Fastest Growing Trend in Material Handling: Older and Diverse Workforce

November 2, 2018 Fork Truck Free Info 3343 Views

 

The workforce in material handling is getting older, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find qualified candidates entering the workforce who possess the necessary skills. The direction suggests that over the next decade, this industry should join with the government and educational system to help expand demographics to include women, young workers, disabled workers, and veterans.

The metrics of productivity, material flow, and fork truck free must all be considered in the context of an aging and diverse workforce.

Topper Industrial carts can present assembly parts better for operators on the line. Topper Industrial tilt carts ensure the operator is always picking in the optimal ergonomic zone. Topper Industrial engineers make different types of tilt carts. Tilt carts create a safe, controlled, and ergonomic delivery workstation line-side.

A tilt cart is a rugged industrial cart consisting of a unique upper frame that is designed to fit a specific container and tilt to a desired angle. Topper Industrial’s tilt carts come equipped with a patented adjustable closed loop hydraulic cylinders that control the energy of the load as it is tilted. It provides for a safe and controlled tilt movement in a full to empty application. The most common requested degree of tilt is 30, 45, and 60 degrees, but the carts can be custom designed to virtually any angle. Tilt carts are designed as four-wheel or six-wheel carts. Topper Industrial also manufacturers unique side tilt carts.

Another cart that improves line-side deliver is a rotate cart. Topper Industrial uses a HD Bearing for easy and stable rotation for the operator (with an auto locking system that can lock the top every 90 or 180 degrees). This is a great option if the operator has an overhead lift assist coming back to pick the part in/near the same location every time.

Ergonomic lifting solutions must be accessible and functioning for those with limited strength, or height/weight leveraged. Having product cart delivered allows a wide variety of workers to contribute to improving productivity. A manufacturing or warehouse worker sitting in a wheelchair, for example, can have product delivered to height-adjusted work cells. Lift tables and kitting work stations using delivery daughter carts that can be easily unloaded from a mother cart must have quick release and quick breaking functionality for a laborer at 5’ in height or weighing less than 100 pounds.

Too often heavy material handling equipment vendors forget to design around this new and diverse workforce. Even those employees with a manufacturer for thirty years may possess less physical strength and again cart delivery reduces walk time while allowing experience workforce members to stay on the job for an extra ten years.

Manual material handling environments put workplace labor at a higher than average risk for developing MSDs (Musculoskeletal Disorders). The physical nature of jobs in this environment cause serious wear and tear which frequently escalate to an MSD. The first step to prevention is a proactive ergonomics process. Topper industrial utilizes a systematic way to identify ergonomic risk factors and put control methods in place to reduce or eliminate the risk. Workplace improvements ensure that job tasks fit within the capabilities and limitations of current and future team members.

Workplace ergonomics created in the Fork Truck Free space provides lower costs and boosts productivity. Topper Industrial brings twenty years of ergonomic solutions with the value proposition enhanced with injury prevention and wellness services.

These ergonomic solutions keep current employees engaged and on-the-job while simultaneously attracting new workers who appreciate that the employer has considered their health.

Topper Industrial solutions engages workers in the ergonomics process to heighten awareness, generate lean manufacturing process improvement solutions, and builds a positive safety culture.

Rather than complaining about the tight availability in the labor force, employers must ask employees to do work within their body’s capabilities and limitations. Failing to ask these questions is a failure of a company’s commitment to providing a safe place of work. Having an effective ergonomics improvement process ensures safety and happy workers regardless of gender, size, or strength.

 

About Topper Industrial

For more than twenty years, Topper Industrial, (www.topperindustrial.com) based just outside of Milwaukee, WI, has been a leader in the material handling equipment industry. The company’s product roster features industrial carts, conveyors, lifts, lifts & tilts, shipping racks, containers, casters, and cart components. From mother-daughter carts to quad steer carts to tilt carts and rotate carts, Topper’s material handling solutions make delivering material line side more effective through more efficient practices. Topper Industrial has a team of experienced professional experts able to assess and provide the right product for all material handling equipment requirements.

Topper Industrial is a proud member of MHI. Follow on Twitter @TopperInd or on LinkedIn.

Related articles