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There will always be an increased demand for warehouse equipment over the Christmas period, but what exactly is the demand for? Where the first piece of material handling machinery that comes to mind might be a forklift, a reach truck or even an order picker, you’ll actually find that one of the most sought after pieces of warehouse equipment, whether powered or not, is the pallet truck.
As an affordable, versatile and highly-compact alternative to a forklift, pallet trucks are always in high demand around the festive season. This is because they can ensure maximum productivity and efficiency for a fraction of the cost of a high-powered forklift. Where some warehouse owners might opt for forklift hire to relieve some of the pressure felt by warehouse workers, others find more permanent solutions to their incredibly busy operations – the humble pallet truck.
But is the demand for pallet trucks still growing or has it eased off over the years? In short, the need for pallet truck implementation has never been greater, especially with the rise of ecommerce and online shopping. An increasing number of consumers are doing their Christmas shopping online and the numbers aren’t set to fall any time soon.
Essentially, a pallet truck could be the reasonably-priced solution you’ve been looking for and you might have to purchase one (or more) sooner rather than later if you want to beat the warehouse Christmas rush.
Should I invest in pallet trucks over the Christmas period?
There are a number of industries who would benefit more from pallet truck implementation over the Christmas season. According to Midland Pallet Trucks, the industries who should seriously look into the purchase of a pallet truck or pallet truck hire include:
- Warehousing
- Manufacturing
- Factory environments
- Retail
- Catering
- Ecommerce
Midland Pallet Trucks predicts that the aforementioned industries will start to face challenges the likes of which haven’t been seen before and all because of the increased need to do Christmas shopping online. Lockdowns and other restrictions had forced consumers to take a different approach when purchasing gifts for their loved ones, with more people than ever before turning to the internet.
But where the consumer will benefit from ordering presents online as opposed to venturing out to the shops, there’ll be knock-on impacts for those working in the worst affected industries, such as those listed above.
Phil Chesworth, the Managing Director of Midland Pallet Trucks said that;
“helping to rebuild the retail industry during times of uncertainty is essential and critical for the UK’s economy, but this can only happen when staff across manufacturing and warehousing businesses can stay safe. It’s crucial that as the festive season commences ahead of schedule, workers have access to comprehensive training and materials handling equipment, such as hand pallet trucks and lift tables, particularly new staff that have been brought on in anticipation of a Christmas surge. I urge any warehouse and retail managers to reassess their materials handling needs and anticipate greater stock and pallet columns as we prepare for the festive season.”
Phil Chesworth, Managing Director at Pallet Trucks UK, has the same thoughts as Chesworth when it comes to the implementation of pallet trucks over the festive period, stating that;
“Christmas is, of course, traditionally the busiest time of year for businesses in the retail sector, as well as many other related industries. We’d like to urge organisations hoping to profit from the Christmas rush to ensure their equipment is of the highest standard. During such busy times, businesses don’t want to be experiencing dips in productivity due to faulty or damaged equipment – they’ll need to have plenty of spares and extra equipment on standby to step in and keep productivity levels high.”
How to prepare for the Christmas rush with a pallet truck
The Christmas season has always been an incredibly busy time for many different industries, but more so in warehouses. As the demand for goods grows, staff members usually start to take overtime hours in order to combat the festive rush, but this often means that there aren’t enough machines available to go around, but that problem can be mitigated if you purchase a pallet truck.
Where buying a pallet truck is far more affordable than buying a forklift outright, more so if you buy a used pallet truck, you might only have a limited amount of space and so that’s where pallet truck hire comes in. You’ll be able to rent a pallet truck from us here at Multy Lift, for as long as you’d like, and we’ll pick it up when you’re finished, leaving your premises as clean, tidy and clutter-free as it was prior to Christmas.
If you’re interested in purchasing a pallet truck to combat the Christmas rush this year, whether it be new or used or if you’d rather hire a pallet truck from us here at Multy Lift, then get in touch with a member of our expert team today – we’ll always be on hand to help.
