Order Picker Platforms Vs. Picking Work Platforms: Which Should You Choose?

Lift truck forks aren’t just for grabbing pallets. Fleet owners use any number of fork attachments for specialized jobs, whether that’s lifting huge cable reels or dumping bins. But when those fork attachments are designed to lift people rather than objects, you must be certain that the tool matches the job. Use a forklift personnel lift outside of its intended purpose, and you create a serious health and safety hazard.

That’s why we offer this comparison between two Solus Group products designed to accompany order pickers up into the high shelves: The Picking Work Platform and the Order Picking Platform - Knock Down Flat. While they appear similar at first glance, they perform two different—but equally helpful—services at warehouses and distribution centers. If your operation requires picking at height, keep reading to learn how these products are similar, and how they’re different.

The Picking Work Platform:

Picking Work Platforms are designed to lock firmly onto lift truck forks to safely elevate workers (provided the forklift manufacturer’s guidelines allow such usage). That helps with order picking and restocking, but many users also rely on PWPs for elevated maintenance tasks, like changing lights.

Safety features include an anti-skid surface, steel toe guards, guardrails on all three exterior sides, and a hook-and-chain mast restraint. If you have forklifts approved for personnel platforms, the PWP is a good choice for greater access to high spaces. Essentially, the Picking Work Platform is designed primarily to lift workers on appropriate industrial trucks.

Learn more about Picking Work Platforms here.

Order Picking Platforms - Knock Down Flat:

The OPP-4840-KDF is an order picker platform designed to assist with a particular type of lift truck: The order picker. Order picker forklifts are unique in that the operator runs the machine from a platform that rises and falls with the forks. In short, they have a personnel platform built in. Typically, this platform provides enough room for the operator to stand—and no more.

That becomes a problem when the task is to build a pallet, or to put stock away from a highly stacked pallet load. Forks lift pallets, but they don’t provide any support along the edges—which means they’re not safe to use, unassisted, for lifting loaded pallets.

Order Picking Platforms - Knock Down Flat fix the problem. They lock securely onto order picker forks, sliding flush against the truck platform. Sized to fit a full pallet in the base, with guard panels extendable from 24 to 48 inches high, an OPP-4840-KDF allows operators to build or unpack pallets safely.

But why the “Knock Down Flat” designation? That refers to the unit’s collapsible wall panels. This collapsible design saves on freight costs, while also significantly reducing space requirements for storage. Locked upright on the unit, these panels provide reliable guarding for workers, tools, and materials.

Learn more about Order Picking Platforms - Knock Down Flat here.

The Key Differences Between These Forklift Platforms

Picking Work Platforms may lock onto any forklift manufactured with personnel lifts in mind. The Order Picking Platform, on the other hand, was built specifically for use with order picker-type forklifts.

Similarly, Picking Work Platforms include safety features for use as a personnel lift—the actual surface on which a worker stands. The OPP-4840-KDF, on the other hand, was designed to support things—loaded or unloaded pallets, materials, boxes, tools, etcetera.

So if you need to expand your ability to manage materials—especially pallet loads—on an order picker truck, the Order Picking Platform - Knock Down Flat is the right choice. If you’re looking for a personnel platform to affix to multiple styles of forklifts (including order pickers, in which they expand usable space for the user), go with a Picking Work Platform—or even the Forklift Work Platform (FWP), yet another lift-truck personnel platform available from Solus Group.

To learn more about all three forklift platforms from Solus Group, call us at 314-696-0200.