A stock picker or order picker equipment is very like a regular forklift. It has hydraulic tines 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 provide. Typically, order pickers are powered by electricity. These type of equipment are mostly used in a warehouse environment. Most often they are used for moving pallets and doing particular jobs in the shelving and stocking department.
The order picker operator utilizes controls to control the unit from a platform setting which normally sits fairly close to the ground. The operator is able to direct the equipment to go forward, backward or steer it from side to side. When the operator has positioned the unit in place the tines could be lifted up to the required level which makes it convenient for the operator. For instance, if the needed materials, are situated on a shelf which the operator cannot reach, then whole platform is capable of being 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 directed or driven to its next location. With most models, it is possible to move the order picker whilst the platform is raised, although, some businesses may have procedures and policies in place preventing such maneuvers for safety reasons. An order picker is also able to put pallets on a shelf. Stackers and forklifts may be utilized to finish these particular tasks at some companies instead.