Successful material delivery often requires a combination of solutions that work together as an efficient, cohesive material flow system. If you’re planning to invest in a material handling cart system, there are factors to consider that will ensure the end solution improves your facility’s efficiency and productivity and provides the full potential ROI. Here are 5 popular material handling cart systems, their applications, and how they can help your facility work towards lean material handling.
01. AGV Tunnel and Load-Handling Frame Carts
The purpose of this article is not to promote the use of an AGV (automated guided vehicle), but if you have already made the decision to go this direction, AGVs can be a valuable tool to automate the delivery of materials without the need for a material handler or driver.
Tunnel carts or load handling frame carts can be designed to be compatible with a variety of AGVs, and provide a great deal of flexibility for your specific materials. Even with an automated process, the need for simple adjustment and repurposing of your carts can be the difference between the success or failure of your initiative.
For the facility that is just moving toward automation, or that requires just-in-time delivery for a specific section of a warehouse, there are cart options to consider that allow you the flexibility to “walk first and run later” so to speak (or tug first and automate later), and adapt at a lower cost as you balance material flow.
02. Convertible Order Picker Carts
Convertible order picker carts are a flexible solution for any warehouse or manufacturing facility looking to simplify the pick and deliver process.
Do you move materials from a warehouse or distribution center frequently to support production? How many times do you “touch” or manage that material before it actually reaches the end-user?
The right material handling cart (we call it our “All in one Kit Cart”) can streamline how you move materials from order picker to production, and do it with one cart. These convertible carts can be securely integrated with your existing order picker for direct load of product, then be safely transported between facilities over the road, and finally delivered straight to the operator for quick, ergonomic and efficient exchange all in one cart. Since these are convertible carts, they’re well suited to a variety of applications and can be configured to accommodate a variety of different parts.
03. Kit/Pick Push Carts in Unlimited Orientations
Kit/Pick push carts suit a variety of applications where the movement is typically a shorter distance from supermarket storage to the point of use. Available in unlimited orientations, kit carts can improve the presentation of sequenced parts, eliminate unpacking and packaging waste at the line, and free up a great deal of lineside space. While they can be designed to transport virtually any size container, the ideal kit cart may eliminate packaging at the line altogether!
With unlimited orientations, there’s a kit or pushcart to suit your line, and any of these carts built with Geolean’s tube and joint assembly are easily broken down or reconfigured to adapt to your facility’s needs as they change over time. This is another material handling cart that is a suitable solution for nearly any facility, as its design versatility, low cost and quick availability open it up to nearly any application.
04. Tug Carts You Can Build or Modify Yourself
If you’ve already implemented tug cart systems into your facility, you can make the most out of your tug trains with carts you can easily build or modify onsite with your own staff. If you’re looking for the next step to improve your tug cart system, tube and joint carts are a good option.
Save cost on design, time on the build, and simplify customization, even for heavy parts, using these time-proven materials. Our modular system allows you to configure and reconfigure carts as your needs shift and change. Tube and joint tug carts can easily be modified to suit your existing operations, and then reconfigured again as you phase in more capable tug systems. Read on for even more options.
05. Top Hat Carts for Easy Repurposing
To ensure our clients get the most out of their cart investment, Geolean has developed a system we call top hat carts, which allow the user maximum flexibility building off a standard cart platform. Easily repurpose any standard deck (typically a 50”x50”) with a variety of top hat solutions that suit your specific requirements.
From kit and pick carts to dunnage and packaging to shelf carts, and even rotating and roller carts, top hats offer you ultimate versatility and customizability at an economical investment. Our ever-expanding library of custom top hats may be just what you are looking for. Easily repurpose any standard deck with the top hat solution that best suits your facility’s needs at the time — and at a fraction of the cost.
Choosing a Material Handling Cart System for Your Facility
Most facilities benefit from a material handling cart system that includes a wide variety of carts, but having the flexibility to easily accommodate that variety may be simpler than you think! A quality material handling cart system not only incorporates a variety of cart types to ensure materials flow seamlessly through your facility, but it will also set the standard for future use while considering total program cost and ROI.
If you’re not sure where to start with your material handling cart system, the Geolean USA team is here to help. We have an extensive library of material handling solutions and will work with your team to determine which cart systems would best serve your facility.
