How Warehouse Trolleys Make Product Transport Easier
Date Posted:15 December 2014
Working in a large warehouse is never easy, but lots of equipment made the job less taxing. Surprisingly, the most helpful is one of the longest serving – warehouse trolleys.
Warehouse workers have been lugging and lifting heavy boxes, but transporting them from their warehouse location to loading bays (and even ship quays) has for centuries required trolleys. A variety of warehouse trolleys has increased over the years.
At MHA Products, a key component in our product range is the trolley. We provide them in varied sizes and designs to meet specific needs of large warehouse and industrial storage facilities. But why have warehouse trolleys lasted the test of time? And what are the different kinds of trolleys available?
Benefits of Warehouse Trolleys
Trolleys are the most practical solution to the problem of transporting heavy items. But there are several other benefits to using warehouse trolleys, including:
1. Achieving Greater Efficiency
The faster you can locate, load and transport items the more efficient your service is. Efficiency is essential to prevent a logjam at loading bays, which would delay distribution significantly. In large warehouses, trolleys make it easier to transport more boxes at a time:
- Reducing journeys over distances
- Shortening overall loading time
2. Reduce Operational Costs
With items moved with greater efficiency, a warehouse’s overall operational cost is reduced. This is related to time taken to complete orders: with more completed per man-hour, the higher the revenue per man-hour. Since trolleys play a key role in achieving that efficiency; they also have a definite influence over operational costs.
3. Prevent Workplace Injuries
Warehouse trolleys’ contribution to safer working environment is perhaps their biggest benefit. According to the latest available figures from Safe Work Australia and research carried out by lifeinsurancefinder.com.au:
- 20.8 workplace injuries per 1,000 workers were reported in 2011-2012
- This led to 8,450 serious injury compensation claims
Trolleys are an ideal way to reduce muscle stress, the biggest form of injury (42.4%) caused by lifting and moving objects.
Popular Types of Warehouse Trolleys
1. Hand Trolleys
Two-wheelers with a small base and a strongly-made back are the simplest and most common from the entire range of trolleys available. Several boxes are stacked on the forked or solid base, with the trolley tilted and pushed. Its use is limited to relatively light loads transported in short distances. Modern versions are the Ruxxac Folding trolley, which can:
- Be folded flat
- Carry as much as 250kgs
2. Platform Trolleys
Arguably, the most conventional warehouse trolley of all. A flat platform is mounted on a four-wheel chassis and features either a handle at one end or at both ends. With a weight capacity between 250kgs and 500kgs, the platform can be:
- Large or small
- Caged or open
Heavy duty platform trolleys are made of steel, with lightweight trolleys made usually of aluminium. The availability of powered platforms eases workers’ exertion levels even further.
3. Cage Trolleys
These are simply platform trolleys with meshed walls preventing items from falling off during transport. It therefore offers workers greater safety. In terms of use, the cages can be:
- Large and multiple-purpose
- Departmentalised through either inner rails or shelving
Heavy duty cage warehouse trolleys are:
- Made of steel with sturdier wheels and chassis
- Safer to transfer heavier items
4. Wagon Trolleys
Probably the best option for transporting heavy items, because its single-bar handle extends from one end - just like a wagon. Pneumatic wheels help provide greater mobility outdoors and indoors, even with heavy objects on board. Rubbermaid wagon trucks have load capacities of more than 900kgs.
5. Shelf Trolleys
As their name suggest, this type of warehouse trolley features shelving, allowing you to carry more than one size boxed items. The shelves usually slope back with bars on three sides to prevent items from falling off during transport. The open side makes stacking the shelves a bit easier. Typically, it has a load capacity of 500kgs.
Warehouse Trolleys from MHA Products
For almost 30 years, we at MHA Products have provided quality storage and materials handling products for large warehouses and industrial storage facilities across Australia. Through our extensive range of warehouse trolleys (and more), we have helped manual handling efforts reduced and productivity levels increase.
While we do stock a wide range of products from trusted brand names, we also manufacture customised items that suit unique and specific requirements. For more on what MHA Products can do for you, contact us via email at sales@mhaproducts.com.au or call us on 02-8865-1800 (NSW); 03-9982-4570 (Vic); or 07-3181-5630 (QLD).
