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C O V E R S T O R Y Warehouse Manager's Handbook: 2013 Finding high-tech savings in traditionally low-tech places. B y E R I C S A C H A R S K I I n today's economy where costs are at or near all-time highs and profts are fghting to rebound, warehouse managers are forced to look at the bottom line on just about everything in order to fnd areas for new efciencies and cost savings. In the days of bloated budgets, new capital expenditures were routine, but now companies are looking in every corner of the warehouse to fnd somewhere to shave costs without incurring big upfront costs in return. Innovations in doors, racks, seals and shelters and other long forgotten items in the warehouse often offer greater value these days than ever before, with more and more companies choosing to update these and other areas of the warehouses for an improved bottom line at the end of the year. Here's a quick run-down on some of the easy to implement and affordable "low-tech" items that warehous managers are eyeing these days--items that offer an immediate impact on operations and faster returns on investment than robotics, automation and other more expensive high-tech products. Impactable doors catching on In food and beverage settings it's important to maintain a "seal" on the facility to prevent contamination and spoilage, so whenever an overhead door is damaged it can compromise the facility in many ways. That is why more warehouses are focusing on the doors on the warehouse for cost savings, upgrading to impactable doors that eliminate damage and doors that utilize advances in speed to keep cold storage environments sealed and resealed quickly. "In facilities where the temperature is zero or below, on the other side of the wall there can be a difference of 30 degrees or more," said Kurt Angermeier of Rytec High Peformance Doors. "The door's quick open/ close operation helps contain and control I Knew We Had to Have That LDF builds a state-of-the-art warehouse in Wichita. S everal years ago when LDF Sales and Distributing, Inc., a Wichita-based wholesale distributer of Coors, Miller, Red Bull and other beverages, decided to more than double the size of its flagship Wichita warehouse, LDF's Vice President-Project Development Gary Fleming saw the expansion as an opportunity to upgrade the facility's equipment with the latest, leading-edge products for everything from materials handling operations to refrigeration, energy and air quality control. "With this expansion, we wanted to turn an old building into a modern, high-tech building," said Fleming. "That meant lots of safety and green features, including security, pressure and temperature control upgrades." At the suggestion of facilities consultant Steve Baker of Acme Dock Specialists, Fleming got in touch with beverage industry specialist Ken Markham of RiteHite and took advantage of Rite-Hite's "Fly-In" program to visit their Milwaukee headquarters to see the products in person. Doors, HVLS fans and dock levelers Rite-HiteÕs FasTrax high-speed doors were one way LDF updated their facilities to make them more energy-efficient. 18 OCTOBER 2013 • FOOD LOGISTICS With an initial interest in vertical storing dock levelers on the trip to Rite-Hite, Fleming soon found himself intrigued by a number of other products, particularly the energy efficiency benefits of Frommelt's dock shelters and Rite-Hite's high speed doors and high volume, low speed (HVLS) fans. "It gets pretty warm in Wichita, and we always had issues with dead air spaces in the old warehouse," said Fleming. "Anything that could simply and efficiently move conditioned air around the facility was of great interest to us." The visit also included a demo of Rite-Hite's FasTrax high-speed doors. Boasting the industry's fastest cycle times, they are capable of operating at speeds of up to 100 inches per second to maximize productivity, safety and energy efficiency. The doors are also impactable, a feature that definitely caught Fleming's eye. "When I saw them drive a forklift right into the door and it reloaded back onto its tracks, I knew we had to have that," said Fleming. Of course, the trip also included a www.foodlogistics.com