Without argument, if you have a facility that is currently using Metal Halide, Mercury Vapor or High Pressure Sodium, you need new lighting.  The great thing about it is that very often, these are self funding projects.  Yes, you heard me correctly.  You can put new lighting in at no cost to your company. 

Each month you get a bill from your energy company.  You have to pay this bill otherwise your power will be cut off.  Using new lighting technology will lower your lighting costs up to 75% under the right circumstances.  If you pay $10,000 a month in lighting costs and that is cut in half, the $5,000 savings will pay the lease payment.  There is no impact to your cash flow.  Once you pay off the lights, you’ll be putting that $5,000 right to the bottom line.  That is essentially increasing your net revenue by $60,000 a year.  In this economy, more revenue certainly isn’t a bad thing.

There’s more.  The federal tax credit has been extended.  That means that you can take up to $.60/sq. ft. up to the cost of the project as a credit to your taxes.  This can mean big money, lower the cost of the project and improve the payback period.

It just doesn’t make sense not to change your lighting.  Period.

1. Change out your lighting – Switch from old Metal Halide or High-Pressure Sodium lamps to new T5 florescent lighting can save your company up to 50-75% in electricity costs.
2. Install air curtains – If your facility is either heated or cooled, install air curtains on all dock doors.  This will help minimize the amount of energy you are using to heat or cool your facility.
3. Maintain your equipment – Properly maintain your equipment will ensure that it is operating at optimal levels, minimizing the need for parts and service over the long run.
4. Recycle –If your facility produces a lot of corrugated cardboard waste, buy or lease a compactor.  Selling bundles of waste can generate extra revenue and protect the environment.
5. Install impact devices – Install impact devices on your lift trucks.  This will help minimize damage to the facility.  It will improve overall safety, lower replacement/damage costs and identify the culprit.
6. Keep your floors clean – Debris is one of the leading causes of pedestrian accidents as well as damage to wheel assemblies of lift trucks.  Keep your floor clean and your trucks and people healthy.
7. Reduce your box size variety – Lowering the number of box sizes you use.  This will give you greater purchasing power as you will buy more of a smaller range of sizes.  Use low cost dunnage to fill any voids between product and package.
8. Evaluate every step in your process – Do not overlook even the smallest step in your distribution process.  There is a tremendous amount of technology available the can handle each part of your operation.  Take a long term view, initial capital expenditure can have a quick payback if applied correctly.
9. Continuous Training – Turnover in our industry is generally high.  Have a structured training program to get new employees up to speed quickly and reinforce operating principles to existing employees.  There can be substantial productivity gains and reduction in damage if your employees are well trained.
10. Make smarter purchases – Purchasing improperly specified equipment will cost you money in the long run.  Do not overlook what you are buying.  Price alone is by far the worst metric for evaluating equipment.  Whatever you are buying, you can find that product at whatever price point you have in mind.  However, be aware that spending more upfront for a more robust solution will save you money in the long run. 

South Atlantic Systems is pleased to announce that one of its Principals, Paul Mohrman, has been honored for his long time service to the material handling industry by Forkliftaction.com.  Paul has been a leader in the material handling field for more than 30 years.

To view the article in its entirety please click on the link below:

http://www.forkliftaction.com/news/newsdisplay.aspx?nwid=6086

We congratulate Paul for honor and thank him for his contributions to our industry.