Case Study
Safety Lightens the (Operating Cost) Load at Ozburn-Hessey's Warehousing Operations
Nashville-based Ozburn-Hessey Development, the real estate development division of Ozburn-Hessey Logistics, builds, leases, and operates 4 million square feet of warehouse space. Despite that much storage space, there's no room for unsafe acts or waste. The key to the company's success is maintaining a strong safety program while keeping operating costs low.
At a warehousing operation like the ones operated by Ozburn-Hessey, dock safety is of paramount importance. For example, the company's new Mid-South Logistec Center in Nashville is a 562,000-square-foot flow-through warehouse with 74 loading docks. Two other facilities in Memphis (423,000 and 280,000-square-feet) have more than 100 dock positions. All facilities have received an upgrade in loading dock safety equipment—namely the switch from mechanical levelers to hydraulic APB-1000 levelers from Rite-Hite Corp.
"Buy the best equipment you can, make sure it's going to last, then go out and run your business," says Rick Shepard, vice president of operations. "If the tools you're using don't promote that in every way, you're just wasting money. Our concept in designing buildings is to provide operationally efficient space with low maintenance equipment. When we install a piece of equipment, we want to know we won't have to go back and repair it a year from now."
Shepard cites a recent study showing that in nearly 30 years, Ozburn-Hessey's previous dock levelers cost the company an average of $5 per unit per year in repair parts. With that kind of track record Ozburn-Hessey once again looked to Rite-Hite equipment for its upgrade.
Because of the new levelers' proven, low-maintenance performance, and the 20-year warranty behind them, Shepard knew the equipment was guaranteed to perform for years to come. The company's safety concerns also influenced the selection of Rite-Hite's APB-1000 hydraulic leveler.
"Our new complex services 100 to 150 trucks per day," says Shepard. "With that level of traffic and activity, safety cannot take a back seat to productivity."
The most obvious benefit received from the new hydraulic levelers is their ease-of-use; workers no longer strain their backs reaching down to pull a chain to release a mechanical board or retract mechanical support legs. In addition, the hydraulic leveler safely adapts to different trailer bed heights because there are no mechanical legs to interfere with the leveler's movement. This unrestricted "free-float" throughout the leveler's full service range allows the levelers to compensate for trailer bed fluctuations by floating freely as the leveler platform moves from above to below dock height.
Eliminating the need for mechanical safety legs, the APB-1000 dock leveler features a hydraulic velocity fuse free-fall safety system. The system stops the fall of the leveler's platform within three inches in the event of an unexpected trailer departure with a heavy load on the platform.
In addition, the size of the new levelers creates another advantage for the company. The leveler's 7-foot width provides maneuvering space for lift trucks end-loading trailers. On standard 6-foot-wide levelers, lift trucks inserting the last loads on trailers sometimes sustained tire damage from running over the leveler's edge or rubbing against the pit wall.
"We used to spend a lot of money on tires," says Shepard. "We don't anymore, because the levelers are wide enough to provide safe access to the full load."
Ozburn-Hessey also selected pushbutton-operated Dok-Lok restraints from Rite-Hite Corp. to hold trailers in place during loading and unloading, helping prevent serious accidents that can result if a truck separates from the dock while a lift truck is inside or crossing the leveler. While designed as safety devices, the restraints also boost efficiency on Ozburn-Hessey's docks. Before the installation of the restraints, the company required truck drivers to chock their wheels, then enter the building and hang their keys on a hook next to the dock door as a way to tell forklift drivers that the truck was safe to load. That added an additional 10 to 15 minutes to the unloading process.
"Now, when that truck backs up to the door, all my lift truck driver has to do is push a button and he's locked that trailer in position. He can start loading the truck immediately," reveals Shepard.
Ozburn-Hessey also liked the restraints' rotating hook design, which not only can stop premature departure and trailer creep, but can also help keep the trailer upright in case the landing gear should collapse, or the trailer up-ends due to imbalanced loading.
Ozburn-Hessey made one more purchase to ensure safe loading docks. The company purchased the Eliminator dock shelter from Formmelt Corp. The shelter has flexible foam side frames that sustain trailer impact without damage. Side curtains, which fasten on with Velcro, can be quickly and easily replaced without tools. Most important, the shelters provide an effective weather seal against the trailer top and sides. Integral hoods displace rainwater and help improve the exterior seal. The working surface stays dry, helping to eliminate skidding and slipping and slidding on wet floors.
"Upgrading our entire loading dock system has shown our clients that Ozburn-Hessey is proactive about safety and aggressively trying to save them money," says Shepard.
Edited by Sandy Smith
