When picking between the many industrial sweepers and scrubbers available on the market, it is highly important that you know what each piece of equipment does. Read further to learn about the details associated with each type of industrial cleaning machine and how to pick which one is best for you to use in your warehouse.

Push Floor Scrubbers

Also known as “walk behind” floor scrubbers, these machines are meant to replace the typical mop and bucket method. Push floor scrubbers can actually increase productivity by reducing worker fatigue. Instead of the cleaning staff having to bend and mop, they can remain upright and are able to cover a lot more area than manual cleaning would allow them to. Generally, push floor scrubbers are less costly than ride-on scrubbers.   

Ride-on Floor Scrubbers

Ride-on models offer the same benefits of push floor scrubbers, but they excel in one thing: efficiency. According to CleanLink, cleaning can be done up to 60% faster with a riding machine because it reduces the amount of pushing that an operator has to do. Although this machine is undoubtedly efficient, it does cost more than a push floor scrubber. However, research shows that the initial up-front cost of a ride-on floor scrubber can be mitigated in as little as three months.

Touchless Cleaning Machines

Touchless machines are meant to be used without the assistance of an operator. They clean using cold water to scrub and dry spaces, which allows for a quicker drying time. The quicker drying time is also beneficial for preventing the spread of germs, meaning you get a more sanitary result.

Sweepers

Sweepers can double as carpet extractors, lifting dirt from short carpet surfaces to clean the area. Because sweepers can be used on both carpet and hard flooring, investing in one could prove to be cost-effective and extremely beneficial for the productivity of your warehouse staff.

Darr Equipment Co is open and fully operational. As an essential provider, we will continue to sell and rent equipment as well as provide maintenance, parts and service. We are available to support your operational needs as our employees continue to fulfill their duties in the field, in our offices and from home as we see fit.

Please reach out to us with any of your needs and we will navigate through this challenging time together.

Our leaders will continue to monitor the COVID-19 impact and make decisions based on the safety of our employees, our community and you!

We are praying for you and our nation.
WE ARE DARR & WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER!

Thank you and God bless you!

We are very excited to announce Darr’s acquisition of S&L Liftmasters, Inc. based in San Antonio, Texas.  A family owned business, Liftmasters has been providing best-in-class equipment and services to their customers in the San Antonio area since 1982. Their shared core values and dedicated employees make them a perfect addition to the Darr family. This acquisition also complements our current Kalmar product offering in San Antonio by adding the excellent Linde and Komatsu brands. Hill Country, welcome to the Darr family!  We are ready to keep you moving!

HOUSTON (February 20, 2020) – Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. (MCFA), a leading manufacturer of forklifts under the Cat^® lift trucks, Mitsubishi forklift trucks and Jungheinrich^® brands, today announced the recipients of its 2020 Dealers of Excellence. These dealers are recognized for providing superior customer service and innovative material handling solutions.

"Congratulations to MCFA’s 2020 Dealers of Excellence,” said John Sneddon, vice president of sales and marketing at MCFA. “We are honored to recognize these longstanding MCFA dealers for their dedication, industry knowledge and consistent commitment to serving our customers. We appreciate their continued dedication to the material handling industry.”

This year’s recipients are:

• Darr Equipment Co – Dallas, Texas
• Equipment Depot Illinois – Itasca, Illinois 
• Equipment Depot Kentucky – Louisville, Kentucky
• Fallsway Equipment Co. – Akron, Ohio 
• Fraza, Inc. – Canton, Michigan
• G & W Equipment, Inc. – Charlotte, North Carolina
• Holt of California – West Sacramento, California
• Maquinas Diesel, S.A. de C.V. (MADISA) – Santa Catarina, Nuevo León, Mexico
• Miami Industrial Trucks – Dayton, Ohio
• Prime Material Handling Equipment Limited – Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
• Prolift, Inc – Buffalo, New York
• The Bailey Company – Nashville, Tennessee
• Towlift, Inc. – Cleveland, Ohio
• Toromont Material Handling – Québec, Canada 
• TRACSA S.A.P.I. de C.V. – Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico 
• Wholesale Equipment of Fresno – Fresno, California
• Wisconsin Lift Truck Corp.-Brookfield, Wisconsin 
• Wiese USA, Inc. – East Division – Indianapolis, Indiana
• Wiese USA, Inc. – South Division – Memphis, Tennessee
• Wiese USA, Inc. – Central Division – St. Louis, Missouri

