How to Maintain Your Material Handling Equipment

How to Maintain Your Material Handling Equipment

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A supply chain has to keep actively moving to stay effective and efficient. Any disruptions can cause major ripple effects down the supply chain, potentially hurting the operations of your business. A big part of the productivity of your supply chain relies on the equipment that your team is using to handle cargo and materials, which is why it’s essential to maintain your equipment and the teams that use it regularly.

Conduct Regular Inspections

Without regular inspections, your operators could be using faulty equipment that threatens the safety of your workforce. Forklifts, pallet jacks, and other machinery require pre-shift inspections to ensure that your crew is operating equipment that passes the proper certifications. Additionally, these inspections can identify the smaller problems before they grow into bigger, more expensive problems later on. Use a daily checklist for your operators to go through before beginning their shift to accurately track how your equipment is performing.

Conduct Regular Maintenance

The next step of maintaining the integrity of your equipment is the actual maintenance. A regular maintenance schedule will ensure that your equipment is operating at the highest standard while giving you a better picture of what might need to fix along the way. The best way to know when your equipment needs maintenance is to track the number of hours your team is operating the equipment. Adhering to the manufacturer’s recommendations for maintenance is the best practice to ensure your equipment works exactly how it should.

Give Operators Better Training

Sometimes the best way to maintain your equipment is to update the training procedures for your operators. Providing your operators with the best available training processes and resources is the best way to use the equipment as it’s intended. Also, operators with the proper training are less likely to make the same mistakes as poorly trained operators, whether it’s during the operation of the equipment or maintaining the equipment. Implementing better training processes is the best way to ensure that your workforce knows what they are doing.

Trade-Up When Necessary

At some point, your organization will have to retire certain pieces of equipment when they have crossed the threshold of “economic life.” When your machinery becomes too expensive to maintain and too dangerous to operate, it’s time to move on to something new. The best thing you can do for your business at this point is to trade up for newer equipment and machinery. Consider your equipment as an investment and spend the money on what your organization needs at this moment.

About Sobel Network Shipping Co., Inc.

Sobel Network Shipping Co., Inc. is an international freight forwarder that is committed to improving and simplifying the shipping processes of your business. Our approach allows us to develop a customized strategy to fit the needs of your business, allowing you to operate on a global level. Contact Sobel today to learn how we can help you.