A few months ago, I started thinking carefully about why our business wasn't making more money. It just seemed like no matter how hard we tried, we just couldn't turn a profit. Fortunately, a friend of mine suggested evaluating our shipping procedures. It didn't seem like the logical decision at the time, but since he was a successful business owner, I decided to listen to his advice. After carefully evaluating things, I realized that we really did have a few lags in our system. We went through and carefully reconfigured a few things, and it was amazing to see how much of a difference our changes made. Within a few weeks, we were able to speed things up and reduce lost packages. Read this blog to learn more.
If you operate a climate-controlled warehouse in a part of the country where temperatures rarely rise above freezing for much of the year, keeping utility costs at a reasonable level may be one of your constant goals. This can be difficult when a constant stream of orders waiting for fulfillment require you to open and close your overhead dock doors multiple times per hour. What can you do to minimize the flow of frigid outside air into your warehouse while ensuring your orders are quickly shipped? Read on to learn about the ideal loading dock levelers for extreme climates as well as some other ways you can reduce heat loss from the inside out.
What type of dock leveler is best for extreme temperatures?
Although pit style dock levelers can be useful in many warehouse and industrial applications, they're not ideal for situations in which the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures is significant. Because these levelers rely on hydraulic cylinders to raise and lower the dock for incoming traffic, they can often create gaps where the leveler meets the dock door -- and, over time, and with normal wear and tear, these gaps may widen.
Fortunately, vertical mounted dock levelers can solve this issue and are ideal for temperature-controlled environments. These dock levelers are mounted so that they can fold flush against the building when not in use, allowing the dock doors to extend all the way to the ground. By minimizing air lost through gaps in the doors, as well as by folding outward to prevent the influx of cold air when the doors are raised, these dock levelers can improve your business's efficiency immediately after installation.
What are some other sources of heat loss in warehouse settings?
In addition to examining your current dock levelers as a potential source of heat loss, you may want to thoroughly inspect the seals around your doors if you begin to notice draftiness. Repairing a leaky door seal or replacing it with a heavy-duty rubber seal is a relatively simple and inexpensive process, and doing so as soon as you notice an air leak can help save you hundreds -- even thousands -- of dollars in climate control costs.
Depending upon the size and structure of your warehouse, you may also want to consider insulation. Many warehouses are steel-sided buildings, and therefore don't serve as very good barriers to hot or cold temperatures. Installing even a thin layer of insulation (or plastic insulating film over windows that aren't frequently opened) should go a long way toward lowering your utility costs.
For shipping services, contact a business such as Pak Mail.
Share3 March 2016
