Order picking trolleys are the workhorses of order fulfilment in a warehouse setting. Widely used to help collect stock items from the shelves, they often consist of nothing more than a metal or plastic frame with inbuilt shelves or crates. Some models feature fold down step ladders, self-adjusting containers, or tiltable crates. What makes them so invaluable to people involved in materials handling, though?
1)They save time: Order picking trolleys are designed with ease of movement in mind. They roll seamlessly across warehouse aisles between pallet bays and shelving units. As they are wheeled along, they can carry large loads and reduce the number of trips workers would take on their picking rounds.
2) They save physical effort: All warehouses need manual order picking to fulfil their orders. Even highly automated warehouses need a human being to physically find and bring the product to the conveyor belt. But warehouses are vast, and stock control can be mind-bogglingly complex, so employee fatigue is a genuine risk over a long shift. Order picking trolleys help ease the physical burden of goods movements and heavy lifting and simplify the worker's tasks by allowing them to streamline the seek-find-unload cycle.
3) They streamline order fulfilment: Order picking trolleys allow operatives to process multiple picks on a single journey, allowing efficient route planning between storage areas and speeding up the order fulfilment process for everyone involved.
4) They save space: Order picking trolleys are easy to manoeuvre by a single person. They can be operated by hand and can also occasionally be pushed along by foot, much like an upright truck or a platform trolley. In fact, they combine the best parts of the two styles of trolley: they are compact but can withstand substantial loads.
5) They cut down on errors: Because order picking trolleys reduce the number of journeys that a worker makes between storage and packing areas, they minimise the risk of duplicate shipments and mix-ups.
6) They're growth friendly: Scalability is the catch phrase of the decade, and these trolleys will readily help you reach that goal. With picking trolleys, orders are picked and moved quickly and efficiently. Fewer pickers are needed, so workers can be deployed in more fruitful ways for the benefit and the growth of the company.
7) They integrate easily with your current systems and equipment: Every company has a picking system. Because these are heavy-duty, sturdy trolleys, they blend in well with every warehouse system and picking process. The design of the order picking trolley is so simple that it can adapt to suit the changing needs of any company; for instance, by being fitted with different sized boxes for sorting and assembly. With minimal effort, you can add a step ladder, inserts, screens, and side panels to each trolley to increase its versatility and range of applications.
Next Steps
With a range of high quality new and refurbished warehouse trolleys available for sale or rental at Steps and Stillages, you're bound to find the right model for your company. Please get in touch to find out more.
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