Automatic Truck Loading and Unloading System
Shift away from long loading times
Operations leaders know that workers doing repetitive, manual tasks means risking injury, product damage, and backed-up supply chains. Automatic truck loading and unloading systems eliminate repetitive work by utilizing conveyors and software programming to speed up your loading docks so you and your team can accomplish more.
Slow docks mean less options
When you’re shipping and receiving truckloads of goods, you need to do so quickly. The longer it takes you to receive and put away products or raw materials, the less flexibility you have to respond to orders as they come in. And with customers expecting orders faster than ever, you run the risk of disappointing customers when unprocessed orders are waiting to go out.
Boost efficiency with an automated truck loading system
Unloading a truck manually takes time. An automatic loading and unloading system can do that same work in 10 minutes. ISD designs automated truck loading systems that reduce product damage, increase safety, and help you get more goods in and out of your facility, faster.
Win back your time — and your space
Automatic truck loading and unloading systems are safer and more efficient, with conveyors and AGVs moving around heavy pallets instead of workers doing that labor. But it’s not just time they save, especially when used in conjunction with an automated transport and logistics (ATL) system. With more efficient loading docks, you can reduce the square footage of your docking area and use that space to fulfill more orders.
Saving labor on the manufacturing facility floor
Congested loading docks with chaotic movement of people and forklifts means higher likelihood of accidents and injuries. Additionally, more labor and space are required to efficiently move goods out of the facility. Given that many manufacturing facilities follow fixed routes for transporting goods, such as from the factory to the client’s warehouse or from production to distribution facilities, automating the loading and unloading process with ATL systems becomes a leading solution.
Automated solutions that significantly reduce your labor needs at the dock door include:
Conveyorized trailers
Conveyorized trailers. For trucks to facilitate automated loading and unloading processes, it’s essential that their trailers are fitted with conveyors to transport goods from the factory floor onto the trucks for shipment. ISD works with leading conveyorized trailer manufacturers to identify the optimal solution for your operation and seamlessly integrate it into your current systems.
Robotic truck unloaders
Robotic truck unloaders. These machines take over some of the hardest, most repetitive work in your operation. Mobile, programmable bases and robotic arms fitted with different grips are designed to unload materials as they come in, placing them safely on a conveyor to be delivered into your facility. Sensors reduce product damage from incorrect material handling and sort as needed to keep goods moving.
AGVs
AGVs. Automation solutions fit together like puzzle pieces. Many automatic truck loading and unloading systems work with autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) to get products to and from the docking area safely. If the routing process is manually repeated within your operational framework, an AGV can seamlessly undertake this task.
Save time at the loading dock with an automated truck loading system
Automating the manual, inefficient parts of your manufacturing operation enables you to meet customer expectations, including just-in-time orders and complicated customization.
Reduce tough labor in your warehouse
Every warehouse is different. An automated truck loading and unloading system that works in a manufacturing facility, where trucks go back and forth to the same set locations, might not work in a distribution facility that is working with multiple carriers to send packages all over the country. That’s why ISD adapts automation systems to fit your warehouse.
Connect conveyors to trucks for faster fulfillment
Speed up standard processes
With a product mix spanning thousands of items, the automation driving your warehouse operation needs to be custom. As the products sent and received will vary for each shipment, human operators are crucial in overseeing operations — but conveyors can reduce the manual workload. That allows goods to get out the door faster.
Technology custom-fit to your operation
Top automated solutions for warehouse loading docks include telescopic conveyors or extendable conveyors, which are conveyors equipped with stable bases and adaptable, sliding extensions. They allow the incorporation of automation to the loading and unloading process, no matter what products, carriers, or truck types you’re working with. Instead of having to customize trailers with conveyors, these conveyors provide maximum flexibility with minimal installation.
Save work (and workers)
Imagine a distribution center where workers are manually carrying packages in and out of a truck, two or three at a time. Making dozens of trips from the loading dock into the truck is tiring, strenuous work. Now picture a conveyor that extends from carrier trucks into your facility. Instead of walking 40 feet for each package, workers can efficiently grab, load, and turn to take the next in just three steps.
Simplify hiring
With automated truck loading systems reducing the need for workers to handle manual pallet loading and forklift traffic, you’ll be able to widen your search for team members — and offer them better, safer job opportunities
Is your fulfillment operation ready for more efficient, more ergonomic work at the dock door?
Custom conveyors combined with truck management software reduce loading times across containers, trailers, and carriers.
Not Sure Where to Get Started with Automation?
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Related Resources
Related Solutions
Automated Storage & Retrieval
Conveyor Systems
Packing Systems
Shipping Systems
Cubing & Weighing
Storage
Pallet Management
Talk with an Automation Expert
Automating the ins and outs
Material handling operations are evolving to be able to more, more reliably, with less labor. An automated truck loading system replaces dangerous, repetitive labor with technology solutions that keep your docking area safe, small, and streamlined. Ready for us to design yours?
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