5 Tips To Keep Your Loading Dock System Operational in Metairie, LA

If you happen to be living in Metairie, LA and witnessing a gigantic truck backing into a warehouse, are you puzzled what goes on at the back of the scenes? The garage door-like enclosure beneath the warehouse is known as a loading dock, and it’s an adequate way to ensure that large freight trucks get loaded and unloaded efficiently. A loading dock is a recessed bay in a freight terminal or warehouse that permits for protected and competent loading and unloading of trucks.

Successful businesses established a strong prestige with their clients by delivering products on location, and on time. So that to inevitably happen, you need an efficient shipping system with regularly maintained equipment. Here are five tips to keep your loading dock system operational:

Tip No.1: Grease the Components

The same thing with all engines, dock equipment, and components need oil to maintain them running smoothly. Their specific parts are continually in motion throughout the day and by lubricating the pivot joints and hinge tubes, it prohibits them from corrosion.

Tip No.2: Let Everything in Organized Manner

Dock levelers are situated in a high-traffic area, notably if your business waits on shipping and receiving products. Such a busy place simply means that your dock leveler is more likely to gather dirt, debris, and rubbish. A dirty dock leveler pit hampers working parts decelerates its movement and corrodes its joints.

Tip No.3: Assess Performance

Rather than observing how the dock leveler functions while workers are utilizing it, it’s imperative to test the functionality without such an aberration. 

Tip No.4: Find out Fluid Levels on Hydraulic Dock Levelers

Hydraulic dock leveler runs on hydraulic fluid, which in turn is the medium of power transferred in hydraulic machinery. Low fluid levels cause it to decelerate and breakdown to maintain its maximum weight capacity. It’s strenuous to observe unless explicitly verifying its level. A well-trained and experienced professional should perform dock leveler repair, dock leveler maintenance, clean, flush, and change the hydraulic oil annually.

Tip No.5: Monitor Productivity Movements & Missed Delivery Dates

An inefficient loading area leads to a decline in productivity and a hike in billable hours. Target dates are inflexible or missed with an erratic workflow, and even more, money is wasted by potentially paying overtime hours to meet them. Reading between the lines of your delivery trends and itinerary, instead of the typical number-crunching, can improve your company’s productivity and keep an equilibrium labor cost.

It is also important to note that during maintenance, establishing safety precautions is a must. The most effective safety measure to observe during this time is the lockout/tag-out procedure to ensure safety at all times. 

To further ease your worry, loading ramp and dock leveler repair Metairie LA, and dock leveler Metairie LA here in Overhead Door Company of New Orleans has factory-trained service technicians that are very well-versed with loading docks and all its different parts especially the dock levelers and how to maintain them. 

Give us a call at 504-822-0345, or through our contact us page, Overhead Door Company of NOLA’s commercial division has the products and services to create the safest and most efficient dock and warehouse possible whether you are retrofitting a replacement door or starting from scratch in a new building. 

Being your One-Stop-Shop for commercial door and loading dock equipment includes 24/7 parts and service:  

·         Full fleet of service and installation trucks

·         Fully stocked warehouse/OEM Parts and Accessories

·         Planned Maintenance Program

·         Team of factory trained /fully qualified service technicians - some with over 25 years of experience

·         Team of knowledgeable coordinators to take your call

·         Turnkey system installations/dock remodeling for New Construction, Turnkey Solutions, and 

·         Remodeling

Dock Design

·         Maximizing productivity, safety, and value starts with intelligent loading dock design 

·         Critical design details

·         Taking time to plan pays dividends

You can make service request, or visit us personally at our service areas: New Orleans, Metairie, Slidell, Belle Chasse, Kenner, Northshore, Hammond, Covington, Mandeville, Laplace, Houma, Thibodaux, River Region, Ponchatoula, Harvey, Marrero, Gretna, Destrehan, St. Rose, Reserve, and Abita.

Top 3 Advantages of a Hydraulic Dock Leveler

A hydraulic dock leveler is equipment that may be initially pricey but something that you would surely need if you want your business or warehouse to be safe, efficient, and productive. With the hydraulic dock leveler, you do not need a pull chain anymore. Everything is done by pushing the right buttons. It is more ergonomic than mechanical and it can be operated easily by your staff.

With the best hydraulic dock leveler, you can enjoy the top three advantages that includes: safe operation, efficient functionality, and wise investment.

