Every time that I move dirt, one wheelbarrow load after another, from my truck to the garden, I never cease to be amazed at the power of that one small wheel. Of course, wheels are not a new thing in the workplace.

Recently, I have been conducting an informal survey to see how many uses of wheels, in the form of carts, that I can see in everyday use. Everyone seems to have a cart especially designed for the job at hand.

Have you ever studied the maid's cart in the hotel? It's a treasure trove of storage and cleaning functionality. What about the meal carts on the airplane? Or, the cleaning person's cart in your office. Each of these seems to be the result of a good industrial engineering methods study, resulting in a tool for the operator that supports all of the tasks that they normally perform.

So, why not in materials handling? Do we think that our tasks are so basic that any old cart will do? Maybe we just haven't studied them hard enough. And, I'm just as guilty as anyone.

My good friend, and Chicago consultant, Robert Footlik taught a class called "Simple Solutions" at the old Materials Handling Management Course. He used to ask the class what features might be added to the venerable pallet jack to make it a more useful tool for picking orders. The resulting list was always surprisingly long, and included such things as a clipboard to hold the orders, a pouch for a carton knife, a holster for the scanning gun and a bag for collecting trash generated along the pick path.

As a matter of fact, we see many of these ideas creatively implemented by workers in almost every warehouse using whatever materials they can commandeer. But, never have I seen a pallet jack come this way "factory equipped."

Just recently, I was faced again with that perennial problem of not enough floor-level pallet positions for all of the products. Naturally, we moved the slowest movers up to the second level, but picking is more difficult.

Then, it dawned on me. How about a three-step kitchen stool hanging on a hook on each pallet jack. Of course, it will be a slower pick, but these are the slowest movers.

Many of the best opportunities in small-item picking take advantage of batching several orders to reduce travel time. Some carts that I have seen have been carefully thought out and configured. But, most are simple shop carts, rigged as best as the operator can manage.

It's time to take a page from Robert Footlik's book, and one from the hotel maid.

We should all make a list of all of the tasks and materials that a picker needs. Things like: scanner, order lists (if it's not a paperless operation), wireless terminal (for paperless operations), shipping labels, packing materials, pencil or pen, tape, a way to stage orders requiring additional picks, a place to put completed orders, and, yes, a place for the trash, too.

It is also important that the cart is easy to push and maneuver. It needs to be small and light with large casters. How about a little design competition? Some of you are way ahead already. I'd be interested in your ideas here.