Freight elevators are essential for the safe and efficient movement of materials, offering the necessary strength and quality for daily operations across various sectors. Unlike those designed for human transportation, these elevators must be robust and specifically suited to the type of load and transport they are intended for, adhering to ABNT technical standards to ensure safety and practicality.
These elevators are commonly found in industries, warehouses, commercial centers, parking facilities, supermarkets, and more. Their importance is evident for businesses that operate in multi-level buildings. By facilitating the movement of goods, they eliminate the physical strain and challenges associated with transporting items via stairs, thereby reducing the risk of accidents such as falls and material damage, while also protecting employees from injuries caused by physical exertion.
Moreover, freight elevators enable better space utilization, allowing companies to store goods in basements or upper floors efficiently. Installing a freight elevator in your business means investing in equipment with excellent transport capacity, supporting your team’s health and well-being, and ensuring quick and efficient customer service.
Freight elevators are categorized into three types:
Class A: Also known as service elevators, these elevators must not exceed 25% of the elevator’s nominal load capacity. Loading via motorized forklifts is not permitted, making them popular in commercial environments and service companies.
Class B: Designed for vehicle transportation, these elevators are commonly found in parking facilities and are capable of transporting passenger vehicles and trucks.
Class C: These elevators are used for transporting loads via motorized forklifts, which must not exceed 50% of the equipment’s nominal load capacity.
Regardless of the type or model of freight elevator chosen, it is crucial to work with a specialized company that can maintain these systems in optimal working condition.
Industrial elevators have become essential equipment not only for facilitating the transportation of goods but also for preventing accidents that could result in product loss or harm to employee health. The use of industrial elevators has significantly reduced the occurrence of accidents during the transportation of loads between floors and has also improved workplace ergonomics.
Previously, employees needed to exert more physical effort to move heavy loads, which often compromised their posture. With industrial elevators, it is now possible to transport large volumes quickly and safely.
Industrial elevators must comply with several Regulatory Standards (NR) and Brazilian Standards (NBR), such as NR-12, which deals with safety in machinery and equipment, and NBR 14712, a specific Brazilian standard for freight elevators. It is crucial to hire a specialized company to conduct an on-site inspection to assess the conditions and location where the freight elevator is installed.
However, simply implementing an industrial elevator in operations is not enough to ensure employee safety and health. Proper training on the correct use of the equipment and measures to ensure the elevator functions well during operation are essential.
Additionally, maintaining the safety of an industrial elevator requires attention to three critical factors: the project, usage rules, and maintenance processes.
Project – The implementation project for an industrial elevator must consider the operation’s specifications, such as defining the elevator’s capacity to meet operational demands and making necessary changes to the workplace’s physical structure. Ideally, the project should be developed with a specialized company, where qualified technicians will assist in gathering the crucial information needed to select an elevator model that will operate safely and efficiently.
Usage Rules – Adopting best practices in the use of industrial elevators promotes a safer environment and helps prevent accidents.
Periodic Maintenance – This is crucial for maintaining and extending the equipment’s lifespan and ensuring safe usage. The maintenance process should be conducted by specialized technicians from the company responsible for the elevator’s manufacture and installation.
Industrial elevators significantly facilitate operations by increasing productivity, optimizing work processes, and enhancing safety to preserve the ergonomic health of employees. Working safely and conscientiously is a simple measure that can prevent numerous operational issues.
Switzerland, Denmark, Austria, the United Kingdom, and Canada—do you know what these countries have in common? They are leaders when it comes to energy efficiency. But what does that actually mean?
Energy efficiency refers to the optimized and sustainable use of energy, ensuring comfort, health, and safety requirements. It’s a growing topic in society, driven by the increasing awareness of climate change challenges and the need to adopt more sustainable practices in all aspects of our lives.
Energy efficiency goes beyond simply saving energy. It represents a comprehensive approach that brings various benefits not only to the environment but also to the economy and society. The adoption of more advanced technologies and conscious practices can reduce waste, optimize resources, and create a positive cycle for a more sustainable future and development.
In an industrial environment, it is crucial to achieve energy efficiency in your operations, as all costs related to your operations are significant and impact your results at the end of the month. By using equipment efficiently, your results and productivity will be more satisfactory. Therefore, energy efficiency is directly linked to the productivity and costs of your operation.
Moreover, the more efficient use of energy by the industry benefits not only the companies themselves but also the country as a whole. This is because better utilization of energy consumption reduces the need for investments in the construction of new power plants and transmission networks, leading to lower electricity costs, as there is no need to pass these expenses on to consumers.
Another significant impact is the reduction in the prices of products and services since, just like fuel costs, electricity expenses are part of a range of fixed costs that contribute to the price of what we consume.
Finally, energy efficiency helps reduce the risk of blackouts and energy crises.
In the production lines of any company, the work tends to be very demanding for employees, especially if necessary ergonomic care is not observed. Essentially, the concept of ergonomics refers to the relationship between the worker and their work methods. This term comes from the Greek words “ergo” (work) and “nomos” (rules, natural laws).
This concept goes beyond the traditional issues of posture and body movements, also involving equipment and other factors that influence the workplace. Specifically within the industrial environment, the application of ergonomics requires attention to various aspects that ensure the safety, health, and well-being of employees.
