For growing businesses, Christmas counts. Not only can a vast majority of their trade come in the lead up to the festivities, but it’s a chance to prove themselves to customers. For those who operate out of a small warehouse, hiring on additional picks and packers becomes a must. But have you considered also hiring a forklift?
Not only could it help speed up your operations, but it could mean greater utilisation of your facility and better productivity too. Not sure? Let’s take a look at the ways hiring a forklift over Christmas could benefit you.
Short Term Hire
If, for 75% of the year, your business manages perfectly well without a forklift truck, it doesn’t make sense to purchase one. Nor would it make sense to hire one for the long term. However for the few months you do need it, having a forklift could make the difference.
Short term hire would ensure that you have the equipment when it benefits you and when it’s no longer needed it doesn’t need to be kept in storage the rest of the year.
If this is something you’d like to consider, why not get in touch with our experienced team? They’ll be able to advise what type of truck would best suit your needs and facility. You can get in touch by visiting our website, calling 01933 228127 or emailing info@askhitec.co.uk.
Faster transport
The lead up to Christmas often sees an increase in eCommerce purchases. For pickers and packers, keeping up with demand can become stressful. Ensuring that goods are out on time could also result in injuries as staff strain themselves to carry heavier loads on pallet trucks and to move as quickly as possible.
A forklift could not only lift weighty goods, it can also move significantly faster than a staff member on foot. When goods come in, it can be used to unload lorries at a quicker pace, alternatively, it could help load them faster too.
Storage Efficiency
Are you currently unable to make the most out of your storage facility, as everything needs to be within reach for your pickers? A forklift could solve this issue in a pinch. You’d be able to utilise racking, storing more goods higher than before, and able to reach them when needed.
Whilst your pickers and packers are no doubt excellent at what they do, human strength and a pallet truck often aren’t enough to make the most of a facility. You can get more stock in for Christmas, store it safely and efficiently and increase accessibility with a forklift.
If your facility is narrow and aisles are close together, you might believe that this means you’re unable to utilise a forklift. Wrong! There are multiple models available, and side loading trucks are perfect for working with tightly packed racking.
Handle Greater Inventory
In the lead up to Christmas, you might be tempted to get in bigger orders of stock, or perhaps even larger, heavier goods. Doing so in the past may have been difficult, or even impossible as your staff may have struggled to move and store them.
With a forklift, you wouldn’t need to worry about the strain of introducing bigger wares. This in turn could open up opportunities for your business to grow, whilst enabling you to fulfill customer desires by having stock in when they want it, with less worry about running out.
Reduce Strain On Pickers
Last year, UK consumers spent £1.4bn on Black Friday. With that figure expected to rise even higher this year, many businesses may cope with the Christmas rush by hiring more staff. This can be an excellent way of increasing the productivity of your operations.
However, with the increased workload, the chances of your staff becoming injured or unwell (despite their numbers) can become a worrisome problem.
By having a forklift, you can help ease the strain on your staff as you can not only save their backs, legs and feet (by lifting heavy loads and also by storing them better) but it can also help speed up their activities. In turn, this can help reduce the stress of trying to meet demand.
—-
We’re sure that your business is prepared and ready for December, but if you need that little bit extra help, Hitec Lift Trucks can help provide you with the forklift you need. For more information and to find a truck that suits your needs, why not contact our experienced team? You can get in touch by calling 01933 228127 or by emailing info@askhitec.co.uk
