The document discusses how to improve dock operations in warehouses through automation. It describes how dockless receiving systems that use swing stick extensions can bridge the gap between conveyors and trailer beds, reducing unloading time. It also explains how telescopic conveyors can eliminate forklift use in trailers by bringing products directly into and out of trailers, minimizing handling. Automated telescopic conveyors using programmable sensors can optimize trailer loading. The benefits of these automated systems include increased safety, efficiency and productivity through faster operations and reduced labor.

1. How to Run a Dockless Operation in Your Warehouse.
Images
Authors:
Will, Alan1
Source:
Material Handling &Logistics. Sep2016, Vol. 71 Issue 8, p23-
26. 4p. 2 Color Photographs.
Document Type:
Article
Subject Terms:
*Fully autonomous automobile driving
*Warehouses -- Management
*Industrial productivity
*Warehousing & storageBusinesslogistics-- United States
NAICS/Industry Codes:
493190 Other Warehousing and Storage
493110 General Warehousing and Storage
236220 Commercial and Institutional Building Construction
The article focuses on the trends on the use of fully autonomous
automobile driving automobiles and material handling
solutions technology in businesslogistics firms in the U.S.
Topics include the benefits of technological loading and
unloading operations for logistics distribution centers, the
popularity of telescopic conveyors in materials handling and the
improvements in work ergonomics to increase productivity.
Author Affiliations:
1president, PWG Distribution
Solution

2. s LLC (www.pwgds.com)
a Dockless Operation in Your Warehouse
Telescopic conveyors are the warehousing equivalent of self-
driving cars. » By Alan Will Tf*he dock is the conduit all
inventory must pass through. It is the physical connection with
the outside world, yet dock operations can be one of the most
neglected areas of a facility when companies modernize their
warehouse operations. The dock area can also be one of the
most labor-intensive and hazardous areas. In that regard, dock
operations are ripe for careful analysis and use of the most
effective material handling solutions available in the market
today. Common to all dock operations is the need for speed and
efficiency as both shippers and carriers need to have product on
the road heading for the next destination. Trailers must be
loaded and unloaded quickly and product sequenced in a “last
in, first out” fashion. These operations can be very labor-
intensive as pallets stacked with parcels are brought into trailers
on pallet trucks or forklifts and then items manually removed
from pallets and stacked on the trailer floor. Likewise,
unloading operations can be equally manpower-intensive as
parcels have to be stacked on pallets and shuttled out of trailers
with pallet trucks or forklifts to be inducted into the warehouse.
In short, dock operations can be the bottleneck if not properly
addressed. Loading and unloading operations in the warehouse

3. dock area have always been among the most hazardous areas in
the distribution center (DC). There is often movement of
packages in and out of trailers with hand trucks or forklifts.
Operators encounter ramp bridges, and lighting is generally
poor inside trailers. A very dangerous scenario is trailer creep
which can result in forklift accidents, potentially causing
serious injury to operators and devastating damage to
equipment. Using automation equipment during the loading and
unloading process can reduce worker’s compensation claims and
increase employee safety because of improved ergonomics. The
scale of dock operations ranges from small firm s handling 30-
60 packages per day to large e-commerce retailers and major
parcel carriers processing 10,000+ packages daily while
operating on a 24/7 basis. Some operations emphasize cross-
dock operations while others receive and stow inventory to meet
future customer demands. Seasonal fluctuations can result in
mixed distribution strategies, driving the need for adaptable
equipment and processes. Many DCs are now engaged in
MATERIAL HANDLING & LOGISTICS I SEPTEMBER 2016 I
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a v it y c o n v e y o r a n d t h e b e d o f t h e t r a ile r . both
e-commerce fulfillments directly to customers as well as store
replenishment on a daily basis. Accuracy, speed, flexibility and

4. minimal man hours remain key metrics in designing any dock
operations modernization plan. Improving ergonomics will
reduce employee injury and increase productivity. Safety is
always paramount. Minimizing Handling Let’s first consider
small retailers and manufacturing shops not possessing the
space or the throughput justification for comprehensive systems
yet desire to take advantage of off-the-shelf equipment
enhancing their material flow. Many of these smaller firms
don’t have loading docks with dock wells, which means they
must contend with trailers four feet off the ground. The hazard
to warehouse personnel transferring packages in and out of the
trailer is significant. One potential solution for this challenge is
a dockless receiving system. The core components include 10-
foot rigid conveyors with adjustable legs coupled with a flexible
gravity conveyor and a swing stick extension. A dockless
receiving system utilizes the swing stick extension to bridge the
gap between the flexible gravity conveyor and the bed of the
trailer. Depending on the length of the trailer, two or three 10’
extensions are placed in the bed of the trailer and attached to
the swing stick. The employee stands in the bed of the trailer
and picks packages to load onto the dockless receiving system.
“Previously, employees would roll a conveyor out to the bed of
the trailer and unload it using a two-step process,” explains
Kurt Huelsman, president of FMH Conveyors. “Now with a
dockless receiving system, [they can] move more product with

