CHAPTER 13:

EQUIPMENT USED IN
FACILITIES
 EQUIPMENT USED IN FACILITIES
Learning outcome of this chapter

After your have studied this chapter, you should be able to:
▶ identify the most important types of equipment that are encountered in logistics;
▶ understand the advantages and disadvantages of each type of equipment;
▶ evaluate and make the correct choice of equipment for a specific need; and
▶ Identify the principles of the operation of the equipment in the logistics chain.
 EQUIPMENT USED IN FACILITIES
SELECTION OF EQUIPMENT
When choosing equipment, one should always have a clear understanding of the needs of the facility. These should be expressed in
terms of measurable criteria to avoid decision based on opinions and biases. The equipment is a significant investment, and the wrong
choice means that the operation will suffer for the life of the equipment.

RISKS INVOLVED IN PURCHASING EQUIPMENT

Identifying needs and obtaining the appropriate equipment is a project. The risk of such projects reach a peak on two occasions.

▶ The first risk is when the decision commits the facility to a specific technology and supplier, and to spending a large amount of
money. If the equipment is not suitable for the facility, a large amount of time, effort and expense will been wasted.
▶ The second peak is when the equipment is delivered. It must be tested and the testing recorded in detail to ensure the equipment
performs to the purchasing criteria and the satisfaction of the operator. Failure to do so may result in the facility paying money
to modify or replace the equipment, or working with inappropriate equipment that makes the operation inefficient.
 EQUIPMENT USED IN FACILITIES
STORAGE METHODS FOR SMALL ITEMS
Small products such as torch batteries, electronic components, fragile, etc. cannot be stored on or picked from a pallet. The
following forms of storage can be used to store the small items.
▶ SHELVING: The size of the space created by shelves can be adjusted simply and quickly to suit the products. Because
the products stored on shelves are generally lighter, the shelves can be multi-tired (high- rise shelving, as it is sometimes
called, can be up to 15 m high) or have long spans to create more storage space.
▶ BINS: These are designed so products can be stored safely and accessed easily for counting and picking.
Bins are often colour-coded to make it easier to identify products.
▶ LIVE STORAGE OR CASE FLOW RACKS: this storage method is particularly suitable for perishable items in
containers, pharmaceutical products and high-movement products distributed in cases or boxes.
▶ MOBILE SHELVING: This storage method is suitable for products that do not need to be accessed frequently. As the
frequency of access increases, the delay in opening an aisle to reach the products renders this methods less efficient.
▶ CAROUSELS: provide high-density storage for small items, which are difficult to store and pick. When using bins or
shelves, the picker needs to walk continually along the rows of shelves. This is time consuming, this become a problem.
A carousels can be a good solution to these problem, since it brings the product to the picker.
▶ STORAGE CABINETS: Small to medium-sized goods can be stored effectively in cabinets fitted with drawers. The
drawers are arranged as in a filing cabinet and may have compartments of various sizes.
 EQUIPMENT USED IN FACILITIES
PALLETS AND THER STORAGE
▶ PALLETS: Pallets are most used based when handling products and their storage in rack units. Pallets also provide a simple
and efficient means of consolidating goods into a unit on a single based that can be moved and stored effectively.
▶ BLOCK STAKING: Boxes can be stacked one top of another, the weight of the boxes and their contents, as well as the strength
of the boxes, determine the height to which they can be stacked.
▶ GENERAL PALLET STORAGE RACKS: Racks provide access to goods from the front and allow one to stack higher
than with block stacking. Whereas the goods support the stack in the block-stacking methods, in this case the structure of the
racks supports the goods.
▶ STATIC STORAGE RACKS: Static storage racks can be erected and altered with relative ease and speed. Two rows of racks
are usually assembly back-to-back. This allows access only to the front of each row, but reduces the aisles, thereby increasing
the storage density.
▶ NARROW-AISLE RACKS: this method of storage increases storage density, while still allowing access to all the goods.
Narrow-aisle reach trucks and stacker cranes service this type of racking. One of the reasons is because, the aisle is too narrow
for the equipment to turn, the truck or crane moves laterally along aisle.
▶ DRIVE-IN AND DRIVE-THROUGH RACKS: This method of storage do not cost more than general racks, but access to
all goods is limited. Drive-in give access to equipment from only one side. As there is only aisle, storage density can be
increased significantly, depending on the depth of the racks.
▶ MOBILE RACKS: consist of two rows of racks on a solid based that moves on rails in one dimension. There should be space
for one or more aisles between the mobile racks so that the racks can move to open an aisles between any two racks.
 EQUIPMENT USED IN FACILITIES
STORAGE RACKS
▶ LIVE STORAGE RACKS (PALLET FLOW RACKS): In this system, the static racks are fitted with rollers in the
slots where the pallets are inserted. Access is needed on both sides, necessitating two aisles. The rack depth can
comfortably be six or more pallets, depending on the quality of the roller system. The advantage is that the pallets are
always presented to one side of the rack.
▶ PUSHBACK RACKS: While live storage uses gravity and must be fed from one side and taken out the other side, the
pushback rack is a tray which runs on wheels inside a rack. The pallet is place on the tray.