See the full Press Release

Darr Equipment Co. is open and fully operational. As an essential provider, we will continue to sell and rent equipment as well as provide maintenance, parts and service. We are available to support your operational needs as our employees continue to fulfill their duties in the field, in our offices and from home as we see fit. 

Please reach out to us with any of your needs and we will navigate through this challenging time together.

Our leaders will continue to monitor the COVID-19 impact and make decisions based on the safety of our employees, our community and you!

We are praying for you and our nation.
WE ARE DARR & WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER!

Thank you and God bless you!

Purchasing a forklift is only one step in the process of adding to your fleet. Once you buy a forklift, you have to ship it to your location, and, sometimes, transport it from job site to job site. Doing so successfully takes some planning and knowledge about the best processes for getting your machine from one location to the next. Here is a look at some useful tips for more easily shipping or transporting a forklift.

Know the weight of your forklift.

Forklifts do not all weigh the same. Some forklifts can weigh as little as 9,000 pounds (which is still much heavier than an automobile). The largest forklifts can weigh over 100,000 pounds.

The weight of your machine will affect how you transport it. For example, some roads have weight limits. The weight of your trailer and forklift must not exceed these weight limits, which means you need to know the weight of your machine, the weight of the trailer, and the weight restrictions on the road you will travel.

Trailers also have maximum capacity ratings. Heavier forklifts may require trailers with higher weight limits. Knowing the weight of your forklift can help you to find the right trailer and plan the right route to get your forklift where it needs to go.

The safety and health of the Darr Equipment Co. family — our employees, their loved ones, as well as our customers and vendors—is our top priority.

Due to the rapidly-evolving challenges presented by COVID-19, we will be following guidance from public health officials and government agencies to ensure we are making decisions that are in the best interest of the Darr Family.

We will be communicating regularly as developments unfold.
For specific questions or concerns, please email Human Resources Director, Matt Koster (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), and he will respond promptly.

We thank you for your support in ensuring the safety of our team members, and will continue to provide the people, products and service you have come to depend on from Darr.

God bless you and yours.
Truly,

Robert Engstrom
Darr Equipment Co.
President & CEO

All good things must come to an end, even your warehouse racking systems. While you may have found a setup and a product that has served you well for many years, you will still need to replace the shelving eventually. Over time, the shelving can deteriorate, suffer damage, or become outdated. Your warehouse needs may change, too. This is especially true as consumers purchase more and more goods online and warehouses handle a greater volume and diversity of inventory.

At the same time, you do not want to replace your shelving too soon. Your business depends upon the wise use of your financial resources. How do you know where that fine line is between soldiering on with what you have and investing in an upgrade? Here are a few signs to look out for that might indicate that your shelving systems need some TLC.

Replace your warehouse racking systems when they display visible damage.

Over time, racking systems will show signs of wear and tear. For example, forklifts may collide with the shelving system. The steady placement and removal of pallets may lead to bumps and wearing. Shelves may become crooked. Bolts may rust. Regardless of the cause, racking systems that display visible damage should be replaced immediately.

A minor dent or a slightly crooked shelf may not seem like a big deal. However, that damage may have weakened the overall structure of the rack. You do not know if that dent will lead to a collapse, or if another bump by a forklift is enough to tip the shelving unit over. The financial cost of replacing a shelving unit is much less than the cost of recovering from a major accident.

