On the Docks

The material handling sector, as with most businesses, is working its way out of the economic challenges of the past several years as 2010 progresses. To meet rising demand, many operations will be building new distribution centers (DCs), adding to their existing facilities, or replacing equipment that had been deployed beyond its useful age in an attempt to squeeze every last drop out of the company's capital investment.

As the RFPs go out and the quotes come in, it is a good idea to look beyond price and focus in on the issue of lower cost of ownership (LCO). What will owning that piece of equipment cost the operation beyond its purchase price? How will that investment pay off for the operation? This cost of ownership analysis reflects the investment's true economic impact for any company.

This consideration is especially true for loading dock equipment. Considering that this equipment handles five-ton forklifts making hundreds of trips a day, the loading dock experiences its share of maintenance problems.

The ability to achieve LCO is built into the loading dock equipment, and intelligent selection can lower maintenance and operating costs for years to come.

Choosing the Right Dock Equipment

Dock equipment manufacturers may offer to fly in prospective customers to tour their facilities. In some cases, they provide a video tour of their manufacturing operation. This provides a valuable opportunity for customers to view how the equipment they may be buying is manufactured.

There are some basic things to watch for when touring the manufacturer's plant. How many coats of paint are applied to the product? Is the product, or any of its components, stored outside at any point? Both issues affect the product's ability to resist corrosion. The tour also provides customers with a chance to view individual components, giving them an idea of the amount of steel going into the product and the quality of production.

Four main categories of equipment provide forklift safety, effective truck access and energy savings: dock levelers, dock doors, truck restraints and seals/shelters. Many choices exist within those families of products. The right choices are determined by the volume and type of traffic at the loading dock.

Dock levelers bridge the gap between the dock and the trailer. Choices include mechanical, air, hydraulic and power-assisted/hybrid versions. They can be mounted to the dock floor, in a concrete pit, or to the curb of the loading platform.

Pit-mounted levelers have always been difficult to install and maintain. Traditional installation involves using shims to position the leveler, but it is often done improperly. When pit-mounted levelers are uneven with the dock floor, relentless traffic can cause structural failure that results in expensive service and replacement. Newer leveler versions have adjustable pads for pinpoint positioning. Combined with more steel and structural strength to the rear frame, these levelers offer longer, more trouble-free service.

Truck restraints prevent premature departure of the truck or trailer; they are available in an array of manual and powered designs with the ability to capture the rear impact guard on the truck/trailer or to restrain the vehicle's wheels. These can be mounted to the driveway, to the dock wall, or can be installed under a leveler to provide a clean dock face.

Criteria for the selection for either levelers or restraints can include frequency of unit operation and the types of trucks that pull up to the dock. Generally, a good investment is an additional 10,000 lbs of leveler capacity beyond what has been calculated for the operation. It is impossible to predict how requirements may change in the future, and the extra capacity can cover these changes.

Safety on the Dock

There are other factors to consider when it comes to dock equipment. Pit-style levelers are often equipped with safety barrier lips. When the leveler is set even to the dock floor, this vertical extension of the leveler lip along the dock edge prevents forklifts from driving off the dock.

The indicator lights that work with levelers and restraints and dock lights are available with LED lamps. As well as providing brighter illumination, they can last up to ten times longer than standard incandescent bulbs.