Transports or transport equipment and vehicles are machines used to move materials from one place to another. These workplaces can be loading docks and storage areas that are within a single facility or at a certain site.
Most Common Transport Equipment
An industrial truck transports materials on a horizontal path and is also used to move materials from one point to the next. These paths must not have any restrictions (or unrestricted area) so that the industrial truck can freely deliver its cargo. It can also provide vertical movement if the industrial truck has lifting capabilities. When a conveyor can no longer handle a certain cargo, an industrial truck can easily take care of the task. Trucks are much more flexible compared to cranes or conveyors, but they are not licensed to travel along public roads in the UK. Only commercial trucks are licensed to go about public roads.
Cranes are generally used for the following purposes:
- Transporting loads horizontally or vertically within restricted or tight areas.
- When conveyor can no longer take care of any given tasks, it is time for cranes to take on the job. Cranes are also much more preferred than conveyors due to their flexibility. There are also some types of loads that cannot be handled by conveyors due to their shape or weight. When this happens, only cranes can do the task.
- Hoisting materials vertically.
Conveyors are used to regularly move materials between particular points. They are also used to move materials over fixed paths. Conveyor classifications are by:
- Type of products that the equipment can handle (such as unit or bulk loads)
- Location of the conveyor (in-floor, on-floor or overhead)
- Situation whether loads can or cannot accumulate on conveyors.
Examples of positioning equipment are:
- Dock levelers
- Balancers
- Rigid-link manipulator
- Vacuum manipulator
- Rotary index tables; etc.
When compared to manual operations, utilizing positioning equipment has the following benefits:
- Increased productivity for every worker especially when there are frequent transport and heavy material-handling jobs
- Improved product quality and limited material damages
- Fewer damages on equipment
- Better handling of heavier loads
- Fewer human errors
- Reduced injuries and fatigue among workers especially when the work environment is inaccessible or hazardous.
A freight company is the one that transports cargoes between the shipper and the carrier and they are also the ones who handle these types of transport equipment.