The best way to identify a damaged shelving unit is to inspect it regularly. A forklift operator may not notice a dent or a scratch. You may not know every time a collision happens in your warehouse. Looking at your racking systems regularly, however, will reveal dings, scratches, and other issues that may indicate a need to replace the affected area.

Warehouses that implement the right industrial racking systems set themselves up for the efficient management of their inventory. Once those systems are in place, warehouses must also use proper product storage practices to make the best use of their new shelving. Best practices and safety measures allow warehouses to more efficiently and safely store their inventory. Here are some of the most important tips for achieving safe and compact storage of pallets.

Select the right industrial racking systems for oddly-shaped products.

Most products come in standard-sized pallets and boxes. These can sit on almost any racking system because of their predictable size and shape. However, some items are oddly-shaped. For example, pipes, siding, and other materials are too long or too heavy to fit into standard pallets. They do not fit neatly into many storage systems.

For these items, you need to select a racking system that can accommodate their unusual shape or size. For example, cantilever storage systems provide adjustable metal arms that can shift to accommodate differently-sized products. In addition, they remain open to the aisle, with no metal columns to interfere with the storage of long items.

Choosing a storage system that can accommodate the products you need to store can make it easier to safely and efficiently keep your oddly-shaped inventory. The right system can also make it easier to retrieve these items without risking accidents or wasting time. A dealer like Darr Equipment can help you evaluate your needs so you can find the right system for storing your specific inventory.

Warehouse space in the DFW area is skyrocketing. One study estimates that the area will experience 46.3 million square feet of new warehouse space in the next two years. This rapid expansion is due largely to the dramatic increase in e-commerce spending by consumers, which has led to a steep increase in the amount of inventory that needs to be managed through warehouses.

As warehouse space increases, so do the forklift needs of these businesses. Being able to effectively and safely move inventory is critical to the success of these warehouses. Many businesses, however, struggle to minimize the money they spend on their forklifts while maximizing those machines' performance. They may purchase a new machine when an old one simply needed repair, or spend time and money servicing machines that should be replaced.

This is where fleet management solutions come in. The right solution can help businesses effectively track their forklift maintenance and know when to keep a machine and when to replace it. Here is a look at some of the specific ways in which fleet management solutions can support successful fleet maintenance.

Fleet management solutions give business owners a look at the wear and tear on their machines.

The wear and tear a forklift experiences will depend upon a number of factors. For example, a forklift used outside on a construction site will probably experience more wear and tear than will a forklift used inside a warehouse. This difference in wear and tear will exist even if the number of hours each forklift is used is the same.

In addition, the amount of use a machine receives in terms of loads carried and hours run can also affect how much maintenance it requires. For example, a machine that you use around the clock for managing heavy loads will run down much more quickly than will a machine used for one shift a day for lighter loads.

About 20 percent of all forklift accidents involve a forklift and a pedestrian colliding. This translates into about 19,000 people being hit by a forklift every year. Creating habits and policies that prevent these collisions, therefore, is an essential aspect of fleet management and warehouse solutions.

The responsibility for avoiding collisions falls on both pedestrians and forklift operators alike. However, OSHA is clear: Forklift operators and businesses that own and use forklifts are responsible for creating an environment that minimizes the chances of accidents occurring.

There are many steps you can take to limit forklift/pedestrian accidents. Here are a few of the most important ones.

Conduct regular forklift maintenance.

You have heard it before: Regular maintenance of your machines catches issues before they become major problems. In the case of forklift/pedestrian safety, it can also prevent accidents by making sure your forklift runs smoothly at all times.

For example, regular inspections of the forklift can catch brake issues before your forklift is unable to stop in time for a pedestrian in its path. Leaks can be patched before they leave slippery spots on the floor. Replacing tires can prevent blowouts that may cause the operator to lose control of the machine.

It is not quite Spring yet, but everyone could benefit from an early cleaning. Nobody likes clutter and confusing organization in their home. The same is true for warehouses, which are especially prone to inefficient layouts that can stifle productivity and even infringe on the safety of your staff. Below are the steps you should take to ensure that your warehouse is running as efficiently as possible.

