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The conventional thought process around the loading dock area has seen a conceptual shift in thinking over the past several years. Many of our clients have changed over from mechanical levelers to hydraulic, either via equipment replacement or a hydraulic conversion. With a hydraulic conversion we take the springs, levers, brakes, and chains out and replace them with hydraulic components. Why?

In discussing this with clients, there were many reasons, but three of them were shared by all.

1. Safer for your employees
   • Pushing a button versus pulling a chain, or multiple chains with below dock service
   • Easy to use with consistent operation
   • Eliminate walking down the leveler to avoid putting employees at risk
2. Better seal
   • As the leveler is now dead weight, not spring-loaded, it rests securely with no bounce when walked over, resulting in a positive seal
   • Improved employee comfort with weather seal properly applied & installed, the wind gusts are eliminated
3. ​Less down time
   • Hydraulics are more dependable than springs, levers, brakes, and chains
   • Avoids employee frustration with tools that do not work properly 

We know retaining and attracting employees is a challenge, so attention to both big and small issues is important. Providing employees with safe, reliable tools which allow them to work safely and confidently is what they’re looking from you as their employer. Not sure where to start? Request a facility needs assessment.

In 2020, priority leads. Priority-based on true data can greatly increase effectiveness while backing decisions with information that implies accuracy in response. Expected response time for a minimum acknowledgment of an existing issue and plan implementation is 14 hours! Planning for all potential occurrences means minimizing response time on implementation and acknowledgment. Commonly, proactive maintenance procedures will leave you ahead if detailed reporting is provided.

• Time is money. Out of service equipment can cost more than the time and money it would take to prioritize and lead in facilities maintenance. Expect in advance the unexpected. Knowing how you will handle the inevitable reduces reactivity time and awareness prepares for potential lack of workforce, budget, software, vendor connections and more.
• Opportunity cost is defined here as differential between a paid labor cost if you were to take that employee out of the workforce for a given amount of time to handle a task that may not entirely be income-producing to tend to a task that could be handled by an expert in the given industry reducing time on a maintenance task.
• Upkeep of standardizing administration. Maintaining procedures and practices fit for your industry to achieve maximum effectiveness and efficiency allocated to employees, operations, facility and business resources.

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In facilities management, your position widely affects every position within your company. Proper handling including, but not limited to, numbers weighted by analytics, materials, goods, services, machinery, technology and laborers. You are a full-circle position from maintaining, planning, implementation, production, and future foresight. You predict the unpredictable. You remain profitable, and competitive with an edge on strategy. Management of operations dates to 5000 BC, it’s no wonder we have come so far and expect so much today. We encourage you to take a deep breath and plan for 2020 to stay ahead in facilities.

I recently worked with a client that had a need for vehicle restraints. The company is very safety conscious and noticed they were having some issues with trailers creeping away from their loading docks even though they had been chocked. During our conversation we discovered that the company was handling loads with various trailer types; refers, a straight truck with lift-gates, and standard trailers. They, of course, had been looking at a few different dock equipment companies to provide solutions for their facility and had been given the basic information on standard hook restraints. The question is, will these work.

When your facility is looking into vehicle restraints, there are some basic rules of thumb that should be taken into account.

1.) What is your company’s protocol for securing trailers at the loading dock?

2.) What types of trailers does your facility receive at the loading dock?

3.) What policy will you have in place regarding communication between your dock and the driver?

In the case above, no one took into account that the same dock will receive both standard trailers and lift gates. While the external hook restraints will work for the standard trailers and refers, the problem came in with the lift gates. The gates are lowered before the truck backs into the dock. This renders the restraint useless and they could be damaged by the gate being in the lowered position and backing into them.

The solution. A pit hook restraint. These mount under the dock and are fully retracted when not in use. This allows for the hook to engage the rig bars on your standard trailers and refers and communicates with the drivers that their vehicles are secured. Now, how do you secure your lift gate trucks? What is your protocol for communicating with the dock and drivers as to who is secured and who isn’t?

We looked at the situation, spoke with the facilities coordinator and came up with a complete two-part solution for their individual need.

In most cases, loading docks will be able to use one type of vehicle restraint or another. The question is, are you asking the right questions when dealing with a dock equipment company? How do you know the equipment will work for your situation and be cost-effective?

I hope this information is helpful if you are looking into vehicle restraints. If you would like more information on what questions you should ask or for information on the different types of solutions that are available, please feel free to contact us directly.

When is the ideal time for your critical equipment to break? I would guess your answer would be never. Since we all live in reality we know every piece of equipment could break at any given time. No matter how good the manufacturing process, no matter how good your maintenance program is, sometimes parts just break. If you have ever had to make an urgent call, all the while hoping that you can get a technician out to take a look at it and then hoping beyond hope that the service technician has the parts on his truck to fix the problem, you understand the stress.

Over the past several years I have seen a subtle change that moves the chances of a quick repair from a 50/50 gamble to almost a certainty. This strategy is not “a weird little trick” it is a sound business decision. More and more companies are stocking parts for their critical equipment. Having parts on hand eliminates one of the most common factors, out of stock parts. Just call in your service company or have your qualified maintenance mechanic make the repair. As the saying goes “Control what you can control.”

Just this morning I got a call from one of our rural clients, a 3PL that runs at full capacity. Their docks and doors are critical. Over the weekend they had a door spring break. They had a replacement spring on the shelf and were able to replace the broken spring and get the door working. Now, I don’t recommend just anyone climb a ladder and start replacing door springs as winding springs can be a dangerous endeavor. They have qualified mechanics on staff and of course, had the parts they needed. After their call, I ordered a replacement spring and in a couple of days, they will have their new door spring on the shelf.
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We also have several clients that keep parts for their loading docks on hand. Some clients do their own work and some call on us to provide service. Control what you can. If you need help in determining which parts you should stock we can help.

Finally, summer is upon us. The snow is gone, the days are warmer and your warehouse doors seem to stay open day and night to allow the breeze to pass through.

As temperatures outside heat up so do temperatures inside. Things can start to get downright hot in the warehouse. A deceivingly gentle breeze across a hot asphalt parking lot can actually raise the ambient temperature in your warehouse by several degrees. Couple this with a busy work environment and you could have a formula for heat exhaustion or heat stroke of employees. This can and has happened in warehouses across the United States.

How can you keep your cool?
One easy and cost-effective way is to invest in HVLS fans. These are designed to circulate large volumes of air at very low speeds. By keeping the air moving throughout your warehouse it keeps the ambient temperature down while allowing the doors to be open and the breeze in. They also help to keep humidity down and cut down on dependency on your HVAC system.

But, this leads to another dilemma… Pests and Birds…
You have your HVLS system moving air, the doors are open, everyone is in a little better mood, until… The bird and bugs make their way in. How much production is lost swatting bugs or chasing birds out of the warehouse? This could be a popular discussion topic on its own here in Minnesota. Do you have swarms of flying insects being “Drawn to the lights” just to die off and fall on your inventory?

To prevent pests from getting in while allowing the doors to be open and the breeze to flow simply invest in affordable dock screen-style doors. No more swatting mosquitoes or chasing birds around. Just a nice, comfortable warehouse and productive employees.
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Don’t let summer go by without enjoying what it has to offer.
Consult with professionals now who can help evaluate your situation and provide proper solutions.