Between economic turbulence and an increased focus on profitability, facility managers and warehouse executives are facing unique challenges as logistics costs continue to increase worldwide. While many of the costs associated with moving materials and products are out of your control, there are now systems available to help lower and maintain logistics costs by increasing efficiency at the loading dock.
The costs associated with the supply chain are on an upward trend with little relief in sight. Rising fuel costs, increased labor costs and even transportation fees have hit all-time highs and have companies tightening their belts and looking for solutions to combat these increases. The best place to start is by controlling all the costs that you can by increasing the efficiency of your yard and dock operations to safely do more with less.
Designed to eliminate the common and most often costly logistics problems around the loading dock, 4SIGHT™ Yard and Dock Management System uniquely uses real time and physical data to assist facilities in efficiently managing operations such as loading dock visibility, live and staged trailer coordination and turn time management. 4SIGHT integrates loading dock equipment with our intelligent software to monitor, communicate and manage loading dock status to help companies avoid costly detention charges, product spoilage costs, employee accidents and much more.
4SIGHT is easy to implement and acts as an extra set of eyes which allows you to keep more accurate track of your facility’s operations and save time and money associated with your yard, loading dock and warehouse logistics.
Bottom line, no matter which warehouse logistics method you use, whether WMS, YMS, spreadsheets or clipboards, integrating these systems will 4SIGHT Yard and Dock Management Systems will help take your operation to the next level by optimizing your yard, loading dock and warehouse logistics, by helping you to monitor, communicate and manage tasks and trailer movements. From the moment a trailer enters your yard to the time it leaves, you’ll know exactly where it is, what’s on it, where it needs to be and how to get it there as quickly as possible. That’s the definition of efficiency.
For more information or to schedule a demonstration of our industry changing yard and dock management systems, please visit, 4SIGHTsolution.com.
Our 4SIGHT Yard and Dock Management System caught a lot of eyes and stopped traffic at its debut show, MODEX 2012, which was held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA February 6th-9th. MODEX, the newest expo for best-in-class solutions and innovations for the manufacturing, distribution and supply chain industries was the perfect place for customers to see the increased productivity and savings that 4SIGHT can help generate!
4SIGHT is the culmination of 4Front Engineered Solutions’ almost 60 years of experience manufacturing loading dock equipment. The software based system is the next generation of products in the material handling industry and aims to assist companies with optimizing their yard, loading dock and warehouse logistics. Taking place in the show’s Technology Section was the perfect fit and Eric Breen, 4SIGHT Systems Manager, spent time in booth explaining the benefits provided by the 4SIGHT system to companies of all sizes and specialties.
Ensuring your facility is running at optimal efficiency is a challenge for organizations of all sizes. One of the main challenges customers were seeking a solution to, was determining how long a trailer had been in their yard prior to the first scan made during the unloading process. And this is exactly the type of increased visibility that no other system but 4SIGHT can provide. According to Breen, “4SIGHT’s Yard Management System’s main focus is to provide real-time data that no other yard and dock management system can provide to fill in the gaps, creating a complete picture that allows your logistics professionals to make the best decisions to optimize operations.”
But 4SIGHT does not stop there! In addition to yard solutions, many visitors were seeking a resolution to the bottle necks at their loading docks and a better option for managing third party drivers. 4SIGHT Dock Management System provides a single interface that captures all dock statues while pagers given to drivers make trailer movements timely and efficient. This increase in efficiency on the dock has some customers realizing positive dock utilization of 20 percent or more in some applications.
Bottom line, no matter which warehouse logistics method you use, whether WMS, YMS, spreadsheets or clipboards, 4SIGHT™ will help take your operation to the next level by optimizing your yard, loading dock and warehouse logistics by integrating them with intelligent software to monitor, communicate and manage tasks and trailer movements. From the moment a trailer enters your yard to the time it leaves, you’ll know exactly where it is, what’s on it, where it needs to be and how to get it there as efficiently as possible.
For more information or to schedule a demonstration of our industry changing yard and dock management system, please visit, http://4sightsolution.com/.