In other words, those responsible for ergonomics in the industry study ways to encourage a better relationship between humans and machines. Thus, workers and their equipment, machinery, and everyday professional tools must be in complete harmony.
At Artama, the customization of lifting equipment to meet the specific needs of different industries is a key differentiator, as ergonomics is incorporated into the design to enhance the efficiency and safety of operators. All of this complies with the regulations related to ergonomics in the industry, applying the parameters present in Regulatory Standard 17 (NR-17). This NR aims to establish parameters that allow the adaptation of working conditions to the psychophysiological characteristics of workers, providing maximum comfort, safety, well-being, and efficient performance for the worker.
Artama operates in the segments of elevators, handling, and ergonomics in the most diverse work environments. The company began its activities in 1966 and today has a manufacturing facility of 3,400 m² in Jaraguá do Sul, Santa Catarina. Since 2013, it has been manufacturing elevators and internal accessories for access to wind turbines, qualifying for this new market and developing technological partnerships with international companies to develop products with local content, now offering a complete portfolio of elevators and internal components for wind towers.
Dock Levelers (PND) are designed for use at loading and unloading docks, serving as a bridge between the concrete dock and the vehicle’s cargo floor. They adjust to compensate for the variation in the cargo floor’s height during operations, allowing access for carts, pallet jacks, forklifts, and other equipment. This facilitates, speeds up, and ensures the safety of the loading and unloading process.
Using a dock leveler can significantly reduce the risk of accidents for workers and minimize material damage from falls. The use of a dock leveler optimizes the time required for loading and unloading materials without compromising operational safety.
Currently, there are various types of dock levelers, each with its specific use and installation configuration. The load capacities of dock leveler models range from 1,000 to 15,000 kg. The main models include recessed or pit-mounted dock levelers and advanced or front-mounted dock levelers. Both types come in variations, such as electro-hydraulic or manual mechanical models.
To choose the best dock leveler, it’s also essential to consider which trucks will be loading or unloading at the dock. Since trucks have varying heights, knowing which models will be used is crucial. This information helps calculate the correct length of a dock leveler because the combination of the vehicles’ variations that will operate at the dock and the type of equipment that will move across the dock leveler determines the most suitable equipment for the operation, as well as the dock height available at the client’s site.
It’s also important to consider other factors when selecting the best dock leveler, such as the safety requirements involved in the operation and exposure to high corrosion conditions, such as in cold storage rooms, locations with high salt concentration, or areas with corrosive products. For these situations, we offer galvanized levelers or those with special coatings that provide chemical protection to carbon steel against corrosion. Additionally, it’s necessary to determine whether the appropriate model for the operation is front-mounted or recessed.
Artama operates in the material handling, storage, and ergonomics segment, designing solutions for time rationalization and minimizing fatigue in workplaces. The company began its activities in 1966 and now has a 3,400 m² manufacturing facility in Jaraguá do Sul, Santa Catarina.
The study “Jobs in the Wind Power Sector’s Production Chain” highlights the opportunities in the sector, which is expected to generate over one million jobs, 75% of which will be direct employment, by 2038. The research was presented by Jorge Boeira, CEO of Cognitivo Consultoria, during a meeting organized by the Brazilian Wind Energy Association (ABEEólica). The discussion included participation from Rodrigo Diniz de Mello, Director of the Gas and Renewable Energy Technologies Center (CTGAS-ER) and the SENAI Institute of Innovation in Renewable Energy (ISI-ER).
Moderated by Sandro Yamamoto, Technical Director of ABEEólica, the event focused on the “Labor Market in the Wind Industry” and discussed the sector’s needs and growth over the next 17 years, including the creation of new job opportunities. These positions, as emphasized by other participants in the debate, will require technical skills across all stages of the production chain, making it necessary to promote the training of the local workforce to operate in wind farms.
In the offshore wind energy sector, it is noted that the activity “requires a multidisciplinary knowledge base in the areas of mechanics, electrical engineering, physics, software, civil engineering, and oceanography, as well as the need for professionals in the sector to integrate competencies in meteorology, health, environment, and safety, within the context of managing highly complex projects in all phases of the project lifecycle and the supplier chain.”
The document provides short, medium, and long-term estimates for job creation in the production chain, primarily in onshore activities, i.e., those related to land-based wind farms.
However, according to consultant Jorge Boeira, who participated in the study and presented the results in the panel “Professionals of the Future: Entrepreneurship and Employability in the Energy Sector” at the Renewable Energy Forum, there is no doubt that opportunities will be enhanced with the future implementation of offshore wind farms.
The first projects of this type are awaiting licensing in Brazil, most of them on the coast of northeastern states. In Rio Grande do Norte alone, there are at least 10 registered projects with a combined capacity of 17.8 Gigawatts (GW). This number represents nearly 10% of the total capacity forecasted so far for the country and twice the current capacity of the state’s onshore wind farms.
The study was developed at the request of the Brazil-Germany Cooperation for Sustainable Development, through the Future Professionals Project, which brings together the Ministries of Education (MEC) and Mines and Energy (MME) with the German public agency GIZ.