Improve Warehouse Productivity by Increase capacity and reduce manual handling
The Senior Warehouse Manager, for a leading industry manufacturer, had a need to upgrade and add capacity to their warehouse. The manufacturing facility is a massive 1.5 miles in length. The equipment being moved was extremely expensive. They were using old carts that would constantly break down and they didn’t have enough for their expected manufacturing increase. They needed a system that: • • • • •
Would minimize the handling of their equipment Allowed for carts to be easily maneuvered and remain smooth during transportation Would be flexible in usage and handle different sized carts for different types of equipment Allow the inventory to be mechanically loaded and unloaded from separate cart carriers Was extremely reliable
Via contacts, research, and years of industry experience, Duane Young an Indoff Material Handling expert provided a solution. He worked with a US based company, J-Tec, that offered a “mother-daughter” cart which could be designed to fit his customer’s exact needs. The J-Tec carts allow employees to easily add a “daughter” cart (to the “mother” cart) with little to no effort. This is possible because of the high quality bearings and a patented lifting ramp on the product. In comparison, the previous carts they had been using were extremely heavy despite being made of aluminum. Additionally, hitches would break causing products to fall off of the carts. Over the past two years, the customer has acquired a fleet of 450 carts. During this time, Duane had regular meetings once a week, to learn about employee ideas and suggestions to achieve even greater productivity. As such, features have been added as well as additional sizes. Duane’s knowledge of the industry, and this customers business, has lead to generational changes to the product design. On behalf of the customer, Duane has spearheaded: • •
•
The addition of corrugated trays and totes that would support their products A change in storage material from polyethylene foam to XLPE (Cross Link Polyethylene) foam in higher densities to protect products from being scratched. It’s also more durable and won’t chip or tear. Customized foam containers to protect equipment being moved