A service cart is a simple tool. It’s generally one or two platforms attached to a set of casters. It can be wheeled from one location to another, carrying parts, supplies, small machinery, or even products.
For manufacturing operations, distribution centers, docks, and warehouses, service carts are convenient and essential equipment for maintenance staff, cleaning crews, pickers, mechanics, and others. They are one of those simple yet critical tools many workers use every day without even noticing them.
Service Carts — Performance Under Pressure
So what makes a service cart so convenient? For one, they are extremely mobile. Four-wheeled service carts with two shelves can be wheeled long or short distances. They can be pushed up and down ramps, through doorways, over docks, into truck and train beds, or anywhere else they are needed.
They also are durable. Many service carts are rated to carry up to a hundred pounds or more. So they can carry supplies and equipment, replacement parts, tool boxes, and even machinery and products efficiently and safely. Many feature all-directional casters that allow service carts to make hairpin turns.
The platforms often feature small lips or short walls to prevent objects from falling off. Some have rubber mats that grip objects so they won’t shift during travel. Others are composed of hard plastic that is nearly indestructible for most common uses. You can literally push a service cart down a flight of stairs or off the end of a dock without damaging it one little bit.
Service Carts — Unexpected Quality
Service carts are the unsung heroes of many workplaces. They are used all the time but they are hardly ever noticed. Some workers, such as cleaning personnel or repair persons, will use the same service cart from the beginning of each shift until the very end. And if it’s an around-the-clock operation the same service cart can be in near-constant use 24 hours a day without missing a beat.
Service carts aren’t sexy. They aren’t glamorous. And they aren’t ostentatious. Instead, they are simply durable, unassuming, and convenient. They offer years or even decades of service without incident. And they are unbelievably affordable. You can get a top of the line service cart that can perform countless tasks 24 hours per day for less than a couple of hundred bucks.
Most service carts can be put together in just minutes with little more than a mallet and will practically last a lifetime. No business should be without at least one.