We know there is more to consider when managing your day-to-day yard and dock operations than just aligning material handling costs and regulating your labor force. Every day, thousands of warehouse managers struggle with the headaches of excessive driver down time, difficulty staging trailers, lack of operational visibility in the yard or at the loading dock, customer demands for faster service, wasted maintenance dollars and much, much more. The last thing they want to deal with is a complicated solution to these common problems.
The simple solution to help you do more with less, is our revolutionary 4SIGHT™ Dock and Yard Management System. This is an extra set of eyes that allows you to keep track of your facility’s operations with real-time, accurate data to give you a boost in optimizing your yard, loading dock and warehouse logistics with these easy-to-implement systems.
Start Beyond the Dock
Tracking problems before they start, is the foundation of our 4SIGHT Management System, so why not start outside in the yard before problems make their way into your warehouse?
4SIGHT utilizes the latest in RFID and various sensor technologies as well as GPS tracking so every trailer movement is recorded. This increased visibility and monitoring creates real-time performance reports, proven to reduce yard check time by 90% and reduce yard labor and equipment resources by up to 30%. Percentages that can certainly help reduce some of those managerial headaches.
Run at Full Potential
Managing your yard is just the beginning of the information and value-added capabilities 4SIGHT can bring to your operation.
Receiving real-time loading dock status updates from single interface can assist in reducing labor hours while increasing dock utilization by 20% or more. And in response to the increased productivity, 4SIGHT can eliminate unnecessary service through scheduled maintenance based on actual equipment usage as well as help reduce energy costs by guaranteeing closed dock doors when not in use.
Don’t Settle for Cookie Cutter Applications
Your facility is as unique as you are and 4SIGHT can be tailored to suit your facility-specific application needs.
Whether your goal is to reduce labor hours, to know where your equipment is at all times or minimize on-site driver time, 4SIGHT can help you realize savings and impact your bottom line in as little as 12 months, getting you out of the business of managing software and back into what you do best, managing your facility.
For more information, visit http://4sightsolution.4frontes.com/.
As a loading dock equipment manufacturer, a lot of our focus is spent in and around the loading dock area. However, there is a lot more to material handling than just the loading dock. When you're considering all the products that go into the supply chain process in the warehouse or distribution center, it's sometimes required to "think outside the box" - or in this case, think outside the dock.
How's Your Air Circulation?
Proper air circulation and employee comfort is essential in warehouses. When you're dealing with tens or even hundreds of thousands of square feet, trying to maintain temperature control and proper air circulation can be a challenge. Installing HVLS fans can help maintain a consistent temperature in your facility, and do so using minimal electricity. HVLS fans work in all seasons, effectively circulating air and increasing worker comfort.
Bring the Work to the Worker
Lift Tables help promote an ergonomically-friendly work environment, bring the work to the worker. Lift tables and in plant lifts can be found throughout a facility, making it easier to load and store products. There are even lifts that lower to ground level for easier loading of wheeled carts or pallet jacks. The best type of ground level lift is one that doesn't require a pit to be dug in your warehouse, providing location flexibility.
See the Light
Warehouse lighting can be a costly yet crucial part of your operation. A properly lit warehouse can reduce energy and operating costs, while increasing worker safety, productivity and overall security. There is a variety of different types of warehouse lighting, including flourescent, metal halide and high pressure sodium fixtures. Adding motion sensors can help reduce energy consumption even more.
Thinking Outside the Dock
So, when you're looking at your overall operation and trying to find ways to improve productivity or reduce costs, it can pay to think outside the dock. If you'd like more information on how to make your facility as efficient as possible, you can schedule an appointment with one of our warehouse specialists, who will take a look at your whole facility and provide you with solutions that fit your needs.
Saving energy has become one of the top priorities for companies today. However, one of the more overlooked places for saving energy is the loading dock. In a recent study by the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA), only seven percent of people surveyed identified loading dock equipment as playing a role in the sustainability game. Here are 8 ways to help save energy at your loading dock.