Safe operation

A safe working environment is what every manager and staff deserve. Because the Serco hydraulic dock leveler  is controlled by pushing buttons only, there will be more precision and less effort on the operator. The controller can focus on the exact timing and location of the lifting of the merchandise in storing or shipping. This can also assure a lesser or zero accidents in the operations in the loading dock.
With less mishaps, the people are safe; goods are kept in excellent condition; and the equipment and trucks are free from malfunction.
Efficient functionality
A dock leveler that does not require manual activation unlike one where a person must endanger his body by moving around the platform is a highly recommended. Because the mechanical leveler is made up of lip latches, springs, hold-downs, and other movable parts that are frequently replaced, accidents can happen.
A problem that may be caused by a truck being separated from the dock during a loading or unloading process is called a stomp out. However, the hydraulic dock leveler makes it easy and safe for workers as well as goods and equipment to be held under control. Most importantly, the quality of this equipment is certainly reliable.
Wise investment
Despite the additional cost of installing hydraulic dock leveler, it is surely a wise investment because it makes the processes in the loading dock safe, efficient, and productive. This type of dock leveler is a sure way to eliminate stump out issues because of its full range free float. It has velocity fuse with free fall protection. In this condition, the leveler and other workers are safer and so are the goods, trucks, and equipment. Experts in installing and maintaining hydraulic dock leveler New Orleans LA and from other locations are always available to give expert advice and services. Their products are also worth your money’s value.
Call at 504-822-0345 for inquiries of services and quotation. If you want to contact our friendly customer service, click here or request a service at http://bit.ly/ohdno-service-request. You will never be disappointed by choosing their services. Moreover, for quick service request, click here and be helped by their able and willing service crew. In addition, you can visit their website to see the wide range of their product samples, specifications and quotations.
Overhead Door Company of New Orleans service areas are located at New Orleans, Metairie, Slidell, Belle Chasse, Kenner, Northshore, Hammond, Covington, Mandeville, Laplace, Houma, Thibodaux, River Region, Ponchatoula, Harvey, Marrero, Gretna, Destrehan, St. Rose, Reserve, and Abita.

What is a Mechanical Dock Leveler and its Functions to Help Commercial and Industrial Operation in New Orleans

A dock leveler is equipment that is usually mounted to the dock face which is the area of a building where loading and unloading take place. It can also be recessed into a pit at a loading dock door allowing movement of industrial vehicles between a building and a transport vehicle. These dock levelers can be permanently installed at each door of a dock.  

           

Dock levelers have different types depending on its operation. The most common type is the Pit Leveler. This type of dock leveler is found in a recessed opening in a building’s concrete at the dock door. It can be manual or automated. For manual operations, a category under the pit leveler is the mechanical dock leveler which you can easily get from a Serco mechanical dock leveler company. This is the most common used dock leveler because it is the least expensive one. This leveler style uses a mechanical spring to raise the leveler. This system is manually operated and no electrical power supply is needed for this to be used. As this type of leveler is the least expensive one, this can be the most expensive to maintain, but most industries use this for convenience. 

These are the functions of mechanical dock levelers and how it is operated:

·         It is spring-powered and manually activated.

·         It must be positioned onto a trailer by first pulling a chain which sets the “hold down” system free, letting the platform rise and the lip extend. The lip is the one attached to the deck assembly and pivots from a vertical position to a position that rests on the transport vehicle’s floor.

·         The operator then must walk onto the platform and use his body-weight to lower the leveler onto the trailer bed.

·         The mechanical dock leveler has springs, hold downs, lip latches, and more moving parts.

·         If the trailer is below dock height, the operator has to pull a second chain near the leveler’s front in order to retract the support legs allowing the platform to travel below the deck.

·         It is less efficient than a hydraulic dock leveler.

·         Its mechanical’s springs are heat and cold sensitive expanding in the heat of the summer and contracting in the cold of winter which requires consistent adjustments.

All in all, mechanical dock levelers are considered as the most economical and reliable type of dock levelers used for transport and delivery especially in commercial and industrial use and operations. Although there are many types and categories of dock leveler, the mechanical dock leveler is the most used in the industry because of its price and convenience. This type of dock leveler is also easy to find and a lot of reliable brands are available in the market like the Secro brand which is known for durable and reliable dock leveler equipment.

Looking for a Serco mechanical dock leveler company? Make Overhead Door Company of New Orleans as your number one choice. Call us at 504-822-0345 or email them at https://www.ohdno.com/contact  or https://www.ohdno.com/service-request/.  They serve New Orleans, Metairie, Slidell, Belle Chasse, Kenner, Northshore, Hammond, Covington, Mandeville, Laplace, Houma, Thibodaux, River Region, Ponchatoula, Harvey, Marrero, Gretna, Destrehan, St. Rose, Reserve, and Abita.