Materials Handling in Public Refrigerated Warehouses

Excerpts from the report Preface: Large advances in productivity are sometimes achieved by revolutionary techniques; but small increments of improvement, in method and devices, have a cumulative effect that often outweighs the more spectacular innovations. Since public refrigerated warehouses are the concentration points for millions of tons of commodities each year, many man-hours are expended in handling this huge volume. Improvements in handling techniques resulting in increased labor productivity are of great benefit to producer, warehouseman, distributor, and consumer when adopted throughout the industry. This report, one of a series on handling food, was developed primarily to guide operators of public refrigerated warehouses in reducing the labor and costs required for various physical handling and warehouse operations. It outlines some of the methods for obtaining increased productivity while minimizing worker fatigue. Although it deals with refrigerated warehouses, the results of the study are applicable to other types of warehousing. The report is intended as a manual or guide for plant managers and other supervisory workers. Therefore, the methods, types of equipment used, and conditions influencing their use are described in considerable detail.