8 Tips to Maximize Efficiency at your Loading Dock in Charlotte, NC

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Loading docks are the heart that circulates oxygen and blood throughout the entire body of your warehouse.  When they are operating effectively, you can maximize your facility’s productivity and profitability.  

But then, when your loading dock operations are incompetent, this could result in diminished productivity, product or equipment impair, and even probable accidents.  Take time to follow our tips to assure you are efficiently performing operations at your loading dock and maximizing profits in Charlotte, NC.

Tip No. 1: Designed airflow

Focusing on airflow within your facility permits workers to be as convenient as possible, which raises their high integrity and morale, their productivity results, and eventually company bottom line profits.  One of the first procedures in enhancing facility airflow is to install HVLS fans.

HVLS fans such as Serco ATEC Fan can keep your employees cool and comfortable. The 2-3 mph breeze delivers the equivalent of a 7-11 degree reduction keeping them comfortable and at ease in their working environment with big savings on heating and energy cost.

Tip No. 2: Let there be an illumination

High-powered loading dock lights provide proper illumination around the loading and unloading dock areas and along the insides of the trailers. This light allows a safe working environment for workers where they can freely move around and avoiding accidents to happen.  

Loading dock lights allow for a facility to be properly lit around the loading and unloading area.  As well as lighting up the inside of the loading dock area, dock lights are useful for lighting up the inside of trailers as well.  

Tip No. 3: Superb Performance 

Hydraulic or Air-Powered levelers offered by Southern Dock Products that operate at the touch of a button are the most efficient dock leveler choices.  

The Serco Air Bag Dock Leveler Model AB model does not depend upon manual activation, yielding in the best combination of efficiency and stability on the loading dock business today.

Tip No. 4: Employee protected zones

A busy and effective warehouse is often a productive warehouse. Alongside with dock equipment like forklifts and trailers, dockworkers and other people continually moving around your warehouse, it’s essentially important to keep a highly productive and accident-free facility. 

Southern Dock’s Dock Guard™ Safety Barrier Lip safely provides access to the facility while making sure safety barriers are within the work areas.  

Tip No. 5: Keeping Up and Following Procedures

To assure safety and efficiency, all dock equipment at the loading dock areas must operate in the correct and proper sequence.  Incorrect order can potentially lead to equipment damage and even injury to the workers. 

Southern Dock’s Intelligent Loading Dock Design is engineered to maximize productivity, safety, and value all over your loading docks. Everything is done to your requested measurements and capacity requirements to assure you achieve your company bottom line.

Tip No. 6: Clear and Consistent Communication 

Both exterior and interior loading dock traffic lights offer excellent communication between the truck driver and dock workers.  Vivid and consistent communication assures that during the unloading and loading process with vehicle or trailer trucks departure takes place safely and efficiently. 

Additionally, the G-Flex LED Dock Light™ has a light communication feature that can provide a minimum amount of energy for the maximum light output into your trailer.

Tip No. 7: Go for Vertical

The Serco Vertical Dock Leveler of Southern Dock Products permit truck drivers to back right up to the dock bumpers with the no need of getting out and opening the trailer doors beforehand.  This enhances the efficiency of the loading and unloading steps by safely speeding up the loading dock process and eliminating unwanted work.  

Tip No. 8: Restraints

Wheel chocks can take precious time to position, and if they are misled, they can be a hazard and not perform well.  A safer and more efficient choice is powered vehicle restraints. When the truck backs up to the loading area, Southern Dock Product’s vehicle restraints secure the trailers and safely holds it until a truck is ready to depart. 

Vehicle restraints such as Serco Universal Truck-Chock In-Ground Wheel Restraint prevent accidents like trailer upending, landing gear collapse, vehicle walks, and early departure. Designed with a chock flush mounted in-ground, providing no interference for snowplows or drive cleanup.

How to optimize your loading bays?

Keeping a comfortable and healthy working environment for your employees is one of the priorities to ensure an efficient workable facility. Prohibiting unwanted exchange of air at your loading bays can assure that a good indoor temperature is well-maintained. 

A dock shelter creates a secure seal around your loading bay entrances when vans are docked. Optimizing functionality at your loading bays is effortless with a Serco S2200 Ultra Shelter.

Loading is smooth, both by hand or with a pallet truck or roll cage thanks to the removable bottom cushion. And Serco S2200’s tight sealing further improves functionality as it maintains worst weather out – and an optional rain protection roof can often be added so you can be sure that all detrimental weather conditions stay outside.

How often your dock leveler should be serviced?

Thinking when and how often to service your dock levelers at first depends on the type of dock leveler you utilize.  

