Ahhh summertime! After a winter like the one just past, a warm and balmy summer is starting to sound pretty good. But as most of us know, the mild climates of spring will soon give way to the scorching heat we know in Texas. That summer heat can wreak havoc on your material handling operations if you don't take the proper steps to contain and manage the high temperatures. Taking steps now to manage the upcoming summer heat can save you money and time.
Luckily, there are numerous ways you can help protect your valuable assets - employees, equipment, product and infrastructure - through the brutal summer. At Southwest Materials Handling Company, let our professionals help you implement new and proven technologies designed to save you money - and sweat - through our long summer months.
Oppressive heat like the kind Texas brews up can have a negative effect on many aspects of material handling and distribution center warehouse operations. Regardless of your application, ways to work with and through the heat without breaking the bank and causing a meltdown are available. Let's take a look at some of the ways high temperatures can cause problems in your operation.
People
Most people - especially those born and raised in our brutal summer heat - can stand up to a certain amount of heat during their day. But at some point, everyone becomes vulnerable to high temperatures. If your material handling or distribution center warehouse is too hot, you risk damaging your most valuable asset: Your employees. And in most warehouse situations, there may be other people there, as well, including delivery personnel, truck drivers, customers and visitors.
Even in the mildest of cases involving too much exposure to heat, you're looking at reduced productivity and efficiency. Heat saps energy. It's difficult to stay hydrated when the body is sweating profusely. Those who work outside during Texas summers must take frequent breaks and consume lots of water to stay healthy. You certainly don't want your inside warehouse workers to labor under those conditions. The material handling industry is already looking at ways to find and keep workers - helping your workers stay healthy through hot temperatures shows them you care and are invested in them.
Nowadays, there are also a variety of federal and local organizations that monitor the air quality in your warehouse and mandate certain standards.
Equipment
Brutal conditions on either side - hot or cold - can negatively affect your equipment. You've probably invested money - and time - in building up a material handling fleet designed to maximize your operations and increase productivity. Much of today's material handling equipment relies on electronics to keep functioning. As you might have guessed, electronics that are exposed to temperature extremes (like scorching heat) don't function as well - if at all.
Batteries are another area where you could potentially lose money in extreme heat-related operations. With much of material handling equipment running on some form of battery power, taking steps to protect that investment just makes sense. Battery capacity and battery life are both hugely and negatively impacted by high-heat operations.
You may be looking at increased repair costs and downtime and a decreased life span if your forklifts and other material handling equipment are exposed to hotter-than-normal temperatures.
Product
Material handling warehouses and distribution centers are generally designed to hold and process an enormous number of products that we use and consume in everyday life. In many instances, product is boxed and hidden from view. In other applications, product may be lumber or carpet or paper - easily viewed. Generally, however, whatever the product - it can be negatively affected by high temperatures.
If the product is hidden from view until a box is opened by a consumer, warehouse owners run the risk of having unhappy and dissatisfied customers - and returns. High heat can cause warping and disintegration of components in electronic products. Extreme temperatures don't typically benefit any product that moves in and out of a warehouse or distribution center operation.
In the end, not protecting the product as it transits through your material handling facility is going to cost you.
Infrastructure
Whether you lease or own, taking care of the infrastructure - the foundation of your material handling or distribution center warehouse - is important. You are aware that buildings and their systems depreciate with time, but not taking care of those assets can hasten their demise - and end up costing you more money.
High temperatures can have a variety of effects on your building, including causing paint to crack, wood to dry out, roof warping and foundation problems. The systems inside the building, such as HVAC, are also affected by excessive heat. If you are depending on your HVAC system alone to keep your warehouse cool, you may be asking too much. Air conditioning that has to run constantly to keep up tends to overheat - costing you more in repair bills. Many warehouses are not air-conditioned, so the heat outside beating down on the roof causes temps inside to increase.
Five Tips To Cool Your Warehouse - And Your Budget!
- Industrial fans: One of the least expensive and most effective ways to cool your warehouse is by installing industrial fans. At Southwest Materials Handling Company, we've partnered with MacroAir to offer their unique high-volume, low-speed (HVLS) ceiling fans, designed to bring your indoor air quality up to required standards, as well as provide unmatched air circulation.
- Dock seals: As in any structure, doors and openings are where good air escapes and bad air - and insects - enters. At Southwest Materials Handling Company, we carry a full line of dock products, including dock seals to insure the Texas heat - and pests - stay outside where they belong. With the proper dock seal, you won't see gaps when trucks back up to your doors to load and unload.
- Dock shelters: As with dock seals, dock shelters are designed to prevent the exchange of air into and out of the warehouse when trucks load and unload. Dock shelters generally last longer than dock seals since they enfold the truck and aren't compressed.
- Air curtains: Sometimes doors into and out of warehouses are open most of the time during normal working hours. Installing air curtains is a low-cost solution for helping keep the air quality from deteriorating during a shift.
- Floor fans: When a material handling warehouse is properly cooled, floor fans can be an added bonus to certain high-labor areas. Floor fans can be used in conjunction with industrial HVLS fans to promote optimum conditions in your facility.
You don't have to break the bank to get your material handling or distribution center warehouse ready for summer. At Southwest Materials Handling Company, we've got solutions to help you create a safe and comfortable environment for your employees, equipment, product and infrastructure. When you take steps to create favorable conditions in your operations, it lets employees - and others - know that you care. Contact us today to find out more.