A loading dock is typically an elevated opening (or openings) in a building’s sidewall where shipments are sorted and staged for loading and unloading of trailers, shipping containers or rail cars. To make that area more accessible and safer during the movement of goods, loading dock equipment and attachments are used. Because the shipping and receiving process requires personnel to conduct loading and unloading processes, dock equipment is designed to ensure the safety of both the workers and the loads as they enter and exit the trailer. Typical equipment includes attachments that secure and bridge the gap between the vehicle and the dock, lighting to illuminate the inside of the trailer, building-to-vehicle communication systems and weather protection.
How the dock equipment is used
Dock equipment are used at the point where a trailer, shipping container or railcar is loaded or unloaded.
Shipping: At the dock faces where outbound shipments leave the facility.
Receiving: At the dock faces where inbound shipments arrive at a facility.
Yard: If a building has no elevated dock openings, or if all dock openings are occupied by other vehicles, loading and unloading can be accomplished in the yard.
Benefits
1. Dock equipment provides a variety of benefits including:
2. Durable, long lifespan
3. Low maintenance
4. Optimum safety
5. User-friendly
6. Energy efficient.
On the dock itself, overhead doors, dock levelers, dock seals and canopies can help keep accidents and injuries to a minimum. A fixed dock leveler, for example, gives lift truck drivers an easier and safer route in and out of the trailer, while a shelter or seal helps keep out the elements and also helps keep the forklift from sliding or losing traction.
“In our plant, we use shelters because we don’t heat or cool the building,” says operations head at Gandhi Automations, “but we want to be able to protect our forklift drivers. So, a truck backs in and the structure will shelter the driver as he drives on and off the vehicle.”
Guide to Temperature Controlled Logistics
Temperature controlled logistics is imperative for many pharmaceutical products, as spoiled drugs can have serious consequences on the health and well-being.
Temperature controlled logistics specialises in the storage, preservation and transportation of cargo that is sensitive to atmospheric conditions and needs to maintain a certain temperature. This is imperative for many pharmaceutical products, as spoiled drugs can have serious consequences on the health and wellbeing.
Elevated temperatures or sub-zero temperature can affect the chemical stability of the medicine, food, poultry, agro products, or event horticulture and floriculture produce and may even alter its physical properties. This can come in the form of sedimentation and separation of emulsion systems.
Due to the implications of improperly stored materials, regulator demands have become more stringent and companies need to be able to prove that they’re products are transported via a temperature-controlled supply chain.
The margin of error is different from product to product, but the industry has seen a greater regulatory emphasis on drugs that can maintain integrity between 2-degree C and 8-degree C. This temperature range is referred to as “cold-chain” – a temperature range where the product/material is maintained above sub-zero temperatures. These conditions must be assured by all parties, including the manufacturer, shipper, and wholesaler.
While the shipping services are responsible for maintaining the temperature of the cargo, it is the manufacturer’s responsibility to ensure the optimal conditions for the product are understood by all involved parties. Some considerations to think about before choosing a temperature-controlled solution:
1. The acceptable temperature and humidity range
2. The margin of error for the temperature
3. Acceptable levels of risk
4. Potential areas of risk and touch points
5. Specific no-go actions that may compromise the integrity of the product.
Additional conditions for selecting a cold storage system should be based, but not limited to the following criteria:
1. Temperature range and volume of the medicine
2. Temperature controls
3. Back up temperature controls
4. Layout of the storage unit and airflow
5. External temperature logging and data tracking
6. Cargo placement (avoid areas where temperature variation is likely such as near bay doors)
7. Have temperatures been tested?
8. Volume of medicinal product.
Are you searching for an efficient way to level the difference in height and distance between your warehouse floor and a docked vehicle? Search no more! Gandhi Automations manufactures loading bay solutions like dock levellers, dock shelters, sectional overhead doors. Their dock equipment are designed and factory-made in state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. The dock equipment meet international safety standards like EN1398 for dock levellers and are CE marked.
Dock levellers from Gandhi Automations are the efficient solutions and can be manufactured to meet a client’s specific requirements. Gandhi Automations has been manufacturing dock equipment for more than 22 years. This experience allows them to design reliable, modular and durable dock levellers. The company supplies high-quality service for each dock leveller to help a client reduce his/her operational costs and guarantee a safe working environment.
For more details, visit: www.geapl.co.in
