In our occasional series “The Smart Warehouse,” Steve Harris, senior vice president of Middlebury, VT-based site design consultancy Bread Loaf Corp. answers logistics questions about distribution centers.
This month’s question: I’m moving my distribution center up north. Should I be concerned about snow removal?
Harris: Yes. While wind, snow, sleet, and rain may not keep the postman away, harsh winter elements can certainly slow productivity at your distribution center. Your facility must be set up for efficient snow removal and rain drainage, or you risk employee injury and delays in shipping and receiving. To avoid problems this (and any other) winter, you should:
-
Plan for maximum drainage. A well-sloped and drained parking lot will allow precipitation to run off, decreasing ice buildup. You also want to design the parking area so that snow can be plowed in straight lines into a large retention pond — the snow can then tumble down an embankment and melt away, minimizing snowbank buildup.
-
Maintain a well-paved parking lot, preferably without gravel, devoid of raised manhole covers, protrusions, and or heaved and uneven pavement with potholes, which can do damage to equipment. You also want to try to clear the lot when it snows, as parked cars create barriers to plows, which in turn leave trails of snow next to the vehicles.
-
Avoid placing concrete curbs in front of the areas where the plow needs to clear, because it requires the plow to come to a stop before lifting the bucket up over curb.