Modern Materials Handling - December 2011

modern Equipment 101: Overhead handlingA primer for warehouse/DC managersOverhead handlingequipment basicsOverhead handling equipment likecranes, hoists and monorails can increaseproductivity, enhance safety, improveergonomics and maximize floor space.By Lorie King Rogers, Associate EditorUp, up and safely on its way. Sometimes the bestway to transport product through a warehouse ormanufacturing facility is to lift it up then move italong. Handling materials overhead can increaseproductivity, enhance safety, improve ergonomicsand maximize available floor space.There are many types of overhead materialshandling equipment, but they all share thesame goal of safely lifting product and moving itefficiently and ergonomically from one point toanother without damage to the product or thefacility—or injury to the worker.The right equipment for the job depends on theprocess, the product being moved, the task beingperformed and the desired rate of throughput.“There is a range of solutions in overhead handling,”says Jeff McNeil, marketing manager atGorbel. Different configurations and technologymean there are a lot of choices in overhead handlingequipment, he says, and an operation’s finalequipment selections are usually based on performanceand cost.Overhead handling solutions can range fromsimple, manual hoists to fully automated systemswith movements directed by software. Regardlessof the complexity, the equipment, especially theequipment in the middle where people are workingtogether with technology, should shoulder thebulk of the work. This equipment report looks atthe primary overhead handling equipment: cranes,hoists and monorails.CRANESToday’s overhead cranes enable the movement ofproduct above the floor, especially when handlingmaterials manually or by lift truck isn’t practical,productive or safe. Instead of being limited toavailable aisle space and moving materials by a lifttruck or other floor traveling systems, overheadcranes allow you to cover a broad area of the manufacturingplant and move products through themanufacturing or storage process using all of thefree space overhead, explains John Paxton, presidentof Demag Cranes & Components.30 D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 / Modern Materials Handling mmh.com