BY VICTORIA KICKHAM, EDITOR AT LARGE
DOCK EQUIPMENT
Material Handling
AS MANUFACTURING AND RETAIL ORGANIZATIONS SEEK TO STREAMLINE
operations, many business leaders are homing in on the loading dock as an area to improve
efficiency. After all, the smooth movement of materials throughout a facility begins and ends
with efficient loading and unloading, making the dock an ideal place to apply advancing
equipment and technology.
The next opportunities in dock efficiency include improving access to trailers, which can
eliminate bottlenecks in getting products in and out the door; implementing better safety
controls to improve the speed and reliability of dock safety systems; and automating processes throughout the warehouse to alleviate congestion on the loading dock. All of these steps
can add up to considerable savings at the point of material transfer. Here’s a look at each area.
ENSURE PROPER ACCESS
Walt Swietlik, director of customer relations and sales support for dock equipment maker
Rite Hite, says the first step in planning a more efficient dock is making sure you have
proper access to the trailers you’re loading and unloading—that is, ensuring that your dock
is designed for the safe, secure, and efficient transfer of products in and out of the trailers.
Although that might sound pretty basic, many operations fall short of that standard.
There can be many reasons for that. As one example, dock doors present a problem in
many buildings—especially older ones, where doors may be narrower and shorter than the
trailers that are backing into them.
“An overhead door that is too short or too narrow is an instant bottleneck to the proper
transfer of product,” Swietlik explains. “Along with the efficiency issues come product dam-
age issues and safety concerns.”
Building new doors that are taller and wider than the trucks and trailers being serviced
eliminates those bottlenecks, allowing for a smoother loading and unloading process. Dock
seals and shelters have also improved in recent years, making the installation of new, bet-
ter-fitting doors even more attractive, Swietlik adds. In the past, enclosures designed to allow
How to address dock
efficiency today
DCs are looking
for ways to
improve loading
dock access and
safety while
implementing new
technologies—
all in the name
of efficiency.
