Lean manufacturing is all about getting the maximum productivity and the least waste out of a business — whether that’s waste in time, movement, materials, human labor, etc. One such piece of equipment that makes complete sense in this vein, is the hydraulic scissor lift table. Lift tables provide assistance in bringing material to the work area, while also reducing the musculoskeletal stresses, which fit perfectly into the lean manufacturing model which many production facilities already follow.
Minimizing Motion Waste
In a typical manufacturing environment, workers are required to bend, lift, twist, or walk multiple times in picking or placing parts. These repeated actions inhibit productivity and lead to fatigue or injury. A hydraulic scissor lift table prevents unnecessary lifting, bending and reaching by placing materials at an ergonomic work height and position. Workers can stay in one efficient, convenient, ergonomically healthy place because they can adjust the lift platform to suit their individual task, increasing both efficiency and safety.
Less motion waste equals faster cycle times and a leveller workload when managing the production line.
Raising the Bar on Workplace Ergonomics
Lean manufacturing also concentrates on developing standardized, efficient workstations. Ergonomics is one of the essential parts of this procedure. Low quality of the workstation may cause variations in results, slow task execution time and higher risks of accident.
Raising or lowering workpieces with a hydraulic scissor lift table to the correct working height, to allow the operator to maintain a good posture and save effort. This is certainly good for the well-being of the worker, and it contributes to a higher level of output consistency, efficiently meeting one of the goals of any lean operation.
Support of Just-In-Time Systems
Given the nature of JIT manufacturing, timely and accurate movement of the materials is essential at every stage of production. Inefficiency in handling is the issue that creates a delay, backlog, or bottleneck that disrupts lean. Hydraulic Lift Tables with lifting capacity up to 2,000 LBS Hydraulically operated scissor lift tables make material handling more efficient, reducing downtime and worker fatigue.
Their accuracy and user-friendly nature is ideal for JIT environments where time is of the essence, and accuracy is critical. The lift tables also minimize dropped or destroyed product, thus contributing to quality consistency and waste reduction.
Flexibility for Continuous Improvement
Lean manufacturing promotes continual improvement, or “kaizen,” by encouraging incremental changes to increase efficiency. A hydraulic scissor lift table is a versatile piece of equipment, which can suit a changing business environment. It is also modular or height adjustable and can be configured with turntables, tilts, or mobility to adapt to the evolving needs of production.
This versatility makes lift tables an investment that pays for itself time and again even as operations expand and improve.
Conclusion
The hydraulic scissor lift table is much more than just a device to lift and lower your products—it’s an incredibly effective enable of lean manufacturing. Lift Tables Help Manufacturers Reach Their Lean Goals Lift tables help manufacturers reach their lean goals by minimizing motion waste, enhancing ergonomics, facilitating JIT delivery, and providing flexibility for constant improvement. As businesses continue on their quest to reduce waste and increase productivity, the addition of hydraulic lift tables into lean manufacturing provides a logical and quantifiable advantage.