8 Ways to Improve Warehouse Productivity, Minimize Downtime, and Keep Workers Safe

In our industry, time and money are precious commodities. We need all the time we can get, just like we need to save as much as possible (without sacrificing safety!).

Here are eight ways to save money (and time!) in your warehouse.

1. Get your forklifts serviced according to their recommended service intervals. Regular service keeps the forklift running smoothly, saving fuel and major repairs.
2. Do your daily checks: oil, water, tires, seat belts, mirrors, and rating plate. It only takes a few minutes. Don't forget the emergency disconnect for the electrics, too!
3. Raise those forks. If your operators drag forks on the ground, you're wearing those forks down AND burning up fuel. Totally avoidable if you raise the forks up, even a little.
4. Call in problems right when you see them. Please don't leave it for the next shift, or you could have an expensive and dangerous failure during that shift. Ensure everyone knows—if you see a problem, report it now.
5. Keep an eye on hydraulic hoses for wear. Look for splitting, cracks, or weeping. If you see any of these, replace the hoses. This will save you the cost of equipment failure later.
6. Forklifts are giant vacuum cleaners. Once a week, use compressed air to clear the truck out—especially the radiator. You don't want dust or debris to block your radiator—or you've got an overheated, out-of-commission forklift.
7. Make sure all your forklift operators are properly trained. OSHA requires it. What if they need to learn how to follow the Stability Triangle? Do they know each forklift's capacity? If not, you can quickly have overloading issues, damaged racks or products, or injuries.
8. Check your tire wear. If a forklift operates in the same direction all the time, turning the same corners repeatedly, it will cause premature tire wear on one side. Everything in a forklift (including the operator) rides on those tires. Get the maximum use out of them by rotating forklifts throughout the warehouse. Twice a month is good, once a week is better.

You might have some of these already on the weekly schedule. If so, good! You're in a good spot.

If not, it takes a little to add them. You can save quite a bit of money and time while improving safety along the way.

Need assistance with your warehouse or forklift fleet service? Contact FMH! We’re here to help!