A stock picker or order picker machinery is really similar to a regular forklift. It has hydraulic forks able to pick up a pallet. Order pickers could also lift the operator up to high places, which is a feature that lift trucks presently do not offer. Typically, order pickers are operated by electricity. These kind of equipment are mostly used in a warehouse setting. Most often they are used for transporting pallets and doing certain tasks in the shelving and stocking department.
The operator of the oder picker sits up on a platform where they operate the controls. These controls help to direct the machine forward, backward or steer it from side to side. When the operator has positioned the unit in place the blades could be raised to the required level that makes it convenient for the operator. For example, if the materials needed, are located on a shelf which the operator could not reach, then whole platform can be raised up to certain level. Due to the counterweight situated at the other end, the unit remains balanced, even at higher levels.
The platform is lowered back to its original position after the order has been picked. The order picker is then driven or directed to its next location. With most models, it is possible to move the order picker whilst the platform is raised, although, several companies may have policies and procedures in place preventing such maneuvers in the name of safety. An order picker could also put pallets on a shelf. Stackers and forklifts can be utilized to complete these particular tasks at several companies instead.