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Oftentimes the overall lifetime equipment cost isn’t considered at the time of purchase. It’s common to see that within an industrial facility, equipment is accepted with only “inferior” components rather than “optimal” at the time of purchase and installation. Unfortunately, “inferior” components result in more service calls and downtime. With today’s supply chain challenges this issue is magnified, not only through inflation, but through limited supply of components and parts.

Let’s take the sectional door for example (it’s the most common dock door in the Midwest). Facilities oftentimes install 2” rollers and track because they are less expensive upfront than 3” rollers and track. However, the 3” roller can never “pop out of the track” unlike a 2” roller. So even though the initial cost for the 3” roller/track may be more, it ultimately costs less with reduced downtime, safety risk, service calls, parts failure, and operating/ownership costs.

When it comes to docks, we’re seeing a shift towards converting mechanical dock levelers to hydraulic operated dock levelers for a handful of reasons:

1. Right now some manufacturers are out close to a full calendar year for mechanical leveler replacement. While lead times for the hydraulic components needed to make the conversions are only days.
2. Hydraulic operated dock levelers contain fewer components and parts with an extremely low failure rate compared to springs, brakes, pawls, and chains found on a mechanical leveler.
3. Increased safety for dock operators.

There are certainly many more examples to share like the two above. Bottom line? Make sure your equipment contains optimal components and is suited to your facilities and employee’s needs. Then supply change challenges will no longer be a consideration.

​Click here to learn more about hydraulic operated dock levelers.

Traditional wisdom may need to be put aside for now and for the near future. Utilizing lean or just-in-time best practices may flop when it comes to managing inventory on parts to keep your facility running. Ideally, you would rely on your supplier partner to stock and maintain adequate inventory to keep your docks & doors operational in the event parts fail. Ask yourself, have you had that conversation with them? Are they able to stock enough parts or source them quickly enough to keep your downtime to a minimum and prevent disruptions in your facility?

Suggestions:

• Stock a few key parts - especially if they are known to be “high-failure.” Understanding what to stock and proper quantities is critical to prevent ownership of obsolete items.
• Partner with an experienced dock & door service company – lean on their expertise to help you with these choices. Often times, parts can be returned as your supplier partner may have other clients who could utilize your “no longer needed” parts.

Combining this strategy with our other four suggested strategies may be part of the solution you and your facility need to thrive.