5. less effort in a shorter amount of time.” In one recent case, a
retailer was able to reduce unloading time from an average of
2!/2 hours to 45 minutes using the dockless receiving system.
For larger DCs where rapid throughput is essential, hand
moving packages in and out of trailers must be m inimized. It is
time-consuming and ergonomically difficult for employees and
accuracy can diminish. Forklifts traveling in and out of trailers
are a potential hazard to operators and those packers inside
trailers and they’re less efficient in utilizing the cube of the
trailer. Automated equipment can keep packages moving
between the warehouse and the shipping & receiving area,
resulting in adherence to the age-old rule, “Only handle it
once.” One solution increasingly seen in modern, high-volume
DCs is the telescopic conveyor. Telescopic conveyors extend
the powered conveying surface inside the trailer. These
conveyors eliminate the need for forklift and pallet truck
movement in trailers by bringing the product into the trailer at
the location where it is to be loaded. Telescopic conveyors are
mounted on the loading dock floor and telescope into the trailer
without any contact with the trailer floor, thereby negating any
floor obstacles. Nor do they need to be steered as with rigid
drive-out or gravity systems. As a trailer is being loaded or
unloaded, the powered conveying surface is extended or
retracted until the trailer is full or empty. Handling is
minimized as product no longer needs to be transferred from the

6. warehouse conveyor system to a pallet truck or forklift for
loading or unloading. Packages stay on the conveyor system to
the point where they are stacked in the trailer. Pick-to-ship is
one continuous flow, with direct interface to sortation and
shipping systems. Likewise for unloading operations, product is
loaded directly onto the telescopic conveyor and inducted
directly onto the warehouse conveyor system for processing and
storage. Several firms m anufacture telescopic
loading/unloading dock conveyors. Mark Hogan, vice president
24 W W W .M H LN E W S .C O M 1 SEPTEM BER 2016 I M
ATER IAL H AND LIN G & LOGISTICS o f operations w ith
FMH C onveyors, notes several advantages realized with
telescopic autoloader operations. “With a telescopic conveyor,
the custom er’s products get w here they need to go every time.
Compared to other belted solutions such as the rigid drive-out,
the telescopic conveyor consumes the least amount of valuable
dock real estate, requires minimal operator control, does not
make contact with the dock plate or trailer floor, and its design
permits the addition of a number of ergonomic features such as
hydraulic tilt, snout and man-rider platform.” One option to
maximize the benefits of telescopic conveyors without large
capital outlays is a traversing mechanism mounted TE LES C O
PIC C O N V E Y O R S C A N BE E Q U IP P E D W IT H A N
A U T O L O A D E R P A C K A G E , W H IC H USES P R O
G R A M M A B L E SE N S O R S TO O P T IM IZ E T R A IL

7. E R L O A D IN G . on the conveyor. A DC may have several
docks yet not have the volume to justify telescopic conveyors
for each dock door. Once a trailer has been loaded/unloaded, the
telescopic conveyor is traversed by electric motor along an
unobtrusive track to another dock door where trailer loading/
unloading is required. There is little idle time for the system.
Use of the telescopic is optimized when it is moved to the next
trailer available for loading/unloading while the previous trailer
awaits departure. In sync with the trend towards “lights out”
fully autom ated DCs, telescopic conveyors can also be
equipped with an autoloader package, a programmable sensor
package that can optimize trailer loading. Some users have
achieved an 80% to 95% cube utilization rate based on product
size and package type. “ W ith th is lig h ts-o u t ap p ro ach , e-
commerce retailers have gained efficiencies in their dock
operations through the use of autoloaders in their shipping
operations,” Hogan points out. “The individual orders are
quickly loaded in the contracted parcel carrier’s trailer, such as
USPS. FedEx or UPS, and transported to the carrier’s DC for
sortation and shipment to the retail customer.” Cost savings
realization is a major factor when considering any investment in
new equipment. With telescopic conveyors, loading and
unloading operations are faster, resulting in less time each
trailer must remain at the dock. This ultimately results in the
need for fewer dock doors and associated equipment such as

8. dock levelers, dock locks and sensors. Forklift operator costs
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CONVEYORS for loading and unloading operations. Cost
savings result from safer dock operations, with reduced chance
of injury to humans and damage to dock equipment. Finally,
operations are seamless with less handling of the packages,
minimal interruptions, and a reduction in dock personnel. In
conclusion, available systems offer efficient solutions for a
range of companies engaged in dock operations. Whether it’s a
small retail store or a large e-commerce retailer, all can reduce

9. man-hours and increase efficiency while reducing the hazards
associated with dock operations. What then is the next frontier
for dock operations? For the larger players in the distribution
field, it’s fully automated, lights-out loading and unloading
systems operating on a 24/7 basis. Call it the warehouse version
of self-driving cars. MH&L Alan Will is president of PWG
Distribution