Waste in a warehouse typically starts with the transportation of a pallet to a storage location on a rack. Many times this process starts at the receiving dock of a warehouse where trucks pull up, are unloaded of their pallets of goods, and then are staged in a waiting area until they can be released from the facility. Because of the long distance that goods are sent, the time spent in moving a pallet of goods from a truck to a storage location on a racking system can have far reaching affects on a warehouse. Stock is left to stall in staging lanes. Warehouse workers are forced to travel greater distances in search of stock. The picking staff of a warehouse is forced to wait for the staging of stock that has not yet been put away.
Many see that horizontal movement of pallets does not involve high lifting and therefore do not warrant any special attention. In reality, such movement is used on a daily basis. Pallets are moved from a loading dock to a temporary storage area and from there to storage. Pallets are also moved in the reverse direction – toward picking, packing, or shipping. It is only when we realize that even short trips taken many times a day can greatly affect the rhythm of work can we conclude that the correct electric pallet truck can significantly affect the speed of work.
What Dock to Storage Workflow Means
The workflow for pallets to be stored follows the Dock to storage workflow. A clean process for such workflow includes unloading, inspection, temporary staging, put away and replenishment.
A typical pallet route
A practical route includes these points:
- Receiving dock, where inbound pallets are unloaded.
- Inspection point, where labels, quantities, and damage are checked.
- Staging area, where pallets wait for location assignment.
- Storage area, where goods are placed for inventory, picking, or production.
- Shipping lane, where selected pallets may return for outbound work.
While speed is an important consideration, the bigger consideration is to keep all the dock doors, aisles and staging lanes actively working 24/7 and keep people and equipment actively working 24/7 to process those containers.
Why Horizontal Pallet Movement Matters
At the warehouse floor level, horizontal movement of pallets on the floor between locations affects unloading of trucks, labor cost, traffic flow and order fulfillment. Prolonged time near the loading dock causes truckers to wait for unloading to begin. Staging space causes operators to travel around blocks to relocate pallets. Late arrival of stock in storage causes problems for picking and replenishment activities.
Three minutes might not sound like much, but for a warehouse receiving 80 pallets per day, that translates into four lost hours of labor. In the world of food distribution, spare parts storage or ecommerce fulfillment, every moment counts, and can even send workers into overtime.
Many variables affect manual movement of pallets such as weight of pallets and loads, floor surface, distance to be traveled, and strength of operator. Early in the shift the pallets may move very easily, but as the shift progresses, speed of travel will decline significantly. An electric pallet truck can help to maintain a constant speed of travel and reduce effort to move each pallet.
Manual Pallet Jack vs Electric Pallet Truck
There is still a role for manual pallet jacks, which are very simple, inexpensive to purchase and suitable for light, short, occasional moves. However, problems arise when the same people are continually pulling heavy pallets from a dock to a storage area on a regular basis.
An electric pallet truck is designed to move a lot of pallets. An electric pallet truck has a powered drive that moves the load while you steer, and you use the brakes and controls to determine the speed of the truck. This is especially important when working down long receiving lanes, using dock plates, or in a busy staging area.
Choosing by actual use
| Warehouse need | Manual pallet jack | Электрическая тележка для поддонов |
| Low pallet volume | Works well | May be more than needed |
| Frequent dock trips | Tiring over time | Better for repeated movement |
| Heavy loads | High effort | Lower operator strain |
| Longer indoor routes | Помедленнее | More consistent |
| Tight warehouse areas | Easy to park | Compact and controlled |
The cost of a forklift is more than just the purchase price of the forklift. While a manual pallet jack may have a lower up front cost, high volume sites will pay for the difference later in lost time to travel, in fatigue of their workers, and in congestion on their dock.
How Electric Pallet Trucks Improve the Workflow
Электрические тележки для поддонов are at their strongest when used for ground level pallet movement. They are not intended to replace every forklift. These trucks are designed for movement of products between dock, storage, picking and shipping areas with less effort.
Faster movement from receiving to storage
At the receiving dock, time is of the essence. A truck must be unloaded from the dock, a bay cleared and another load scheduled to arrive. The electric pallet trucks help the operators to move the pallets quickly from the dock. In this way, doors are not blocked and there is sufficient space to stage the received goods.
A grocery warehouse could receive a delivery of dry goods, a selection of drinks and packaging materials in the morning. Powered pallet movement would ensure that all these items are moved from the delivery location and distributed around the warehouse quickly, rather than being left in close proximity to the dock door.
