Avoiding Mobile Equipment Bottlenecks

In an increasingly competitive market, where access to resources is steadily becoming more difficult and outside economic dynamics are changing, organizations are constantly looking at ways to become more efficient in their operations. Increasing throughput, reducing waste, and ensuring a secure and consistent supply chain are all becoming integral components to sustaining a competitive advantage in this changing landscape. While many organizations look to improve the inner workings of their operations by performing upgrades to their production, often times mobile support equipment is overlooked or considered as an afterthought.

Forklifts are typically seen as a necessary evil in most operations. If there was a better way to move product, we would use it. However, these machines are vital for moving goods from one stage to the next and can quickly become the bottleneck in your operations if they are ignored while other areas experience upgrades to increase throughput. If your equipment is old, can no longer meet the capacity requirements, or is inefficient at achieving the requirements of the new process, you should consider looking at ways to improve. Let’s dig into how each of these factors affect operations below and what you can do to turn your mobile fleet into contributing assets, instead of restrictive bottlenecks.

Aging Equipment

All mobile equipment has an effective usable life or a period in which the machine can be operated with reduced risk for major component failure (ie. engine, transmission, driveline), before average total costs begin to rise.

See my article here for more information on total costs and developing an effective turnout strategy based on the usable life of your mobile assets: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/what-your-turnout-strategy-ace-coustol/

However, it is not uncommon for the equipment to be kept in production beyond this time frame due to a number of reasons:

·        Capital is unavailable due to other projects in the budget

·        Organization is unaware of total cost and optimal turnout times

·        Operator demands are difficult to meet

·        Poor planning

No matter which of the above are contributing to the aging equipment, the fact of the matter is that tired equipment is likely to cause downtime, be less efficient, and decrease operator effectiveness when compared to a new fleet. With new equipment, you’re able to take advantage of modern technologies which typically improve the performance of the equipment while also reducing downtime of the machine. Furthermore, operator comfort is constantly being improved through better seats, improved visibility, and lower cabin noise volumes which reduces operator fatigue and improves overall productivity. If you’re sticking with old and tired equipment, you’re likely not maximizing the increased throughput in other areas of production or spending more money and taking on more risk than you need to.

Additionally, aging equipment represents a risk to your operations. If a large portion of your fleet has high hours, the chance of having multiple machines down for repair or service becomes increasingly more likely. While you might be able to justify the costs for the major repairs as they come, the cost of downtime to your production line is likely the larger concern. Creating a turnout strategy to replace equipment within a certain period of time helps avoid this risk and not only saves money but also contributes to having an efficient operation.

Not accounting for changes in mobile requirements

Since mobile equipment is not the core business for most organizations, it can be seen as an afterthought for large scale projects or upgrades in operations. We typically see a forklift as a forklift and don’t realize that the increases to throughput of the operation will have ripple effects to the mobile fleet, forcing the equipment to work beyond its limitations. This could be through increased load capacity requirements, increased lift heights, height restrictions, productivity levels, or a number of other reasons, all of which requiring a change in the handling of products.

For example, you might have a plan for a new upgrade to increase your package size, create operating efficiencies, and drive up annual production. If the mobile fleet you have on site can’t handle the additional weight of the new packages or can’t keep up with feeding the plant with the work in progress, the ROI on the update won’t be realized until the mobile fleet is updated or changed.

Working with a professional to conduct a thorough site survey to understand the weights, dimensions, and unique nuances of your operation will help you to avoid these pitfalls. The survey will paint a picture of what you’re doing now so you can better predict how any upcoming changes will affect your operation. By taking the time beforehand to implement an effective mobile strategy, you’ll avoid spending huge amounts of capital on upgrades only to realize you’re equipment was a limiting factor as well. The more time spent being proactive beforehand, the less time you'll spend making rushed reactive decisions after the fact.

Inefficient processes and doubling handling

In some cases, products being handled are unique or require a certain procedure in order to be maneuvered and stored in a facility. Trusses for houses, steel beams, OSB, shipping containers, pipe, and portable trailers are just a few examples. With these types of products, considerable time can be required to move the product throughout the process, yard space can become a limiting factor, and doubling handling of product often occurs in an effort to optimize space and handling.

Often time’s manufacturers of these product types become limited by the size of their facility as their current production design only allows for limited product storage. If a product is 60 feet long, it often requires extremely wide aisles and to be handled multiple times in order to move it out of a building and into the yard. Your facility might be able to manufacture more product faster but if the current mobile fleet is only capable of moving and storing X amount of product, this becomes your bottle neck.

New products are now available which allow unique loads to be handled more effectively. Multi directional forklifts allow long loads to be carried sideways, eliminating the amount of space required to move and store these types of products which in turn eliminates double handling. Straddle carriers reduce the amount of space required to handle containers in a number of applications while also increasing the speed and efficiency in which product is moved. Many products exist, but it takes time to recognize there could be a better way of doing things and then studying the application to understand what, if any, solution would be the best fit. This shifts the bottleneck from the mobile equipment and allows you to focus where it counts, on production.

How we can help

“We don’t know what we don’t know”

We never intend to have inefficient processes within our operations, but sometimes we can’t see a problem when we’re in it. In most cases, we need a set of eyes external to our organization to see our business through a different lens without the same filters we have to point out where we can improve. The first step in making a change to your mobile fleet is accepting that the way things have always been done might not in fact be the best way to move forward.

At Leavitt Machinery, our team of representatives specialize in understanding customer applications, determining where opportunities for improvement exist, and developing a successful implementation strategy. With over 26 different brands of equipment, our company is unique in the fact that we’re able to customize a solution to fit your unique situation rather than taking a “one size fits all” approach. Every business is different and having the ability to provide innovative products tailored to a specific application and having the infrastructure in place to support these products is really what sets us apart.

Mobile equipment is often an afterthought in most production facilities, typically thought of as a non-revenue generating asset required to move product from A to B. Yet, in many cases there are ways to optimize this equipment to streamline production and even produce a measurable return on investment through cost savings and increased production capabilities. Your mobile fleet doesn’t have to be the limiting factor, it can actually contribute or even become your competitive advantage. It just takes thinking outside the box, innovative products, and the right team supporting you along the way.

Before completing that next upgrade to your operations consider this question: will your mobile fleet be able to handle the additional throughput or are you simply spending a bunch of money only to move the bottleneck from one spot to another?

If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help lift your mobile fleet to the next level, give us a call at 1-866-LEAVITT and one of our highly trained representatives will be happy to help you start the process. You can also visit our website at www.leavittmachinery.com to check out some of the products we carry in action and learn all the ways we can lift your business.

Still have questions? Leave me a note in the comments below!