To avoid absences due to excessive strain, ergonomic workplace design is of great importance.
importance. More and more companies are recognizing this. Uwe Eschment, Managing Director at Torwegge, is pleased with the growing awareness. Every day, he works on making processes in intralogistics and production more health-friendly. Torwegge develops and sells components and systems for intralogistics processes that contribute to the effortless transportation of goods, including lifting tables. "It's not just about somehow getting loads to the right working height," says Eschment. "The tables must be infinitely height-adjustable, easy to operate and easy to readjust, as well as offer sufficient legroom. Depending on the application, they should also be mobile." The AGR has summarized these points in a checklist. If a lift table meets the criteria, its use generally leads to a reduction in work stoppages and increased efficiency. Employee satisfaction also increases.

Lifting, transporting, loading and unloading
Lift tables are available in various designs. This makes them suitable for various applications, some of which go beyond simply lifting goods. Torwegge supplies industrial companies, for example, that equip their assembly stations with lift tables to ensure effortless height compensation when transferring workpieces from one level to another. "Our standard lifting tables from the TO-ELS series are ideal for this purpose," says Eschment. Depending on the variant, the standard lifting tables have a load capacity of 500 to 2,000 kilograms and can reach a height of up to 3.5 meters in a maximum of 34 seconds. Table length and width are also variable.

Overcome loading edges of up to 80 centimetres
If loads not only need to be lifted but also transported, lift table trolleys are a good choice. Torwegge's standard solution here: Scissor lift table trolleys with a height of up to 1.3 meters for loads between 150 and 350 kilograms. Smooth-running castors and a hydraulic foot pump ensure ergonomic handling. "The xetto push trolley, which we recently added to our range, is ideal for loading and unloading vehicles," says Eschment. The solution from Hoerbiger Automotive Komfortsysteme moves loads of up to 250 kilograms at a height of up to one meter and overcomes loading edges of up to 80 centimetres. The company also develops customized solutions. One example is a heavy-duty lifting table with roller conveyor for the timber industry: chipboard panels weighing up to 55,000 kilograms can be placed on a seven by 2.8 meter platform and lifted and lowered with little effort.

Ergonomic aids should become standard
Lifting tables are not the only means of improving workplace ergonomics in intralogistics and production. "Many people aren't even aware of all the things that affect staff health," says Eschment. He recently noticed this at the Motek trade fair in Stuttgart. Torwegge's stand at the trade fair was themed around ergonomics. In addition to xetto, the functionality of smooth-running castors and heavy-duty castor rails for conveyor systems were also demonstrated. "Some visitors were very surprised at how comfortable it is to move even heavy loads and what to look out for," says Eschment. He now hopes that lifting tables will soon be standard in production halls and warehouses - just like the other helpful systems.