When it speaks of servicing mechanical dock levelers, they are highly recommended to execute routine maintenance checks and tasks every day, with a more thorough maintenance inspection taking place every three months.

Our Charlotte dock levelers service office offers a variety of mechanical dock levelers which include:

         Serco Mechanical Dock Leveler Model WL- constructed having a standard capacity of 30k and 35k with New! Exclusive SafeTFrame® Design.

         Serco Mechanical Dock Leveler Model WS-capable of high capacities: 40k, 45k, and 50k, and with Exclusive HYDRA CAM™ Plus Automatic Lip Extension.

         Serco Mechanical Edge-of-Dock Leveler-equipped with both exclusive designs: Lug Style Lip Hinge provides superior strength and extended life and EZ-Lift™ Spring Assist on Lip Hinge reduces lifting force

Planned Maintenance Program

         Protect Your Investment

         Reduce Lifetime Ownership Costs
 

Daily, our Charlotte dock repair Team can make sure that all dirt and debris are detached from in and around the leveler so its performance is not hampered with.  Additionally, our Charlotte loading dock repairs will make sure the hinge section of the lip and the platform is tidy and distinct to reach customer’s repair and service satisfaction.

24/7 Parts and Service Availability

         Full fleet of service and installation trucks

         Fully stocked warehouse

         Team of factory trained and fully qualified service technicians 

         Team of knowledgeable coordinators to take your call

 OEM Parts and Accessories 

         Minimize Downtime

         Maximize Productivity

         Stocked Inventory

Seals and shelters are another significant part of the docking systems. Charlotte Dock Seals have systems that are designed to balance the weather system between trucks and warehouses. 

Moreover, Charlotte dock shelters can extend help that keeps humidity outside where it belongs, not destroying your products or taxing your refrigeration.

Southern Dock Products offers a variety of dock seals and shelters such as:

         Serco S1000 Ultra Seal w/ fixed head pad- designed with a standard base projection of 10″ and with roll-formed, galvanized steel side & head pad backing.

         Serco S2000 Ultra Seal w/ head curtain- has a 5 to 6 internal retention straps/side pad, and includes 30″ high reinforcement on the tip at bottom of side pad profile.

         Serco S600 Dock Seal w/ fixed head pad- having a standard base fabric of 22 oz Vinyl, and roll-formed, galvanized steel side & head pad backing.

         Serco S3000L L-Pad Dock Seal- with standard side pad base projection of 16″ and door sizes up to 10′-0″ wide.

         Serco S2200 Ultra Shelter- a roll-formed, galvanized steel channel frame (2″ x 8″/2″ x 10″/2″ x 12″ supplied based on projection)

         Serco S3200 Snap-back Dock Shelter- with side curtains include closed-cell neoprene inside sealing edge & bottom wear panel

         Serco S420 Rigid Frame Dock Shelter- has an outside edge of face curtains capped with aluminum trim angles

         Serco R620 Mechanical Rail Shelter- has a variety of frame and cover configurations for virtually any application.

Why consult the experts in loading dock?

The moment a dock leveler goes down, it can produce essential operation setbacks in both shipping and receiving, leading to repercussions that ripple throughout the company. 

Warehouse interference caused by bottlenecks in the loading dock put customer relationships in danger. A broken dock leveler can result in additional labor costs, challenges with vendors and suppliers, and a risky work environment. 

Hence, consulting experts in loading dock is the rightful move that you have to perform. Whether you have an urge of a minor adjustment on a pit leveler or emergency loading dock equipment repair, you can depend on the Southern Dock Products service team to be on time, courteous, and safe. 

Let Southern Dock Products, a Division of DuraServ, help you with our tips to assure you are efficiently performing operations at your loading dock and maximizing profits for company bottom line. 

Contact us through our website or through our Service Area Offices:  Fort Worth, TX: (817) 686-7300,Houston, TX: (713) 868-5443,Austin, TX: (512) 442-1561,Dallas, TX: (800) 994-2361,San Antonio, TX: (210) 359-9552 Shreveport, LA: (844) 826-5301,Baton Rouge, LA: (844) 826-5301, Atlanta, GA: (770) 338-9988,Savannah, GA: (912) 239-9652,Orlando, FL: (407) 656-1289,Tampa, FL: (813) 643-7000 Jacksonville, FL: (904) 282-3438,and Charlotte, NC: (704) 594-5094 , or Toll Free Number: 1-800-994-2361.

You may send for a service request or visit us personally at our Service Areas: Fort Worth, TX, Houston, TX, Austin, TX, Dallas, TX, San Antonio, TX, Shreveport, LA, Baton Rouge, LA, Atlanta, GA, Savannah, GA, Orlando, FL, Tampa, FL, Jacksonville, and FL, Charlotte, NC.