Reassess the Floor Plan

For the sake of your warehouse staff, all of the components of your physical warehouse need to be logically placed and within reach. The perfect layout aims to maximize available space, minimize handling of goods, allow for easy access to goods, enable flexibility in terms of storage, and create as much work space as possible. After you have assessed the efficiency of your current layout by looking at the physical work areas and the workflow of employee tasks, it is time to reconfigure. Your warehouse work areas should, at a minimum, include an office, and areas for receiving, storage, packing, and shipping. This will vary slightly depending on your industry. Defining specific work areas encourages employee safety. For example, creating clear paths for forklifts and other equipment gives staff enough room to navigate that equipment, and having an office that overlooks the entire warehouse helps with supervision.

Install Warehouse Shelving Racks

Consumers are moving more and more of their purchases online, which means that the need for inventory storage is skyrocketing as well. Not only do warehouses need to manage more inventory, they need to manage more types of inventory. More SKUs need to find their place on the warehouse shelving racks, and warehouses need to pick and ship these SKUs quickly.

Warehouses can take many steps to achieve these efficiency goals. One of these strategies is to improve the efficiency of their forklifts. Taking the humble forklift and turning it into a tool in the task to manage inventory well can save warehouses time and money. Here are a few ways to do just that.

Keep your forklift's tires inflated.

Every time a forklift requires fueling, a warehouse must spend time and money to take the forklift offline and fuel it. Greater fuel efficiency means more time to use the forklift to achieve your warehouse goals.

In order to improve the fuel usage of your forklift, keep its tires properly inflated. Under or over inflated tires can use more fuel, as well as pose certain safety risks. Checking tire pressure before every shift, and replacing tires regularly can keep them properly inflated and in top working order.

Racking systems have the potential to more than double your current storage capacity, if you use them correctly. Savvy planning and the right warehouse shelving racks can create more space, more organization, a safer environment, and increased efficiency.

Creating a more organized system within your storage area could mean starting over from scratch. However, there are many less invasive steps you can take to create more efficient and productive systems within your warehouse Here are a look at some of these steps.

Use vertical storage space.

One of the quickest ways to increase your warehouse's storage capacity is to use your vertical storage space. For every six feet of vertical space you add to your racking systems, you can store about one pallet's worth of inventory. Imagine how many pallets you could add to your current inventory if you simply added 6 feet of vertical space to every one of your shelving racks. Every single one of those pallets could be added without making any other changes to your current layout.

When you buy a forklift, you make a significant financial investment. They are also the backbone of your company. Without them, you cannot keep your business running, complete your contracts, or move your inventory.

That is why you must keep your forklifts in excellent working condition, all year round. Winter in particular presents challenges for forklift maintenance. When you buy a forklift, you rarely think about your shiny new machine rusting because of snow or its fluids congealing because of the cold. However, those setbacks are a real possibility if you do not take proper care of your machine.

To help you weather winter more successfully with your forklifts, here are some tips for preparing them for the coldest, harshest months of the year.

Prepare shelter for your forklifts.

When you buy a forklift, you purchase an important piece of
machinery. Keep it running for as long as possible by sheltering it during the
winter. The best place to store it is indoors, where it will be away from the
cold and snow. However, if indoor storage is not possible, you can always opt
to use a forklift cover. Shielding your machinery from the harsh weather can
prevent rusting, fluids congealing, and other problems that might shorten your
forklift's life or saddle you with expensive repair bills.

Traditional counter-balance forklifts are not always the best solution to your warehouse storage needs. Sometimes, you need a more compact and agile tool to maneuver pallets. Pallet jacks offer this solution. Whether electric or manual, they allow you to load and unload pallets in tight spaces that require maximum maneuverability.

One type of pallet jack, the high-lift pallet jack, adds the ability to load and unload from locations traditional pallet jacks cannot. While this tool is not right for all situations, it can be extremely helpful in certain scenarios. Here are the biggest benefits of using this type of pallet jack in your warehouse.

Accessibility to Hard-to-Reach Areas.

A high-lift pallet jack, as its name implies, has greater reach than does a traditional pallet jack. This ability comes in the form of a scissor lift: Criss-crossing metal supports that raise and lower the machine's platform.

With the scissor lift function, this pallet jack can raise and lower pallets from otherwise inaccessible locations. This ability to access hard-to-reach locations combines with the pallet jack's naturally compact shape. As a result, you can implement and use vertical storage while maintaining minimal space between aisles. 

In a world in which warehouses handle increasing amounts of
inventory while facing increasing costs, making the most of existing space is a
priority. Elements of the warehouse previously considered essential, like traditional
selective racking, are falling by the wayside in favor of using that space to
store inventory.

Successfully reducing or eliminating aisles and increasing
storage capacity requires creativity, efficiency, and high-density warehouse
racking systems. At the same time, these systems are not for everyone. As with
any storage solution, they work best in specific situations. Here is a look at
some situations that may require their usage, and some that do not.

Limited Storage Space

The most obvious reason to use high density storage is when dealing
with limited storage space. Selective pallet racking systems may allow for more
pick faces and SKUs, but they require quite a lot of real estate space or
square footage.

Instead, high density warehouse racking systems store pallets
in a cube configuration. This configuration allows more products to be stored
in the same amount of space.

There are many reasons to choose used forklifts for your business. Despite having been previously put to service, the right ones make reliable and inexpensive additions to your fleet. You can save up to 50 percent on the purchase price of a new machine simply by buying used. These cost savings can translate into serious cash, and often make it possible for businesses to add to their fleet when they would have had to rent or go without otherwise.

One of the secrets to making sure those cost savings do not get eaten up by pricey repairs, however, is to buy a machine that comes with a warranty. Not just the purview of new machines, warranties for used equipment are both obtainable and necessary. Read on to learn more about what to expect from them.

Choose a dealer who offers warranties on used machines.

Purchasing from individual or unproven sellers will often leave you without a warranty. That means that if you purchase a lemon or you experience an unanticipated breakdown, you will have to deal with the repairs on your own. That can get costly. As a result, one reason to go through a reputable dealer like Darr Equipment for your equipment needs is because we will offer you warranties on most of our used equipment.

Warehouses looking to improve efficiency and reduce costs should look to automation to achieve their goals. In this area, most businesses have room for improvement. Only about 10 percent of warehouses possess more than the most basic automation capabilities.

 Implementing processes that do not require manual effort has the potential to transform how warehouses do business. The right systems can improve organization, efficiency, finances, and more. Here is a look at some of the biggest reasons to adopt automation within the warehouse, and some of the ways in which it can be implemented.

Warehouse automation can maximize storage.

Storing more material within the same amount of space allows warehouses to reduce costs. With more efficient storage, warehouses can maximize the use of their space while improving their profit-generating abilities. Automated warehouse processes save space in two primary ways.

● Denser Storage

Forklift purchases are large investments. Low-end machines can cost $20,000, while high-end machines can cost more than $100,000. When you need to expand your fleet or complete a specific job, however, buying a forklift can be well worth the financial outlay.

At the same time, saving money on your forklift purchase is always a smart move. Fortunately, there are many opportunities to cut down on the total cost of your forklift purchase. Take the following steps to ensure both the quality and the affordability of the next forklift you buy.

Purchase a used forklift.

The first question to ask yourself when you buy a forklift is whether you want to buy a new or a used machine. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. However, purchasing a quality used forklift will usually save you money in the long run, with a used forklift sometimes costing only half of what a new forklift would.

Used forklifts, however, can cost you more in the long run if you are not careful. When you buy a used forklift, you should consider the age and the condition of the forklift, how much you plan to use the forklift, the forklift's maintenance costs, and whether any warranties come with the forklift.