5 Signs Your Warehouse Needs an Industrial Manipulator
When assessing your warehouse’s workflows, there are three major factors to consider:
- Efficiency
- Productivity
- Safety
If you’re relying on your employees to move large products or supplies without the aid of any machinery, all three of these factors could be at risk.
To ensure your warehouse is achieving optimal efficiency, productivity and safety, it may be time to invest in industrial manipulator equipment.
Here are 5 signs that your warehouse needs an industrial manipulator:
Your Productivity is Down
To assess productivity, you’ve likely completed some operational audits to see how your warehouse is performing. These audits include checking things like:
- Your warehouse’s layout and flow — Are there any obstacles making it difficult for your employees to do their job? If anything is holding up your employees, make note of it to potentially rearrange your warehouse layout, workflow systems or inventory receiving.
- Your storage systems — How accessible or safe are your storage systems? How easy is it to store your product in these storage facilities?
- Your safety precautions and security systems – Double check what measurements you have in place to assure that a safety or security breach wouldn’t halt operations for lack of protocol.
You can also set goals for both your warehouse and KPIs (key performance indicators) for your employees to track successes and see where there is room for improvement. Also, your current data-tracking software can be used to identify places where productivity or efficiency is slowing down.
After taking these steps, however, you may find what’s holding you back is your outdated machinery or lack thereof. Your productivity depends on your employees working with what they’re given, so why not provide them with the best possible tools to help them perform their job?
Along with improving productivity – adding industrial manipulators will make life easier for your employees and help boost their morale at work.
You Need a Custom Moving Solution
Maybe you’ve looked into industrial manipulators before, but none have fit your exact needs or specifications. Or, perhaps you’ve felt a little overwhelmed looking through so many styles of manipulators made for other industries – from the food sector to the electromechanical sector, there are many different styles available on the market. But which is the one for you?
A custom-designed manipulator is made specifically with your intended job in mind and can help make your employees’ jobs easier and safer while helping your production move at a quicker rate.
Here are some of the different accommodations that custom machines can account for:
- Size and breadth of components to be handled
- Weight of components to be handled
- Type of tooling: Whether it uses grippers, vacuum, or magnets
- Reach requirements: The distance from point of pick to point of placement
- Vertical travels: The distance vertically from point of pick to point of placement
- Sequence of operations: What is the end user’s process for handling the component and what are the requirements of component manipulations from point of pick, to point of placement?
- Ceiling height restrictions
You Want to Increase Warehouse Safety
Industrial manipulators, whether they are off the shelf or custom-made for your business, help your employees stay safer – which prevents your warehouse from coming to a screeching halt because of injury-related absences.
Instead of having your employees struggle to move your products by hand, an industrial manipulator helps them easily maneuver items on their own. The operator of your machine uses minimal effort to quickly and easily any products, instead of moving or lifting anything that could cause them harm, and the risk of injury is significantly reduced.
Increasing warehouse safety starts with using machines that are up-to-date and safer for your employees to handle, which is why industrial manipulators are becoming an increasingly popular choice for warehouse employers and managers.
Your Warehouse Has High Hygienic Standards
There are several reasons why stainless steel industrial manipulators are the right choice for facilities in sensitive fields like food and chemicals — and a good option in general.
Stainless steel is resistant to corrosion and can stand up to very high and low temperatures, both which are due to what is known as the “passive layer” that forms on the surface of stainless steel, which is technically classified as “inactive or inert.”
This is what makes stainless steel ideal for a hygienic facility – the finish of the steel is so microscopically smooth that bacteria essentially can’t find anywhere to hide. This allows you to easily remove any contaminants off your equipment.
Whether it be bacteria like salmonella or caustic chemicals, you can be sure that your equipment is fully disinfected and safe for use.
You’re Looking to Save Money
Whenever you’re thinking about investing in new machinery, it’s important to consider the long-term value the right machinery can offer — and the expenses you’ll incur if you’re using the wrong ones (or none at all.)
High-quality industrial manipulators are built to last, so you won’t have to worry about constantly replacing them or having them break down on the job. Don’t settle for any manipulator or lift assist that’s not able to last at least 15 years with proper use and maintenance.
Of course, the biggest potential cost related to a low-quality machine being down isn’t the repairs or replacements — it’s the revenue you’ll lose from being unable to fulfill your production requirements. If you’re unable to produce your products, you face the potential of missing revenue goals and disappointing customers.
Low-quality machines can cost you in other ways, especially in terms of employee injuries. If a machine isn’t designed to properly protect and aid an employee, the risk of harm is quite high. Accidents from low-quality machinery can result in everything from loss in labor due to time spent away from work to recover, workers’ compensation claims and even expensive lawsuits.
In general, companies that install industrial manipulators see a decrease in injuries related to both accidents and employee mistakes. For example, Ford saw a 70% reduction in assembly line injury rates when they incorporated lift assist technology into their production line safety plans.
Investing in high-quality industrial manipulators will save you money in the future on repairs and revenue, but also from the lowered risk of employee injury and accidents.
Read The Signs
If you’re agreeing with any of the signs above, chances are an industrial manipulator is right for your business. To keep costs down, downtime to a minimum and your employees safe and happy, it’s time to consider your options for industrial manipulators.
If you’d like to discuss what machine would work best for your business, contact Dalmec today! We’d be happy to help you find an industrial manipulator that’s right for you.
If you’re looking for a resource for your first industrial manipulator purchase, check out our free buyer’s guide:
