Lifting heavy items in a shop or warehouse is backbreaking and often unsafe work. It's also easily dealt with, provided you have the right equipment. When it comes to unloading, carrying bulky goods, and loading them on for storage, there's nothing like a hand truck to take that load off your hands. But are hand trucks worth the price tag compared with other transport solutions? In many cases, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’, and here are the main reasons why:
1) Safety
A worker’s ability to carry out their work is dependent on the safety and security of their equipment. Heavy lifting and goods movement is unavoidable in a warehouse or an industrial setting, but every step should be taken to minimise the risk of employees developing muscle sprains and tears or other injuries. Handcarts are a fast and safe means of transporting heavy loads that avoids the risks of heavy lifting and require no specialist training.
2) Productivity
No matter how much a warehouse operation is automated, you can't take the human aspect out of the business. And unfortunately for your KPIs, humans need to rest. A hand truck wins you back that precious time that workers would spend recovering from lifting heavy loads. Also, a hand truck can carry far more items than an unaided operative and it needs fewer trips from the loading bay to the shelf to complete a consignment. In short, a hand truck does more for less. It's the epitome of efficiency.
3) Affordability
You probably don't need Amazon's warehouse bots to keep things running smoothly, but you certainly need good value for money. The best thing about hand trucks is that they hardly ever need maintenance, repairs, or replacement, and they have an excellent service life. Also, the up-front purchase price is generally affordable and only a fraction of what the latest automated systems would cost. So, buying good quality hand trucks keeps your overheads and operating expenses to a minimum.
4) Flexibility
Popular as it may be, the iconic orange upright hand truck doesn't do current product lines justice. Newer hand truck models come in many shapes and sizes, and many of them can be repurposed at a moment's notice. Gone are the days when a clunky metal dolly with handles squeaked its way from loading bay to shelf all day. Hand trucks can now be fitted with cranks, levers, buttons, and nose plates that make the job safer, faster, and quieter. With the right specifications and accessories, a hand truck can quietly and effortlessly climb stairs, lift the load to its shelf, lower itself to squeeze into a tight space, and fold in on itself to save room when not in use. Today's hand trucks do so much more than carry their loads upright from A to B.
5) Hygienic
In this day and age, good hygiene is key to the smooth running of a business. A hand truck fits in well with this new reality because it is cleverly designed for minimal contact. It features a narrow frame with limited surface area, it only requires handling by one person, and it comes with wipe-clean handles. With basic accessories or features like the familiar toe plate, it can be manoeuvred over lumps and bumps or even stairs by the carrier, with no additional help.
Next steps
At Steps and Stillages, we have just the hand truck for you. Whether it's new, used, reconditioned, or a rental, your hand truck will do all the heavy lifting for you, so you can put your energy and focus to better use. Please get in touch to find out more.
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