1. Dock Doors: Forklift damage can cause major gaps around your dock doors, especially if you use standard sectional doors. Replacing the bottom panel of your overhead door with a flexible bottom panel is a cost-effective way to save your doors. You can also install fully impactable dock doors to keep air from escaping.
2. Delivery Schedules: Using a Dock Management System in combination with a Yard Management System will help keep your dock running smoothly, preventing doors from being open too long. Properly scheduling trailer loads also reduces idling time and fuel waste.
3. Compression Seals: To get the best seal around your dock doorway, use overhead doors with double-loop compression seals that are attached to the door panel instead of the jamb. This keeps the seals out of harm's way, and helps keep your dock more effectively sealed.
4. Dock Leveler Seals: If your loading dock has pit style levelers, air can be escaping around them, costing you energy. By using a weatherseal system on your levelers, you prevent conditioned air from escaping, helping regulate the temperature of your dock.
5. Dock Seals: Using dock shelters or seals help keep conditioned air inside a facility when a trailer is at the dock.
6. Restraints: Vehicle restraints play a role in energy efficiency as well. With the right vehicle or wheel restraint, the trailer is held securely to the dock, preventing air from escaping around the sides of the trailer.
7. HVLS Fans: High Volume Low Speed fans help effectively circulate air both in the summer and winter, enabling you to adjust your thermostat and save energy. They also require very little electrical draw, and some models even use solar power, reducing your carbon footprint even more.
8. LED Lighting: Switching out incandescent lightbulbs for LED docklights can reduce energy consumption by as much as 69%.
These are just a few ways that companies can save energy at the loading dock, reducing their company's carbon footprint and increasing their bottom line. Do you have more suggestions? Let us know in the comments of other ways to increase sustainability at your loading dock.
The 4th of July is a great time for gathering with family, enjoying a cookout and watching fireworks. It’s also a great time to reflect back on the history of our country and what makes it so great. Nearly 250 years ago, a group of people decided to create a country based on the possibility that anyone who worked hard enough could achieve the goals they set for themselves.
Since that time, our country has become a leader in industry, innovation, and forward thinking. From the first colonial cities, to the first automobile assembly line, to today’s globalization through social media and the internet, America has been at the forefront of it all.
And, for nearly 60 years, 4Front Engineered Solutions has been putting that American dream into practice. We are proud of the innovations we have created to help make loading docks and warehouses safer, more productive and more energy efficient. And we are thankful to be headquartered in a country that provides us the opportunity to continue developing new solutions to help other companies be the best they can be.
This country was founded on the principles of freedom, innovation, and hard work. As we look back on this Independence Day weekend, we can also look forward to a future full of possibilities.
On behalf of everyone here at 4Front, we wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend. Happy Birthday, America!
Let’s face it: we all want to make our facilities more energy-efficient. The problem is, many times we don’t have the budget to make major changes that can affect our facility’s energy consumption. So what can we do during belt-tightening times that will still have an impact on reducing our carbon footprints (not to mention our energy bills)?
As the saying goes, start by picking the “low-hanging fruit.” These are the things that require the least amount of effort to do, and can still make a difference. Here are some quick fixes that can help increase energy efficiency at the loading dock.
Save your doors. Every time your dock door is damaged, it lets more and more energy escape around it. If you don’t have the budget for a new set of dock doors, you can at least add a flexible bottom door panel to help prevent dock door damage and save energy.
Seal up your levelers. If you’ve got pit-style dock levelers at your facility, you could be letting your temperature-controlled air right out of the dock. Rather than filling in the pits or replacing all of your levelers, you can install a seal around the leveler perimeter to prevent air from escaping or infiltrating.
In a perfect world, we would outfit our warehouses with the top-of-the-line insulated doors, HVLS fans and Yard Management Systems to cut down on idling trailers in the yard. But, until your company provides you with the budget to do these things, there’s no use just waiting around and wasting more energy at your facility. By installing these simple, inexpensive and effective products, you can pick off the low-hanging fruit that will make a difference to your company’s bottom line.