Mar, 2024
Effective inventory management practices influence the success of each warehouse, the supply chain, and the business at large. Inventory management involves many moving parts and elements – everything from the product catalog to the warehouse space to tracked KPIs. Experienced warehouse managers know that no matter how fool-proof your inventory management systems are, there’s always room to improve and prepare for unexpected circumstances. Let’s discuss common inventory management mistakes (and what to do instead). Overstocking or Understocking One of the most prevalent inventory management mistakes is maintaining too much or too little inventory. Overstocking ties up valuable capital and warehouse space, leading to increased carrying costs and a higher risk of obsolescence. On the other hand, understocking can result in stockouts, backorders, and dissatisfied customers. Businesses should leverage historical sales data, market trends, and advanced forecasting techniques to accurately predict demand and optimize inventory levels. Inaccurate Demand Forecasting Businesses are prone to making costly inventory planning errors without precise demand forecasting. Relying on outdated data or flawed forecasting methods can lead to inefficiencies and missed opportunities. By utilizing advanced analytics and predictive modeling, businesses can better anticipate shifts in demand, seasonal fluctuations, and emerging trends, allowing for more informed inventory decisions and improved responsiveness to customer needs. Lack of Inventory Visibility Poor visibility into inventory levels across multiple locations or channels can result in operational inefficiencies and errors. Without real-time data on stock levels and movement, businesses may struggle to fulfill orders on time, leading to customer dissatisfaction and lost sales. Implementing integrated inventory management systems that provide comprehensive visibility into inventory across the supply chain can help businesses optimize inventory allocation, reduce stockouts, and improve overall operational performance.

A Beginner’s Guide to Electric Forklifts

By Denis Benden • 08 Feb, 2024
Efficient material handling is crucial for businesses of all sizes and industries. It directly impacts productivity, cost-effectiveness, and overall operational success. Effective material handling ensures that goods are moved, stored, and transported in a streamlined and organized manner, minimizing delays, damages, and errors. Electric forklifts play a significant role in effective material handling, transforming the […] The post A Beginner’s Guide to Electric Forklifts appeared first on Benco Industrial Equipment.
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