HANGING RAIL SYSTEMS: certain goods such as clothing are best moved on a rail or suspension system.
▶ HANGING RAILS: Racks provide access to goods from the front and allow one to stack higher than with block
stacking. Whereas the goods support the stack in the block-stacking methods, in this case the structure of the racks
supports the goods.
▶ TROLLEYS: it can be used for one or several garments (automated and manual facilities). In automated facilities, the
trolleys have barcodes, and the garments are scanned and attached to a specific trolley. While in manual facilities
often use the trolleys for a number of similar garments that have to be moved quickly and efficiently from a truck
into storage, and vice versa. One of the advantages (of using manual) rapid movement without lifting and ease of
identification.
 EQUIPMENT USED IN FACILITIES
MOVING LOADS
▶ MANUAL AND POWERED PALLET TRUCKS: The most common piece of equipment for moving pallets quickly is
the pallet truck, sometimes also called a walker-rider or pallet taxi. Two forks, which fit into the pallet base, are
attached to it. The forks can be raised to lift the load up to approximately 20-40 mm above the floor.
▶ FORKLIFT (OR COUNTER BALANCE) TRUCK: is used for lifting pallets and moving them at a high speed. This
piece of equipment can attain speeds of up to 15 km/h. it can lift pallets to a height of 3,5 m; with special masts, this
height can be extended to approximately 8 m. These trucks can lift loads that are significantly heavier than two tons.
▶ REACH TRUCKS: are designed to perform the specialized tasks of lifting and lowering pallets with greater ease and
speed than counter-balance trucks.
▶ TURRET TRUCKS, NARROW-AISLE TRUCKS AND CRANES: When racks are very high, it may be dangerous to
lift pallets to the top racks with a counter-balance or reach truck. The operator on the floor cannot see up to the top rack,
as narrow-aisle racking may be as high as 12 m. The solution is the turret, or narrow-aisle, truck, which allows the cab
for the operator to lift with the load.
 EQUIPMENT USED IN
FACILITIES
MOVING AND SORTING
When choosing equipment, one should care-fully determine the level of sophistication needed.
Logistics personnel can make use of the following equipment to move and sort their product in the warehouse.
▶ CONVEYORS: BELT AND ROLLER BED.
 Conveyors are divided into two, (1) Belt conveyer which are used where the goods need to move in straight lines,
upwards, or downwards, and when speed varies. Conveyors can be used across various industries but are extremely
popular within the distribution and warehouse space as well as in the manufacturing and production industry. Belt
conveyors can be use to transport items through elevation. Refer to below picture, to see how the conveyor belt (refer
to picture A and B) look like.

A B

 NOTE: Belt conveyer are used where the goods need to move in straight lines, upwards or downwards, and when
speed varies.
 EQUIPMENT USED IN FACILITIES
▶ CONVEYORS: ROLLER BED.
 Roller bed conveyers are a series of rollers that turn in one direction and consequently move the goods. This type of equipment is
primarily used in material handling applications such as on loading docks, for baggage handling, or on assembly lines among
many others. Refer to below pictures (A and B) to see how this equipment is look like.

A B

▶ ACCELERATOR BELTS: Goods that must be sorted, measured or massed need to be spaced in order to allow automated sortation and/or
accurate measurements. To obtain a specific minimum distance between goods on a conveyer without slowing their throughput, an
accelerator belt is used. The good are first fed onto the feeding belt. The accelerator belt, which is moves faster than the feeding belt,
catches the first box and accelerates it to a higher speed than that of the feeding belt.
 EQUIPMENT USED IN FACILITIES
▶ MERGE SYSTEM.
 A merge system is applied only where two or more conveyors feed into one. The two conveyors cannot feed into the merge conveyor
simultaneously, as the boxes would fall off the conveyor or jam it (have look picture B).To merge successfully, one of the conveyors
must be able to delay the feeding in order to take turns with the other conveyor.

