Thursday, January 10, 2008
THE COLLATED ANSWER [final]Introduction
The forklift is a good means of transportation when it comes to the task of lifting. Forklift is an asset that almost all warehouses need in order to carry out it's daily logistical activities. In a warehouse or DC, there are bound to be inbound and outbound activities. Unloading and loading of pallets goods on and off trucks, and unstuffing and stuffing of goods into containers can be efficiently carried out by the use of a forklift due its speed and huge lifting capacity (as mentioned in previous entry) as compared to a pallet jack. Although the driver needs to have a license in handling a forklift, however, it is still very useful for the workers. This is because; the forklift works mechanically, unlike other Material Handling Equipment. There are a couple kinds of forklift available. Rider trucks, reach-type forklifts, electric forklift and specialized forklift.
It is so called "can't live without" equipment by most contractors since it is so user friendly and lighten the workload so much compared to doing it manually. You can just imagine if cell phone doesn't exist. It is the same concept.
Reason for increasing popularity
Next, the reason why it is increasing in China’s market could be due to they’re getting repeat business. Because, the manufacturers are producing the finest quality of forklift and that is why orders keep coming back.
This can be proved by the following extract, which is taken from http://www.forkliftaction.com/news/newsdisplay.aspx?nwid=4960 “The units are performing incredibly well in the field, so much so that we’re seeing repeat orders from the same customers looking to add to their fleet,” says Mark Di Vito, president of Terraquip in Concord, Ontario, Canada. “We’re also seeing repeat orders from government authorities on trucks, which is an amazing sign.
Among other forklifts, there is a popular forklifts known as the telehandlers/telescopic forklifts. Telehandlers also known as telescopic forklifts are adopted only when goods are stored at a very high level. It is actually a forklift attached at the end of the long arm of a crane. This kind of forklift also have more control over the placement of the pronged lifts attached to a crane that comes over the top of a truck. The reason why they are popular is due to the height. this kind of forklift can raise to variable reaches and thus is popular for big DC.
Advantages over other MHE
Forklift is small and easy to move around with compared with the larger-sized cranes, truck-mounted lifting system. It has advantages when it comes to a warehouse with limited spaces, has narrow aisles in the production area. Therefore, unlike cranes, chutes, it doesn’t need a lot of space. It can move easily in between the small aisles compared to the big and gigantic cranes.
Most forklifts are like rider trucks, which enable the operator to be seated during operation.
They also need not carry the goods around. Thus, it reduces fatigue in the operators as they may have to work for long hours. There is another kind of forklifts called the reach-type forklifts (commonly known as ''stacker'') where the operator operates the vehicle in a standing position.
Stackers are commonly use to lift pallets of goods to put-away to locations on racks that are of usually of 3-4 level high. Unlike trolleys, which have required workers to carry the goods before putting them onto the equipment. Also, it will require more force to push the trolley around.
Electric models are also available in the market. These models are smaller in size with extremely short turning radii and lifting capacities. This choice would be better if the aisles are wide enough, to prevent causing damages to the goods. Whether if the ground is level and paved or has a gravel base, a forklift can be a very useful, versatile and productive piece of equipment for moving and loading.
As the properties of the forklifts greatly suit the needs of a warehouse or DC, they become very popular. They come in various models that allow the warehouse management to choose which best suits their operations. Suppliers have been constantly improving on existing models and come up with new models to suit markets' needs. Few examples of suppliers include TCM Corporation, Jungheinrich and NACCO Industries, Inc.
For example, they can customize the forklift with it equipped with devices that lift and carry multiple pieces. Unlike trolleys and pallet jacks, this can only transport certain standard products. A forklift make up of the correct devices helps make moving, stacking, handling andloading easier
myySTYLE.
i was here @ 1:57 AM
