In many manufacturing facilities, workers are often required to lift, move, and position large barrels filled with raw materials, chemicals, liquids, or finished products. These tasks can be highly physically demanding without the proper equipment, leading to exhaustion, strain, and potential injury. A barrel lifter becomes extremely useful; eliminating the need for manual handling, reducing the risk of injuries, and enabling smoother, faster movement of materials.
At Cherry Picker, we offer a wide range of lifting and handling equipment to improve operations in manufacturing facilities, including barrel lifters available for sale. In this post, we’ll explore how barrel lifters can enhance operations in manufacturing facilities and the common challenges they help avoid.
What Can a Barrel Lifter Be Used For in a Manufacturing Facility?
In a manufacturing facility, a barrel lifter is primarily used for the process of lifting, moving, and positioning heavy barrels or containers. These barrels often can hold raw materials, chemicals, liquids, or finished products that are difficult to handle manually. The barrel lifter allows workers to safely move barrels from one location to another, whether it’s for storage, dispensing, or preparation for further processing.
Barrel lifters are also used to rotate or tilt barrels, making it easier to dispense or transfer contents into other containers or equipment. This is especially useful in industries such as food processing, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, where precise control of liquid or powdered materials is necessary. Below, we share five ways incorporating a barrel lifter can improve operations in a manufacturing facility, enhancing workflow and easing tasks for teams:
How a Barrel Lifter Improves Operations in a Manufacturing Facility
Enhanced Worker Safety
A barrel lifter can greatly improve worker safety in manufacturing facilities by eliminating the need for manual lifting, which reduces the risk of back injuries and other strains. Since workers no longer need to physically lift or move heavy barrels, the chances of accidents or repetitive strain injuries are significantly decreased. This helps maintain a safer work environment and reduces time lost to worker injuries, improving overall facility productivity.
Increased Efficiency
Barrel lifters also increase efficiency by enabling faster and more efficient material handling. Instead of requiring multiple workers to lift and move barrels manually, one worker can easily operate the barrel lifter to lift, rotate, or position barrels quickly and safely. This allows workers to focus on other tasks, speeding up production times and improving throughput, ultimately contributing to higher overall facility efficiency.
Reduced Risk of Spills and Contamination
In industries where barrels contain liquids, powders, or chemicals, barrel lifters help prevent spills and contamination. By providing controlled lifting and tilting motions, barrel lifters ensure that the contents of barrels are transferred safely and accurately without leaks. This is crucial in industries like food production or pharmaceuticals, where even minor spills could lead to significant waste, contamination, or quality control issues.
Improved Storage Management
Barrel lifters also help in optimising storage space by allowing for the safe stacking and precise placement of barrels. They can lift barrels to higher storage levels without the need for additional personnel or equipment, freeing up valuable floor space. This efficient use of space ensures that materials are stored in an organised, safe manner, making it easier to retrieve barrels as needed and maintaining an orderly work environment.
Cost Savings and Time Efficiency
Using a barrel lifter in a manufacturing facility also helps reduce labour costs by eliminating the need for multiple workers to manually handle heavy barrels. With more efficient handling and reduced injury rates, the facility may be able to lower staffing levels or working hours. Faster processing times and less time spent manually moving materials lead to significant time savings, ultimately improving the facility’s financial performance.
Common Problems a Barrel Lifter Removes in a Manufacturing Facility
By purchasing a barrel lifter to enhance manufacturing operations, you can avoid many common problems that might occur. From injuries and spills to slow handling, these issues can be resolved with the use of a barrel lifter. Below, we share some common problems that a barrel lifter helps to address:
- Manual Lifting Injuries: One of the primary issues barrel lifters address is the physical strain caused by manual lifting. Lifting heavy barrels repeatedly can lead to lots of different injuries, including back, shoulder, and wrist problems. By using a barrel lifter, this risk is virtually eliminated, ensuring that workers don’t have to carry the weight of the barrel manually.
- Product Contamination and Spills: Another problem eliminated by barrel lifters is the risk of product contamination or spills during the movement or dispensing of barrel contents. Manual handling often leads to tipping, spilling, or mishandling, especially when barrels are large and heavy. Barrel lifters allow for precise control when tilting or rotating barrels, minimising the chances of accidental spills.
- Inefficient Material Handling: Manual barrel handling can also be very slow and inefficient, often leading to delays in the manufacturing process. Barrel lifters remove this inefficiency by enabling workers to move and position barrels quickly and easily, speeding up the workflow. This improvement ensures that materials are handled and processed faster, helping the manufacturing facility maintain a continuous production pace.
Barrel Lifters for Sale in Ireland
At Cherry Picker, we are a leading Irish supplier of powered access machinery, offering a wide range of lifting and handling equipment for sale, including barrel lifters. Our high-quality stainless steel barrel lifters are designed to handle barrels of all types and sizes, making them ideal for use in manufacturing facilities. Our barrel lifters are also competitively priced, providing excellent value for money and we also offer servicing and repairs. For further information about our barrel lifters for sale at Cherry Picker, please fill out our contact form, or call the team directly on +353 86 2557755.