#inefficiency #rightequipmentfortherightjob #forklift #efficiency #betterutilisation

How inefficient are we???

Witnessed a team of 3 people unloading 6 paper reels of 38" Diameter weighing around 800 Kilos, this is how they started

1) Took out the reels from the Storage Godown using wooden planks and chocks to roll the Paper reels out of the Godown, as they were stacked on top of each other some of them fell heavily on the floor, if an accident would happen doing this, consider the cost of medical, insurance, police etc., damage to the roll resulting in wastage unaccounted for

2) Rolled them on the floor using the old and crude Lever and push method till the waiting vehicle(Damages to the rolls not accounted for)

3) Vehicle hired was so small that it could take only 2 reels at a time, so loaded 2 rolls at a time 3 times

4) Vehicle made 3 trips back and forth from Godown to the factory

5) How they handled it at the factory remains a mystery, if the same method was used at the Godown add more hours

Total time taken for a the operation 6 Working hours of 3 people and 3 tempo trips, how inefficient can we be. i.e. 6 x 3= 18 Man hours + Tempo Charges, so a math of 3 hours per roll !!!!!!!!!!

We need to be more efficient by employing the right tools (equipment + people) to get the job done

If a Forklift with a Paper Roll clamp was employed it would have done this job in less than an hour, with minimal damage to the Paper rolls, Injuries to people performing the operation and would have saved a lot of time and money

Material Handling Industry in India-Issues faced by many companies

Issues faced by many companies while using Forklifts in their Material handling operations

1) Trained operators

2) Good maintenance schedule

3) Good mechanics to Service and repair their forklifts as part of Preventive Maintenance and Break down repairs

4) Availability of parts (quickly and efficiently)

5) A good dealer who can guide them for purchasing their 1st equipment to keeping it in running condition for years to come

6) Safety training's (to operate the equipment safely)

www.halaheavy.com

Customer education,

All forklifts almost 90% across the World are built as plants, the Engine sourced from a reputed manufacturer, the hydraulics from another, transmission from another and everything is put together on a chassis. Mostly all are reasonably built to perform, however some who have relied on some system and it fails that's where the whole unit fails, so sourcing the right components is the key to a successful forklift performance.

The only part produced by a Forklift manufacturer in most cases is the Chassis the, Canopy and in rare cases the Counterweight, also every big manufacturer is sourcing parts from China to complete their units

It is extremely important for a Customer to make a choice

1) Based on the work he is going to carry out with the unit (light, medium, heavy work)

2) Consider price and performance based on the work to be carried out.(if you are going to place a couple of boxes per day on to a truck, definitely think before spending extra cash for the forklift)

3) Have a good maintenance schedule for it, if maintained properly will last you a lifetime and also it does not depreciate like a Luxury car.

4) Choose a unit to suit your needs carefully, many a time have heard that people for e.g. ask for units to pick up loads of 2 tons at 6 meter lifting height and usually they are suggested units which fail to do the job, so please consult an expert before you make the right choice and always consider price to make it a winning combination.

5) There are forklifts available which are high end expensive with all the electronic gizmos fitted on them(one small fault and your days work goes down the drain, if technician available immediately then fine otherwise wait at least a week to get it back in action),but consider the environment in your Country, whether brand chosen has performed in that country

So open the hood and look inside to see what is the winning combination offered and the pedigree of the company to make the right choice of equipment for your company

www.halaheavy.com

Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want

Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want, was one of the sayings I saw on one of friends computer a very long time ago.

It is this experience that one wants to share to make life a little better to whom it is shared with however there some people who listen and learn and there are some who are so much involved in their opinions and experiences that they are simply oblivious to the fact that the person sitting across and sharing his experience is doing so for his benefit. So sometimes listening helps a lot than talking. Have a blank mind to listen, if it is clouded by preconceived notions and ideas, you will not listen well.

www.halaheavy.com

It is a chicken and egg story for the Indian Material handling Industry as it sees a rise in demand for mechanized material handling (using forklifts in their material handling processes)as labor problems mar the day to operations in factories, warehouses etc.

Labor is available apparently cheap but not effective in taking care of the industries needs up to the level of its requirements. Health and safety norms for manual material handling are being increasingly enforced for factories and manufacturing unit making it difficult to get the work done as required.

One gentleman I came across is able to only run his plant at 50% efficiency due to labor problems as all material handling is done by laborers. Yet he is reluctant to introduce mechanized material handling to his production process which will enhance his productivity to 100%.

One gentleman has a major labor issue at his concrete block manufacturing unit, he runs his unit despite of heavy investments at 50% efficiency only as the labor at a time are only able to handle one part of his production process at a time, he clearly sees the advantage of increasing his production, but yet he has not yet made a decision on purchase of mechanized material handling equipment since last 3 months. If he would have made the decision by now he would have increased capacity to meet his customers demands and earned good profits.

It is missing the basic elements of Planning, Design, Execution for achieving the desired efficiency yet decision making or necessary investments are not being made fast enough to rise to the Challenge.

www.halaheavy.com