The warehouse is arguably the most important part of a business operation. All of the marketing, low prices, and value propositions in the world won’t mean anything if the customers don’t receive their items on time and intact. An effective warehouse space starts with reliable equipment and shelving, a layout that promotes speed and efficiency and ends with motivated, hardworking employees.
In my experience, the latter follows the former. Employees are much more efficient and have a higher morale when they can focus on their jobs without worrying about equipment breaking down or having to compensate for a less than ideal workspace. Let’s talk about some items that can make an immediate and positive impact for your workers.
Best New Item: Vestil Dock Seal
A loading dock is essentially a giant open window on the side of your building. If it’s freezing out, it’ll be freezing in the warehouse during deliveries. Likewise in the heat and the rain. A dock seal will help mitigate that change in temperature by creating a tight seal when a trailer backs up to it. In addition to keeping the weather and bugs out, it helps protect the side of the building and the dock itself with its three foam filled pads made of superior nylon reinforced vinyl. Vestil’s maximum compression design is easy to install and tear resistant so its durable and lasts a long time.
Unsung Hero: Nashville Wire Products Palletshelf™ Waterfall Wire Deck
How often do you think about the quality of your shelves? It’s one of those items that warehouses use every day, but you probably rarely think about. They are just there, doing their job day in and day out and the only time you notice them is if they breakdown. With Nashville Wire Products shelving, you should never need to worry. Strong, durable, and comically easy to install, you can’t go wrong with these reliable workhorses. You can simply drop them into their slots, pile hundreds of pounds of product on them and never think about them again.
Product Most Likely to be Found in My Home: Safco® Commercial Steel Shelving Unit
I have three of these in my garage, so it was an obvious choice for me this month. Though these Safco steel shelves are strong enough for industrial usage, they are also perfect for home storage as well. Double-sided compression clips support up to 750 pounds per shelf so you can store just about anything that fits on them without issue. Not to be forgotten are the versatility of these shelves. Adjustable to one-inch increments, you have the option to spready the shelves evenly or create custom space to fit larger items. I have everything from holiday decorations, to crock pots and air conditioners on mine.
MVP: Wesco® Convertible Truck, Aluminum
This month’s MVP will save you time, energy and maybe some back pain as well. This Wesco Aluminum Truck converts from a two-wheel 500 pound capacity into a four-wheel 1,000 pound capacity tool. Imagine how many boxes you can move around the warehouse with such a beast by your side. Despite its strength, it’s made of lightweight aluminum and includes an 18-inch sturdy nose plate for larger loads. When it’s not in use, a pedal makes it an easy transition from four to two wheels and stores upright, taking up less valuable space. I can hear warehouse workers everywhere chanting “MVP! MVP! MVP!”
That’ll do it for this month’s Fabulous Four. Remember that good quality tools will keep your warehouse running smoothly!
