If you run an industrial or warehouse facility, one of the most important aspects of your work is being able to move things from one point to another. Even if you have robots and motorized material handling equipment, there are many instances when workers will be required to manually handle raw materials and boxes of finished products. For example, they might need to move boxes of finished products short distances from the packing line. This is why you should make sure to have some carts and dollies. In this post, we will highlight the benefits of using carts and dollies in your facility.

What is the Difference between Carts and Dollies? 

Although they perform the same task, carts and dollies are slightly different in their design:

• Dollies

The term dolly refers to a platform on wheels and with two axles. However, there are some that might have more axles to help spread the weight of heavy loads. Dollies are preferred for moving heavy items, and all you need to do is lift the load to the platform. Then, they are pushed by hand to take the materials or products to the target destination. If the materials you are moving are light, dollies with caster wheels might be okay. 

The major challenge of using dollies is that they do not have a system of lifting the material you will be moving. Therefore, they have to be handled manually using hands. This implies that your team needs to be extra careful to avoid falls and accidents at work. 

• Industrial Carts 

This is another type of industrial material handling device, which is also referred to as a trolley, a box cart, or sack barrow. They were invented around the 1700s when people used them for offloading ships. In industrial settings, they are preferred where light materials that can easily be lifted with hands need to be moved from one point to another. Make sure to order the carts with designs that fit the products you will be moving in your facility.

Benefits of Using Industrial Carts and Dollies 

• Safety

The commonest work-related injuries in most industrial facilities today are chronic joint conditions, sprains, and open wounds.  These injuries are largely caused by manual lifting and carrying heavy objects. Now, you can reduce these challenges by using carts and dollies because they allow workers to move materials by simply pushing them without straining their backs. You might want to install a type of hoist with a pulley and bearings system for lifting heavy items to and from dollies.

• Increasing Productivity 

Because carts and dollies help to reduce the incidences of injuries, you can also rest assured of fewer cases of absenteeism. With the entire team in your facility working together, it will be pretty easy to improve productivity. 

You will also like the use of dollies because they are able to reduce the number of trips employees need to deliver raw materials, documents, or finished products. With just a few trips, all the materials required for production or delivery will be evacuated. Even when you only have a few workers to handle an entire unit, it is still possible to achieve high productivity. 

• Better Protection of Material on Transit 

If you have materials that can easily fall off during transit, carts and dollies will come in handy to help protect them. Like skirt board rubber used on conveyor belt systems helps prevent materials from falling off, some carts come with wired sides. If your industrial facility deals with wet materials or medical materials, consider selecting the carts with zip-up covers. 

As you can see, industrial carts and dollies can come in handy in making the process of moving materials and finished products more efficient. When you need to handle heavier products and place them safely in stacks, it might be a good idea to work with pallets and forklifts or side loaders.