A B

▶ IN-LINE BARCODE SCANNERS AND RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION DEVICES.

 IN-LINE BARCODE SCANNERS able to read barcode while products pass through the scanner, irrespective of the orientation of
either the item or the barcode. This facilitates the automatic identification of goods.
 Radio frequency identification, this device comes in two parts. The first part is a transmitter, or tag, that transmits an embedded
code. The second part is the receiver, which performs two functions of asking for the code, and then deciphering the code to sensible
data. The great advantage of this equipment is that the tags and reader do not be in line of sight of one another and for this reason a
number of applications have started to use this technology for sortation as well as stock management.
 EQUIPMENT USED IN FACILITIES
▶ IN-LINE WEIGHING AND MEASURING
 This equipment accurately measure the weight of an item passing over them can be fitted to the belt or roller bed.
Provided that the belt is travelling at known and constant speed, the length of the item can be determined by measuring
how long the item blocks a beam.
▶ DIVERTER AND SORTERS
 Items can be sorted by diverting them from one path onto another (refer to below picture). Light items that travel at slow
speed can be sorted with an arm that swings across the line and diverts the item to new path.
 EQUIPMENT USED IN FACILITIES
▶ CONTAINERS
The ability to consolidate a load into a container that can be shipped anywhere in the world is probably the greatest advance
the shipping industry has seen in the last 50 years. All forms of cargo from furniture to motor vehicles to rolls of paper are
now transported around the world in a standard, economical way. As logistic personnel you need to be aware of the
following equipment that can be used to lift the containers.
 Spreaders and twistlocks: To realise the advantage of the container, a simple means to connect handling equipment
to the container is required. An attachment called a spreader is used to connect containers with other handling
equipment. This attachment spreads the load from the mast of the equipment, such as a reach stacker, to the couplings
at the four corners of the container. Whereas, A twistlock couples the spreader with the container. This device on the
spreader extends a rectangular pad through a matching rectangular hole in the container structure.
 Side lifters: are road-going vehicles with hydraulic-powered cranes fitted at each end of the vehicles chassis to hoist
and transport standard intermodal containers.

Side lifters equipment

 EQUIPMENT USED IN FACILITIES
▶ CONTAINERS
 Front-end lifters: This equipment operate similarly to reach stackers, but they cannot lift containers from containers
stacks as high as reach stackers can. Loading capabilities for front-end lifters are up to 40 tons. Because of poor mass
distribution and torsional movements, rigid pavement surfaces are required at terminals that employ front-end
container-lifting equipment.
 Reach Stackers: are high-capacity container trucks fitted with a arm and a spreader beam at the end of the arm to lift
containers onto and from rail wagons or road vehicles, and to stack them on the terminal or withdraw them from
stacks. A standard reach stacker can handle single 20-foot containers.

Reach
Stacker
 EQUIPMENT USED IN FACILITIES
▶ CONTAINERS
 Straddle carriers, Straddle cranes and grappler lifter: This equipment are special types of mobile cranes
developed to straddle, lift, move, place and stack containers at intermodal terminals. By straddling the container, this
device carries the container within the structure of the crane (refer to below picture A). The carrier lifts the container
using a spreader and twist-locks, and then moves it to other locations.
 Gantry Cranes: this equipment used for directly transferring containers either (a) between sea-going vessels and rail
wagons and, to a lesser extent, also road vehicles; and (b) with intermodal rail terminals between rail wagons, over a
series of rails, or between rail wagons and road vehicles (refer to below picture B). Gantry Cranes are equipped with
a large boom bridging the distance between the ships cargo hold and quayside freight vehicles, or bridging the distance
between the land vehicles within the intermodal facilities.

Picture B

Picture A
 CONCLUSION

▶ As logistic personnel, you need to be more carefully when you are choosing the equipment, because
of the following reasons:
▶ Equipment is expensive and should be used intensively in order for the investment to be financially
justified. The cost of buying incorrect equipment includes not only the capital sum, but also the
consequent reduce efficiency and effectiveness of the operation. In most cases, there is one piece of
equipment which is the most appropriate, and the procedure to identify such a equipment has been
the focus of this chapter.

REFERENCE
▶ Vogt, P. 2016. Business logistics 5th Edition. Oxford
Management.
University Press: South Africa.
 END

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