Every material-handling challenge starts with a problem.
You may need to fit more inventory into an existing warehouse. Heavy components may be difficult to position at a workstation. Loading docks may be slowing receiving and shipping. Employees may be repeatedly bending, lifting or reaching. Or your operation may have a handling challenge that standard equipment simply does not address.
Fredon Handling helps manufacturers, warehouses, distribution operations and industrial facilities identify practical material handling solutions built around the way their operations actually work.
Rather than beginning with a particular piece of equipment, we begin with the application: what you need to store, lift, move, position or improve.
Material Handling Solutions Built Around Your Operation
The right solution depends on the material, workflow, facility and people involved.
Fredon Handling can help address challenges involving:
- Material positioning
- Warehouse storage
- Ergonomic material handling
- Facility space utilization
- Loading dock operations
- Overhead lifting
- Custom material handling
- Production workflow
- Industrial storage
- Heavy-load positioning
Explore our primary material handling solution areas below.
Material Positioning Solutions
Getting material from one location to another is only part of the challenge. In many operations, the material must also be raised, lowered, rotated, tilted or positioned at exactly the right height and orientation.
Material positioning solutions may include:
- Hydraulic lift tables
- Pallet positioners
- Tilt tables
- Turntables
- Cranes and hoists
- Integrated workstation equipment
These systems can support assembly, production, pallet handling, packaging, inspection and machine-loading applications.
Explore Material Positioning Solutions →
Warehouse Storage Solutions
Warehouse storage should balance capacity, accessibility and material flow.
Fredon Handling can help facilities evaluate storage systems based on inventory, pallet quantities, SKU count, forklift access, picking requirements and available space.
Warehouse storage solutions may include:
- Pallet racking
- Industrial shelving
- Cantilever racking
- High-density storage
- Parts storage
- Mezzanines
- Vertical storage
- Warehouse layout improvements
The goal is not simply to fit more products into the building. It is to create a storage system that supports the way inventory actually moves through the operation.
Explore Warehouse Storage Solutions →
Ergonomic Material Handling Solutions
Material-handling tasks frequently require employees to bend, reach, lift, rotate, push, pull or reposition loads.
Ergonomic material handling focuses on improving how materials are presented and positioned so employees can perform the work with less unnecessary movement.
Potential solutions may include:
- Hydraulic lift tables
- Pallet positioners
- Tilt tables
- Turntables
- Industrial workstations
- Jib cranes
- Workstation bridge cranes
- Drum handling equipment
The best solution begins with understanding the complete task rather than simply selecting a piece of equipment.
Explore Ergonomic Material Handling Solutions →
Industrial Space Optimization
Running out of floor space does not always mean a facility needs to expand.
Warehouses and manufacturing plants often have underused capacity within their existing vertical space, storage systems and facility layout.
Space optimization solutions may include:
- Pallet racking reconfiguration
- Industrial shelving
- Mezzanines
- Vertical storage
- Parts storage
- Better staging
- Improved workstation layouts
- Warehouse layout changes
Fredon Handling can help evaluate how your existing space is being used and identify opportunities for increasing usable capacity.
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Loading Dock Solutions
The loading dock connects your facility with the transportation network bringing materials in and taking finished products out.
Problems at the dock can affect receiving, shipping, forklift movement, staging and the entire warehouse operation.
Loading dock solutions may include:
- Hydraulic dock levelers
- Mechanical dock levelers
- Edge-of-dock levelers
- Vehicle restraints
- Dock locks
- Dock seals
- Dock shelters
- Retrofit and replacement equipment
A complete dock review should consider trailer configurations, dock dimensions, loading frequency, material flow and the equipment operating around the dock.
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Overhead Material Handling Solutions
Heavy or awkward materials may be difficult to move efficiently using floor-based equipment alone.
Overhead handling systems allow loads to be lifted and positioned above the facility floor while supporting manufacturing, assembly, maintenance and machine-loading operations.
Solutions may include:
- Workstation bridge cranes
- Jib cranes
- Gantry cranes
- Monorail systems
- Industrial hoists
- Below-the-hook lifting devices
- Application-specific lifting systems
The appropriate system depends on load weight, movement, coverage area, lift height and facility conditions.
Explore Overhead Material Handling Solutions →
Custom Material Handling Solutions
Some material-handling problems do not fit neatly into standard equipment categories.
Unique loads, specialized production processes, restricted space or complex movement requirements may require equipment to be configured specifically around the application.
Custom material handling solutions may combine:
- Lifting equipment
- Material positioning
- Industrial workstations
- Storage systems
- Drum handling
- Overhead handling
- Conveyors
- Existing production equipment
Sometimes the solution is a custom piece of equipment. In other cases, standard equipment can be integrated in a better way.
Explore Custom Material Handling Solutions →
Start With the Problem, Not the Product
A material-handling project should begin with understanding what needs to improve.
For example, a facility may say:
“We need another warehouse.”
But the actual problem may be poor storage density and unused vertical space.
Another facility may say:
“We need a forklift.”
