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Loading Bay Design - How do I know I'm buying the right Loading Bays or Docking Bay?
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Mike Bunn is General Manager, Loading Bay Division, Stertil UK Limited - one of Europe's leading designers, manufacturers and installers of loading bay equipment and industrial doors for purposes including loading bays. In this foreword, Mike sets out a few simple steps to avoid the many pitfalls that are frequently encountered in specifying a loading bay.
HOW DO I KNOW I'M BUYING THE RIGHT LOADING BAYS OR DOCKING BAY?
STEP 1 - Talk to an expert
Usually these are salesmen, but if they're good they will only sell you the right products for your application. A good loading bay design and docking bay design is paramount for maximum efficiency. Stertil are seeing distribution companies with problems and applications just like yours every day of the week.
STEP 2 - Have you seen the product?
Make sure that you ask the sales engineer to show you the products first. It's always a good idea to visit a site and talk with a satisfied customer. Let the sales engineer set up a couple of sites and also visit his head office if it's possible. The sales guy can be really good and solve your problems but he doesn't do all of the work.
STEP 3 - Talk to an established supplier of loading bays and docking bays.
Most of the really good suppliers are part of a European Group and are manufacturing several thousand dock levellers and dock shelters a year so they have economies of scale whilst turning out good quality products complying with the latest European regulations.
STEP 4 - Ensure that the supplier can install the product, whether its a loading or docking bay
Because of the seasonal and cyclical nature of the retail market, most suppliers use sub-contract installers. Nothing wrong with that providing that they are fully trained in the installation of your supplier's products. An ISO 9000 quality programme usually provides a system of vendor assessment that ensures that all suppliers are inducted, trained and conversant with the company's products, systems and Health and Safety requirements.
STEP 5 - In the afterlife
Once your loading bay is operational it should be regularly maintained to ensure that optimum life and performance is attained. Can your supplier offer routine maintenance contracts with his own service engineers? Can he offer 24-hour callouts? Are all of his engineers trained on all of the products? Do they have access to electronic manuals for some of the older products or those that are less frequently serviced?
WHAT CAN GO WRONG?
There are many things that can go wrong - here are a few examples.
Too small a door or too low a door.
Too steep a slope on the approach to the dock.
Wrong size of dock leveller.
Wrong capacity of dock leveller.
Continue to Docking Bays >>
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