Thursday, February 18, 2016

Pallet Stacking Risks Reduced for Freight and Supply Chain Staff

New Device Cuts Dangers and Increases Efficiency
Shipping News Feature
US – With the influential Modex exhibition, which concentrates upon innovations in the supply chain, looming up in April one company which believes it has found a logical solution to the problems associated with stacking pallets is using the show to demonstrate its wares. Automation Plus, a Division of CSF Incorporated, like staff at so many freight warehouses, is well aware of the dangers of back strain, particularly when trying to handle heavy wooden pallets, although their product is equally efficient at stacking plastic units.

Although the product is fairly niche, in that it performs upon pallet flow rails that are designed in pick modules made of pallet racking, the advantages are obvious, as can be seen by this company video. In an age where companies must ensure their staff do not run any foreseeable risk of injury the device takes much of the physical strain from a job which requires a human hand in areas inaccessible to a fork truck.

A single pallet can weight anywhere from 30-70 pounds. The PRDTM incorporates a shock absorbing device that provides a smooth transition from the load position to the unload position. In use, the operator loads the carriage. When the carriage is full, the operator simply releases the load, and lets the shock absorbing device safely guide the stack to a vertical (unload) position. Once positioned, the pallets are rolled forward to a raised outbound location which releases the pallets from the carriage in a perfect stack. The operator then slides the carriage back, tilts it to the load position, and it’s ready to receive more empty pallets.

With the danger from a falling pallet as well as the obvious risk of strain the device merits consideration from any warehouse management employing a pallet flow racking system. The pallet return device can be seen at Booth 4863 at the Modex Exhibition which runs 4 – 7 April 2016.