Today's distribution and warehousing operations typically see customer requirements that dictate how drummed product can arrive at their facility/facilities for storage and ultimate use. Because of specific storage, racking requirements, and material handling guidelines within their operations, many users require certain drum product to be palletized and further, that those pallets be specific in size.

For production and 3PL operators, this often presents safety issues because a specific size and entry pallet may require that drums be cross-loaded or go through "changeout" to comply with end-user requirements. This process requires that drums on one pallet be switched or "changed-out" to another size pallet.

Manhandling of drums to and from pallets is extremely dangerous. To try and muscle a container weighing up to 1,000 pounds can be deadly. Safe handling of steel, plastic, and fiber drums demands reliable, safe, and versatile equipment to perform these changeouts.

Safe handling practices moving unitized loads of either 2 or 4 drums at a time are considered normal by bigger operations using thousands of drums. However, those same mechanized answers are even more vital for smaller operators. The benefits of mechanized changeouts include reduction in time consumption and product damage, along with a dramatic increase in safety measures -- especially the elimination of smashed fingers, toes, and strained backs.

Moving drums manually is no longer acceptable in even the most low-volume applications. One operator injury can very quickly cost 10-20 times more than a simple and effective incorporation of accepted drum-handling equipment. Products including mechanical forklift attachments for handling 2 or 4 drums (shown above, a solution from Liftomatic), hoist attachments for handling 1-4 drums, and portable devices for the safe movement of drums to and from pallets are all available and all dramatically reduce the possibility of injury or product damage.