Moving materials safely and efficiently in an industrial manufacturing facility is an important consideration. As any facilities or operations manager will know, the choice of material handling equipment will influence how safe and efficient the moving process is.
Material handling equipment generally falls into two categories: on-floor movers, and overhead movers. Each type offers its own advantages and disadvantages.
On-Floor Movers
This category includes industrial trucks such as hand trucks, forklifts and fixed conveyor systems.
But these systems have their drawbacks.
Forklifts and other ride-on movers require a large amount of space to maneuver on the floor and to park while not in operation. Hand trucks also have limited load capabilities, either due to weight constraints of the machinery or the size and shape of load materials.
In a large volume manufacturing facility, both load limits and crowded floor space can increase move time and decrease productivity by requiring more or longer trips to get materials where they need to be.
Safety Concerns with Floor Movers
There are also safety hazards associated with both of these systems. Forklifts can fall over due to unbalanced loads or lifting a heavy load too high. This poses a significant risk to the operator who has the potential to be pinned under the forklift or under the fallen material load. Heavy or unbalanced loads can also fall from a forklift which poses a risk to both the operator and other workers in the vicinity.
Depending on the layout of the facility, poor visibility can also result in forklift operators driving off loading docks, falling or getting stuck between docks or walls and trucks or trailers or running into another truck or worker on the floor.
Conveyors often operate at a height equal to a person, which can pose risks of employees getting clothing or appendages caught in machinery. Many conveyors also raise material above head level on flat belts, which risks unsecured materials falling on employees below.
Overhead Lifting Systems
Overhead lifting systems are an alternative to truck and fixed conveyor systems that offer benefits in terms of both productivity and safety.
There are three primary types of overhead lifting and moving systems.
1. Overhead cranes use hooks, hoists or magnets to lift and move loads. Bridge or gantry cranes offer versatile operation with movement on three axes (two perpendicular and one horizontal). They are ideal for use in narrow aisles or corridors, but can also span multiple directions across a facility.
2. Hoists are versatile machinery designed to lift and move freely suspended or unguided loads. These systems use wire, rope or chain to lift materials, and can operate manually, pneumatically or electrically.
3. Monorails operate on tracks installed directly into the roof of a facility. These are most analogous to on-floor systems as movement is restricted to where track has been placed. This means monorails are also suitable for moving materials repeatedly over a fixed path.
These systems are useful in dangerous or hard to reach areas because carrier movement control doesn’t require direct worker presence, therefore reducing risk and human error.
Advantages of Overhead Systems
On-floor systems require large amounts of floor space to maneuver or be installed, and can get in the way of employees and processes.
Overhead systems require far less floor space, freeing employee movement within the facility. Though some cranes and hoists may still need floor mounted support structures, their footprint is much smaller than the space needed for forklifts and conveyors. Monorails require no floor space at all as the machinery is entirely built into the ceiling of the facility.
Improve Safety with Overhead Lifting Systems
There are safety benefits to using overhead lifting systems. Minimizing employee physical labor and keeping employees separate from potentially dangerous machinery can reduce injuries caused by improper lifting and falling materials.
American Crane and Equipment Corporation is a provider of overhead lifting systems for a variety of industries including automotive, aerospace, construction and energy. For more information on how overhead lifting systems can help improve your processes, check out their eBook, The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Overhead Equipment, or visit their website.
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American Crane and Equipment Corporation has sponsored this post. It has no editorial input to this post. All opinions are mine. –Meghan Brown