May 16, 2024 Industrial Caster Selection & Maintenance Best Practices

Ergonomic caster designs can reduce push forces by up to 55%, enhancing productivity and minimizing injury risk.

By Doug Backinger, Senior VP, Solutions Engineering & Innovation, Caster Concepts

In the current economic climate, where tight labor markets and high capital costs are prevalent, optimizing workplace efficiency within manufacturing is more crucial than ever. This best practices guide focuses on the strategic selection, maintenance, and usage of caster wheels to enhance safety, associate satisfaction, and profitability in the workplace.

Best Practice #1: Proper Heavy Duty Caster Wheel Selection

To effectively address the challenges in today’s workplace, particularly in reducing operator strain injury risk and caster life optimization, a strategic approach towards the selection of caster wheels is essential. It is important to minimize the force required to push or maneuver equipment, while simultaneously choosing materials that optimize wheel life for the floor conditions and movement speed. This can be achieved by selecting caster wheels tailored to specific operational demands. Heavy-duty and ergonomic caster designs play a pivotal role achieving these goals, understanding the engineering tradeoffs ensures your casters will withstand rigorous use while providing ease of movement.

Manufacturing managers should ensure a careful assessment is made of the workplace’s unique requirements, ensuring that the chosen caster wheels align perfectly with the intended use. This requires considering factors such as the weight of the load, the type of flooring, and the overall work environment. By opting for heavy-duty casters, businesses can handle larger, more demanding loads with ease. Additionally, ergonomic caster designs are crucial in preventing workplace injuries. These designs can reduce the physical push force effort required by employees by up to 55%, thereby enhancing their productivity and minimizing injury risk.

This approach not only facilitates smoother operations but also contributes to the health and safety of the workforce by reducing the risk of strain injuries. In the long run, this strategy proves beneficial in enhancing overall productivity and reducing operational costs, a vital consideration in today’s fast-paced and economically challenging work environments.

Best Practice #2: Regular Maintenance and Inspection

To ensure continuous productivity and safety in the workplace, manufacturing leaders need to take a proactive approach towards equipment maintenance. Regularly conducting checks on caster wheels is a vital action that can greatly contribute to this objective. These routine inspections should focus on identifying and addressing common issues such as wear and tear, wheel blockages, and cart overloading. By vigilantly monitoring and resolving these issues, potential accidents can be prevented, thus maintaining a high level of operational efficiency and safety. For facilities where processing debris like metal shavings makes it way to the shop floor, using caster wheel wipers or sweepers can help minimize wheel damage and prolong caster life.

This practice not only helps in keeping the equipment in optimal condition but also plays a significant role in safeguarding the well-being of employees and the smooth functioning of workplace operations.

Best Practice #3: Training Employees with Specific Focus on Safe Materials Handling

To cultivate a safer and more efficient work environment, manufacturers need to provide timely and comprehensive training in material handling best practices. This training should encompass a thorough understanding of the proper use of carts and the maintenance of caster wheels. By equipping employees with this knowledge, they become more adept at handling equipment safely and efficiently, which not only enhances workplace safety but also boosts overall productivity. Such training ensures that all personnel are aware of the best practices in material handling, contributing to a well-informed and safety-conscious work culture.

Best Practice #4: Plan to Consider Autonomous Solutions

Embracing autonomous solutions presents a strategic opportunity to enhance both safety and operational efficiency in the workplace. The objective is to leverage the advanced capabilities of autonomous systems, which necessitates a careful comparison with traditional manual push carts. This comparison should take into account several critical factors, such as the size of the manufacturing facility, the types of materials being handled, distance of material movement and the availability of staff. By evaluating these elements, businesses can determine the most effective and efficient material handling methods. The adoption of autonomous systems, when aligned with specific operational needs, can significantly improve the safety and efficiency of workflows, offering a modern solution to traditional material handling challenges.

Closing

These best practices in manufacturing underscore the vital importance of strategic caster wheel selection, maintenance, and usage in enhancing workplace efficiency, safety, and profitability, especially in today’s economy marked by tight labor markets and high capital costs. Overall, these practices collectively contribute to a more productive, safe, and cost-efficient workplace, addressing the challenges faced in the current economic landscape.

About the Author:
Doug Backinger, Senior VP, Solutions Engineering & Innovation, brings a well-rounded background of outstanding leadership and engineering expertise to the Caster Concepts team. Under his direction, the company has grown and become a valuable material-handling resource to customers globally. With the ability to integrate a lean Six Sigma methodology combined with his intuitive knowledge of solving material handling challenges, Doug ensures Caster Concepts’ quality products meet the specific needs of a wide range of applications and industries.

Doug started at Caster Concepts as a college intern and continued on to become an indispensable and hard-working full-time member of the company’s engineering team. He accomplished all this while completing both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in engineering and manufacturing.

Doug was instrumental in leading advanced processes as head of the quality department at Caster Concepts. He also led the team to secure ISO 9001 and AS 9100 certifications for Aerol, the company’s latest acquisition of precision casters and ground support equipment for the military and other industries. He also co-authored an award-winning article entitled: Predictive Product Failure Models for Polyurethane Trends. Doug’s leadership and insights have been instrumental in the growth of Caster Concepts and its future success.

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