But the real challenge may be repeatedly positioning a heavy component at one workstation.
Starting with the operational problem helps avoid choosing equipment simply because it is familiar.
What Are You Trying to Improve?
Material-handling problems commonly fall into several areas.
We Need More Storage Capacity
Potential solutions may include pallet racking, industrial shelving, mezzanines, parts storage and warehouse layout improvements.
We Need to Position Heavy Materials
Hydraulic lifts, pallet positioners, turntables, cranes and hoists may help depending on the movement required.
We Need to Reduce Manual Handling
Material positioning equipment, ergonomic workstations and overhead lifting systems may help reduce unnecessary manual lifting and repositioning.
We Need More Facility Space
Mezzanines, vertical storage, improved rack layouts and better use of existing floor space may provide additional capacity.
Our Loading Dock Needs Improvement
Dock levelers, vehicle restraints, dock seals, shelters and workflow improvements may help address receiving and shipping challenges.
We Need to Handle a Heavy or Unusual Load
Cranes, hoists, below-the-hook devices, lift tables or custom equipment may be appropriate.
Standard Equipment Does Not Fit the Application
A custom or integrated material handling solution may provide a better answer.
Material Handling Solutions for Manufacturing
Manufacturing facilities often require several material-handling systems to work together.
A single production process might use:
Pallet racking for raw material storage.
Industrial shelving for smaller components.
A hydraulic lift table for pallet positioning.
An industrial workstation for assembly.
A jib crane for heavy components.
A loading dock system for receiving and shipping.
Each piece serves a different purpose, but together they form the material-handling process.
Fredon Handling can help evaluate those connections rather than looking at equipment in isolation.
Material Handling Solutions for Warehouses
Warehouses rely on efficient movement between:
Receiving → Storage → Picking → Staging → Shipping
Material handling solutions can help improve:
- Storage capacity
- Picking accessibility
- Forklift movement
- Product organization
- Staging
- Dock operations
- Space utilization
The strongest warehouse solution considers how inventory moves through the entire facility.
Material Handling Solutions for Better Facility Flow
Many industrial problems are not actually equipment problems.
They are flow problems.
Materials may travel too far.
Employees may handle the same product multiple times.
Parts may be stored far from where they are used.
Forklifts may wait for access to congested work areas.
Products may accumulate in staging areas.
Improving material flow often requires looking at the entire process before selecting equipment.
How Fredon Handling Approaches a Material Handling Application
Understand the Material
We begin with what is being handled.
Important factors can include:
- Weight
- Dimensions
- Shape
- Packaging
- Stability
- Quantity
Understand the Movement
Where does the material begin?
Where does it need to go?
Does it need to be:
- Lifted
- Lowered
- Stored
- Rotated
- Tilted
- Transported
- Positioned
- Staged
Understand the Facility
The solution must fit the actual building.
Considerations may include:
- Floor space
- Ceiling height
- Columns
- Aisles
- Machinery
- Loading docks
- Workstations
- Existing storage
Understand the People
We also consider how employees interact with the material.
This may involve:
- Working height
- Reach
- Repetition
- Manual handling
- Tool use
- Equipment controls
Identify the Practical Solution
Once the application is understood, the appropriate equipment becomes easier to evaluate.
The objective is not to install the most equipment.
It is to find the most practical way to solve the material-handling problem.
Material Handling Equipment That Can Be Part of the Solution
Fredon Handling provides equipment across several major categories:
- Pallet racking and industrial shelving
- Hydraulic lift tables
- Industrial workstations
- Loading dock equipment
- Cranes and hoists
- Industrial mezzanines
- Drum handling equipment
- Material positioning equipment
- Custom handling systems
Depending on the application, one or several equipment categories may be involved.
Frequently Asked Questions About Material Handling Solutions
What is a material handling solution?
A material handling solution is a combination of equipment, layout and operating practices designed to improve how materials are stored, lifted, moved, positioned or handled within an industrial facility.
What types of material handling problems can Fredon help solve?
Fredon Handling can help with storage, material positioning, ergonomics, space utilization, loading docks, overhead lifting, specialized handling and custom material-handling applications.
Do I need to know exactly what equipment I need before contacting Fredon?
No. In many cases, it is better to begin with the problem you are trying to solve rather than selecting equipment first.
Can several types of equipment be combined into one solution?
Yes. Many industrial applications require several systems working together, such as racking, lift tables, workstations and overhead cranes.
Can material handling equipment help improve warehouse space?
Yes. Racking, shelving, mezzanines and storage layout improvements can help facilities make better use of existing floor and vertical space.
Does Fredon provide custom material handling solutions?
Fredon Handling can help evaluate applications where standard equipment may need to be configured, integrated or supplemented to address unusual handling requirements.
Find the Right Solution for Your Facility
You do not need to begin with an equipment model or product category.
Start with the problem.
Tell Fredon Handling what you need to store, move, lift or position, what is happening now and what you would like to improve.
We can help evaluate the application and identify material handling solutions suited to your facility and operation.