The guide to choosing your industrial truck | RAJA

In your warehouse, your operators have to handle loads on a daily basis. These may be heavy loads, for which they need assistance, or lighter loads, which require their hands if they don’t have the right equipment.

Either way, you certainly need industrial trucks to make their daily work easier!

This short guide will help you select the right forklift trucks for your logistics business, and give you some tips on how to use them effectively in your daily work.

Criteria for choosing your forklift truck

What criteria should you take into account when selecting your forklift trucks? To move loads safely, you need to consider both the type of goods you need to handle and the type of environment in which you do so.

So make sure you take into account..

• The maximum load capacity of the truck: this is the basic element to pay attention to, analysing the type of goods you want to move in the warehouse.
• The wheels of the truck: while rubber wheels are ideal for a flat and smooth floor, pneumatic wheels are necessary for handling on a damaged floor (for example, outside). Also, if your operators have to move products on stairs or pavements, they will need machines with star wheels.
• The materials the trolley is made of: aluminium is lighter and will not rust, so it can be used in wet environments; double steel will be heavier, but also stronger.
• The type of use you make of it: depending on whether you intend to use your trolleys intensively or less frequently, you will not need to choose the same material.
• The specific components of the trolley: when it includes trays, the trolley allows you to move several types of products at the same time. With integrated bins or baskets, it is ideal for picking. You can also select it with a folding backrest, or as a folding trolley, to save space in the warehouse when it is stored.

All the industrial trucks you need

Here you will find all the trolleys you need to make loading and unloading your goods easier on a daily basis.

Hand trucks

The hand truck is the ideal equipment for quickly transporting relatively small loads and moving them in areas with obstacles, such as stairs or uneven ground.

There are several types of hand trucks:

• The lightweight hand truck allows you to carry light loads without overtaxing your operators’ muscles.
• Hand trucks specifically designed forMusculoskeletal Disorders are ergonomically designed to reduce safety risks during handling, such as closed handles to help operators position their hands properly, star wheels to easily negotiate obstacles, and a sloping backrest to reduce the effort of carrying loads.
• Heavy duty or high load hand trucks should be chosen if you need to move products of particular size and weight.

To help you choose this key piece of equipment, pleaseconsult our guide to choosing a hand truck.

Rolls

Rolls are perfect for transporting loads that need to be secured at the sides to prevent them from falling off when moving.

There are several types:

The folding backrest trolley

If you need to quickly transport loads that do not need to be secured on the sides, the folding back trolley is perfect. It can be equipped with an anti-slip mat so that the loads can grip the platform and limit the risk of the goods falling.

Consult all trolleys with folding backrest

Rolling trays and corners

To move loads that are neither too heavy nor too bulky easily over short distances, you can opt for rolling trays or rolling corners.

Some are even specially designed to hold storage bins.

View all trays and corners on wheels

Trucks dedicated to order picking

During the picking phase in the warehouse, your operators need to have their hands free as much as possible to pick the products to be included in the orders. To do this, choose handling trolleys specifically designed for these tasks.

You can opt for..

The constant level trolley

This handling trolley is specifically designed to avoid RSI in the warehouse. Equipped with two trays, the first of which always remains at operator height whatever the weight of the loads it is carrying, it prevents the order picker from bending over unnecessarily.

It can support a load of up to 300 kg.

Discover the constant level truck

The gas bottle trolley

This trolley, with its backrest where the cylinders are perfectly supported and its bracket, will help your operators to move these cylinders in complete safety.

Tips on how to use your industrial trucks in the warehouse

Choosing the right forklift trucks is good; making sure your operators use them in the best conditions is better!

Once you have carefully selected your handling equipment, take the time to train your operators on how to use it, including the maximum load (you can label it with this load) and the best handling methods to avoid overexerting their bodies.

You should also make sure thatyour warehouse is organised in such a way that it is easy to handle.

This includes..

• Setting updedicated aisles for the use of handlingequipment
• Indicate the direction of traffic with dedicated signs

Thanks to this professional equipment and these good practices, you will be able to transport loads more easily, and therefore more productively, in the warehouse!