At your service: Ensure your wrapper is in the right place
Interior designers use a theory called the ‘Working Triangle’ when designing kitchens, with three main zones (cooking, cleaning, and storage) placed just a few steps from one another to allow maximum efficiency for the home cook.
Similarly, but on a larger scale, a distribution centre must be arranged in a way that maximises flow of movement between work zones, with the placement of the pallet wrapper essential to avoiding interruptions.
To make sure your DC is cooking with gas, here are a few tips for locating your wrapper, and some pointers about the pitfalls of poor positioning.
1. Consider that the location of your pallet wrapper could spell a recipe for disaster.
To avoid burning your shining Health & Safety record, position your pallet wrapper in an area that doesn’t see a lot of worker or forklift movement. The machine can be a trip hazard for workers moving through the DC or get bumped by forklifts if located within turning radiuses or aisles. This has the repercussions of slowing down workflow and may also cause fatigue and injury for workers.
2. Begin with a fully baked plan.
Before you get your pallet wrapper positioned, make sure you have done the proper prep. This means knowing the movement of people and forklifts through the DC, how far they need to travel to get to your pallet wrapper, and where they need to move next to for transportation of goods. You may find small unnecessary movements and pauses in this journey will accumulate to large costs.
3. Use the right tool for the job.
Like that churro maker you swore would get plenty of use in the kitchen, your pallet wrapper may also sit unused if you don’t make it easy enough to work with. DC managers find that if they don’t allow enough space for forklifts to access and jack loads onto the wrapper, team members can avoid using the machine and opt to wrap by hand – which further reduces safety and efficiency.
4. Be sure to trim the fat.
On top of saving time, optimal placement of a wrapper may save you money on fuel. As an example, if your forklift travels five metres further than it needs to get to the wrapping unit, and is making 50 – 100 trips a day, then additional annual fuel costs could approximately be $60.00 to $120.00. It may not seem like a lot at first glance. However, over a 10-year timeframe, it all adds up.
While you can do your own research around this it’s always best to have an expert site audit will be quicker and more efficient. They will be able to come through and assess your layout and establish the best positioning for machinery and make suggestions about any other changes that may help efficiency. They will also be able to help you correctly place safety fencing and light curtains to ensure that these safety elements are doing their job without interrupting workflow.
To get everything firing at full capacity, get in touch with our consultation team. We’ll be able to carry out a site optimisation plan to ensure all is mise en place.