Less fatigue during repeated transport
The work of receiving at the Dock and storing away in storage areas is monotonous work. Heavy goods such as drinks, paper, tiles, tools and machine parts are very strenuous for workers to move around manually. Over time this can affect workers performance to complete tasks in the time allocated.
By reducing the amount of pushing and pulling an operator of an electric pallet truck still requires attention and skill, however the majority of the travel effort is done by the machine. This enables the operator to drive the truck more steadily through the warehouse around storage racks, doors, other people and equipment.
Better traffic flow near loading docks
Typically, the area of a loading dock is already crowded. Trucks reverse up to the dock, doors are opened, and papers are checked by personnel. Pallets are stacked in the waiting lanes. Because of the crowded area of a loading dock, there are often forklifts, pallet trucks as well as pedestrians traveling through the area.
For such short distances within an indoor environment, compact electric pallet trucks are the ideal solution. They do not occupy as much space as a lift truck would and do not generate as much traffic as would other types of material handling equipment.
Best Warehouse Scenarios
A good fit for an electric pallet truck would be a facility where there are a lot of pallets moved on the floor but not a lot of high lifting done. They are very commonly used in distribution centers, ecommerce warehouses, retail backrooms, manufacturing plants, food and beverage storage and third party logistics facilities. An online retailer with only a few employees could use one electric pallet truck for all of their deliveries, restocking and picking up of orders.
Decide between floor and road based on Floor condition, Pallet weight, Route length and Number of daily pallets. A clean internal floor is best. Some mild ramps, a dock plate or two, a wet entry or two, some worn floor areas would be checked out prior to regular use.
Что проверить перед покупкой
An electric pallet truck needs to match the building and the work pattern. Walk the route from receiving to storage and note all the turns, any ramps, joints and narrow points along the way.
Key buying checks
- Load weight: choose by the heaviest regular pallet, not the average pallet.
- Travel distance: longer repeat routes give powered movement more value.
- Aisle width: check turns near doors, racks, and staging lanes.
- Floor condition: look for cracks, dock plates, slopes, and wet spots.
- Battery plan: match charging time with the shift schedule.
- Controls: check handle comfort, braking response, horn, and battery display.
For light gradations of ramps check gradability before purchase. For damp or wet dock areas connector protection and reliability of electrical contacts must be checked. For very heavy use on a daily basis consider wear of wheels and required replacement time as part of the total cost.
JinChengYu FORKLIFT as a Supplier
ВИЛОЧНЫЙ ПОГРУЗЧИК JinChengYu, a Chinese manufacturer of forklifts, is supplying electric pallet trucks, other warehouse handling equipment, attachments, and spare parts as well as related material handling solutions to overseas customers. JinChengYu is located in Qingdao which is very close to all sea, land, air and rail links and thus it can deliver efficiently to all places in the world and offer good service.
From dock to storage, to receiving and shipping work, electric pallet trucks are used for the daily indoor transportation of pallets. Info: flexible drive and battery options, an upgradable battery, a clear battery meter, an hour meter, comfort controls, electronic control, water tight connectors, high drive performance, quick change PU wheels.
JinChengYu FORKLIFT can also provide handling equipment for other material handling tasks in mixed fleets.
Заключение
The movement of pallets from the dock to storage area forms the backbone of any successful warehouse operation. The slow movement of pallets to storage through receiving, put away, replenishment, picking and shipping will all be affected. Conversely, allowing products to travel through fewer stops by creating efficient routes to storage will also have a positive effect.
Our electric pallet truck is a practical solution for efficient and effortless horizontal pallet movement. We offer a full range of electric pallet trucks as well as other warehousing equipment to help you manage your dock, storage and logistics needs. We have a solution to fit your daily pallets needs.
Часто задаваемые вопросы
What is the best equipment for horizontal pallet movement?
For frequent ground level pallet movements around your plant an Electric Pallet Truck is a very practical solution. A compact piece of equipment that can be easily maneuvered in small dock areas compared to larger pieces of lifting equipment, the electric pallet truck is far easier to use for long repeated movements than a manual pallet jack.
Is an electric pallet truck better than a manual pallet jack?
A manual pallet jack is probably sufficient for the occasional move. For daily use between the dock and storage locations, however, an electric pallet truck provides more speed, less fatigue and more consistent performance.
Can an electric pallet truck be used at a loading dock?
Yes. As long as the load weight, floor, dock plate, ramp and traffic conditions are the same as the truck, the operator would check braking system, wheel condition, gradeability and are there any pedestrians in the area before regular use at this dock.
