Most of us don’t consider our material handling equipment to be among our closest friends. After all, what has a conveyor, cart or pallet jack ever done for you? However, there is one piece of equipment that you might want to consider adding to your Christmas card list – the Southworth PalletPal 360™. The PalletPal™ is an ingenious, but simple device designed to make loading and unloading pallets faster, safer and easier. It uses a heavy duty airbag or set of industrial springs to automatically lower or raise its platform as boxes are added to or removed from pallets. A turntable allows for nearside loading and unloading.

Despite its simplicity, there are major benefits to using the lift table.

Faster

Time is money, and your buddy the PalletPal™ will help you complete operations in a fraction of the time it currently takes you. Time studies continue to show that operations using ergonomic lift assist devices are able to reduce the time it takes to palletize and de-palletize by as much as 60 percent. The Southworth PalletPal™ utilizes a turntable which allows the operator to be located in one central location with the pallet positioned at an ergonomic height. All this leads to the elimination of movement and fatigue allowing the operator to work at a faster and more sustained pace.

Safer

Workplace injuries continue to rise in both frequency and cost. According to OSHA, work-related musculoskeletal disorders account for the majority of workplace hazards facing our industry. Nearly two million workers suffer work-related musculoskeletal disorders every year, and about 600,000 lose time from work as a result. In addition, one out of every three dollars spent on workers' compensation arises from insufficient ergonomic protection with the average cost of injury being over $8,000. Compare this to the average cost of the PalletPal™ at around $2,000, and it’s hard to argue that it’s not a cost-effective safety investment.

The Southworth PalletPal 360™ significantly reduces the risk of workplace injury. By always maintaining the pallet at an ergonomic lifting height, bending motions are all but eliminated. Additionally, the full 360 degrees of rotation allows an operator to stand in once place and rotate the pallet instead of twisting and moving. By reducing the operator’s need to bend and twist, he or she is able to complete tasks while staying in the “Power Zone” which is statistically proven to reduce workplace injuries, especially to the neck and back.

Easier

Let’s face it, industrial work is really hard. Lifting heavy boxes either off of or onto a pallet day in and day out is exhausting work. It’s statistically proven that as a person tires, his or her production significantly decreases. Not only does this lead to fatigue and injury, but it also leads to employee turnover which can be as costly to an organization as injury. The PalletPal™ makes very difficult tasks easy. By significantly reducing the lifting and rotating requirements, operators frequently report improved job satisfaction. Happier workers generally leads to improved morale and lower turnover rates.

Another unique feature of the device is the ability to easily relocate the unit within the facility. The unit is equipped with fork pockets which also provide a stable base that does not require lagging. So maybe you won’t be sending a Facebook friend request to the PalletPal™, but it’s definitely a friend you want to have in your facility. Give Bastian Solutions a call today and let us help you evaluate if the Southworth PalletPal 360™ is the right solution for your application.

 

Author: Greg Conner