What does lifting equipment have to do with work processes? Smart lifting tools can do more than just make physical work easier. The article looks at the opportunities for using industrial lifting equipment to make for more efficient processes. Enjoy reading!
A lifter is a device from the field of handling technology that helps to lift, move and position heavy loads in a wide variety of applications in manufacturing, logistics and the trades. Lifters support manual lifting work in a variety of contexts. Transporting material in production, handling boxes in the office or library, as well as handling shipments in logistics can all be significantly simplified and improved with the aid of lifting equipment. Hovmand has a proven track record as a manufacturer of mobile lifting equipment – which not only make physical work more ergonomic, but also work processes more efficient.
Our mobile lifters are essentially constructed of the following elements:
Mobile lifting equipment can be configured specifically using various elements from a modular system. This means that a standard lifter such as our IMPACT and COMPACT models can serve a wide range of purposes. Their tools can simply be changed out. The lifting equipment can be operated electrically or manually depending on the application. For electric operations, the respective replacement batteries and chargers ensure a satisfying run time.
As a manufacturer of handling technology, we work with lifters every day and are happy to chat about their features for hours. It’s hardly surprising that we at Hovmand consider the use of lifting equipment to be a rather sensible idea. And we have our reasons:
We have been developing, designing and using lifting equipment for almost five decades, during which we have seen countless environments where our lifting tools have improved working conditions and made processes more efficient. That’s why we are thoroughly convinced that our lifting equipment is inextricably linked to specific work processes.
To some people, processes are abstract things, while for others they are tangible, every-day occurrences. Just what are processes and why do we need them at all? According to the Gabler Wirtschaftslexicon (Dictionary of Economics), the word ‘process’ connotes the totality of interacting transactions within a system.
The term is further broken down into its components in the Input-Transformation-Output model (ITO) of operations management:
For a production or logistics company or a trade, this means the input must be provided in order to carry out the transformation. The transformation must then occur in order to produce the output. Output in the form of goods, shipments, repairs, and other things, is generally paid for by the customers of a company. Thus the more output we produce and sell, the more revenue we earn. But revenue is only a one-dimensional measurement of a company’s success. Only when we apply the costs of our output production can we calculate the company’s profit. And this is precisely what working with processes is usually about – reducing the costs of input and transformation. Because human workers want to receive wages and suppliers of raw materials and operating materials want to be paid.
Now what do processes have to do with lifters and other handling technology? They come into play wherever companies need to start tracking the different costs for their products and services. Initially, this involves human resources costs. Expenses are incurred not only for hours worked performing (overly complex) manual processes, but also for workers on sick leave who are temporarily unable to work due to a back injury or slipped disc. Lifters can also help to reduce materials costs. Firstly, they carry out lifting tasks safely and gently, thus reducing damage. Secondly, they enable the use of larger reels, heavier drums, and boxes with larger volumes. This can increase throughput and reduce the number of refills, for example on reels of shipping material.
Tasks within a single process related to handling heavy or numerous lighter loads can be accomplished with lifters. These include:
In our experience, the use of lifting equipment is always directly related to the work processes they are designed to support. That’s why mobile lifting equipment is a particularly flexible and proven solution within the realm of handling technology. In each individual case, they can be adapted to the lifting tasks that they accomplish.
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