The loading dock can be one of the most dangerous and inefficient parts of a bustling warehouse, with safety hazards and work interruptions causing expensive delays.

Despite the dangers, warehouse managers may be wary of investing in costly improvements. But now, Lantech—the company that makes many of the stretch wrap and secondary packaging machines found in DCs nationwide—has compiled a list of effective, inexpensive tips in a free eBook, The Lean Loading Dock: 5 Tips You Can Use Right Now to Improve Your Warehouse Safety and Workflow. Among the problems addressed in the publication are loading dock injuries, long wait times and backlogged work, product damage caused by bad stretch wrapping, labor delegated to the wrong areas, and high employee turnover.

Following the maxim "The loading dock may be the last step, but it's as important as any other in manufacturing," the book shows warehousing executives how to avoid accidents and optimize work flow. Methods include using consistent load unitization to reduce damage and using technology to spot problems early and smooth out traffic flow. Download your copy here.