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Complete, Clean Solution for Food Processing
A manufacturer of processed cheese products was struggling with productivity on a production line that feeds 640 pound blocks of bulk Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese into a shredding machine. Ingersoll Rand developed a system that included an all-aluminum ceiling mounted Overhead Rail Workstation, air balancers that require no lubrication and custom Stainless Steel handling devices to clamp the cheese. This solution requires minimal maintenance and is a safer, more environmentally clean solution.
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Automatic Guided Carts Help Agricultural Manufacturer Consolidate Product Lines and Save Money
In a move to streamline their lawn tractor assembly plant, officials at a major agricultural manufacturer decided to consolidate their three separate product lines into a single, common component platform line. The company looked a variety of material handling options, including various types of conveyors and automatic guided vehicles (AGVs). In the end, it selected a fleet of cost-effective automatic guided carts (AGCs) to move its lawn tractors through the entire assembly process from start to finish. The ACGs improved ergonomics at the assembly stations. Opportunity charging saves time and money.
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Heavy-Duty Automatic Guided Vehicle Moves Steel Plates Both Indoors and Outside
A builder of aircraft carriers and submarines needed to move extremely large steel plates from a single plate conveyor to one of seven individual delivery stations. Plate sizes generally vary from a minimum of three-sixteenths of an inch to a two-inch thickness, and up to 14 feet in width by 50 feet in length. The largest of these plates can weigh nearly 20 tons. Embedded steel rails carried the individual plates. An Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV) system eliminated the rails. The AGV travels in both directions, inside and outside the facility. It also travels sideways at any angle and rotates at its center point.
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10 Years and No Downtime for High Density Automated Storage and Retrieval System
In 1997, a famous ice cream company initially installed a 5,000 pallet position Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) with eight storage levels and pick tunnel operations. The 2 aisle system has a combination of seven- and five- deep storage lanes containing one crane each capable of handling approximately 70 pallets per hour. Five years later, the system expanded. The manufacturer realized a 40% increase in storage density, 30% reduction in energy costs, and 50% drop in labor among other benefits. This AS/RS has not had a single down day in over 10 years!
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Automated Storage and Retrieval System Increases Storage Density 40%
To meet demand for high throughput, a leader in the private label bottled water industry installed an Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) and Warehouse Management System (WMS), which increased their storage density 40%. In a few short months, a marked improvement in safety has already been noticed due to fewer forklifts being used. Their WMS manages all product movements resulting in less waste and product lost.
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Heavy Duty Automatic Guided Vehicles Maximize Material Flow in Major Auto Manufacturing Facility
A major automotive manufacturing facility utilizes a fleet of four Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGVs) to transport steel blanks and dies. The system, monitored in real time by an AGV Control Server, consists of three 12,000 lb capacity blank handling vehicles and one 60,000 lb capacity die handling vehicle. The AGVs navigate using accurate laser guidance. This flexible solution is perfect for the plant’s changing production demands, thereby reducing operating costs and improving material flow.
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Automatic Guided Vehicle System Increases Floor Space and Storage Capacity
An Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV) system consisting of seven side loading vehicles with a telescopic platform replaced an existing AGV system at a major automotive manufacturing plant. The system facilitates movement of pre and post heat treated machined parts baskets.
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Dual Load Handling Automatic Guided Vehicle Reduces Costs and Improves Efficiency
The Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV) system was installed at a major food manufacturer in New South Wales Australia. The 6 vehicle fleet automates movement of palletized finished product and empty pallets between the stretch wrapper, ten packaging/palletizing lines, a shipping buffer storage area, and two dispatch locations. The dual fork carriage allows the AGVs to transport empty and full pallets simultaneously eliminating the need for pallet dispensers at each packaging line. The system provides for the safe, reliable delivery of food and empty pallets and significantly reduced pallet and product damage.
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Ceiling Mounted Workstation Bridge Crane Provides Tractor Dealership Maintenance Shop with Lifting Versatility and Efficiency
A long time tractor dealer located in the Northeast sells and repairs lawn and garden equipment, commercial mowing equipment and light industrial as well as agricultural equipment. Some of the common maintenance tasks performed on the tractors required repeated heavy lifting. A job might involve installing front-loading buckets, or large calcium filled tractor tires that can weigh as much as 800lbs. The solution: a Ceiling Mounted Workstation Bridge Crane.
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Stainless Steel Rail in Food Plant
A supplier of pre-mixed salads to a fast food chain restaurant needed to move large mixing bowls within their mixing room from one station to another, and finally move the bowls to a wash down area. Ingersoll Rand provided a three-runway, two bridge crane system with Stainless Steel enclosed track monorail and Stainless Steel components, the most efficient solution for the long span and capacity required of the two bridge beams. Overall, the bridges are 30’ long and glide on 28’ runways.
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VALVE MANUFACTURER USES VLMs TO ELIMINATE BRICK AND MORTAR EXPANSION
A valve manufacturer was faced with the need to consolidate two facilities into one, including inventory used in operations. “Why don’t we take advantage of unused overhead space by shifting parts inventory for both existing and transferred manufacturing operations into the plant’s vertical cube at points-of-use on the shop floor? That was the question we asked ourselves,” said the Project Team Leader. The company’s solution was to install 19 Vertical Lift Modules (VLMs) to serve assembly operations on the shop floor.
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Packaging Manufacturer Eliminates Walk and Search Time for Employees
A maker of plastic packaging needed to create an ergonomic work environment for their employees and maximize space in their warehouse. After seeing a Vertical Lift Module (VLM) in operation the packaging company knew it was the answer.
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Vertical Lift Modules Regain Floor Space and Increase Productivity
By replacing pallet rack with five Vertical Lift Modules (VLMs), a hardware manufacturer regained 5,000 square feet of floor space and increased productivity by 22%. The VLMs eliminated the need for building expansion, improved worker ergonomics and helped meet their lean manufacturing initiatives, which provided their customers with shorter lead times.
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Freestanding Enclosed Track Workstation Crane (x2)
A leading manufacturer of fluid system products needed a way to increase productivity, while making it easier for operators to safely load 40 lb. valves into and out of machining centers. In their existing layout, 4 machining centers were used for the final manufacturing step in the valve production line. With no overhead truss system to support the rail, they needed a freestanding system capable of spanning the entire area, while allowing each machining center to have independent control of an overhead solution.
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Freestanding Enclosed Track Workstation Crane (x2)
A leading manufacturer of fluid system products needed a way to increase productivity, while making it easier for operators to safely load 40 lb. valves into and out of machining centers. In their existing layout, 4 machining centers were used for the final manufacturing step in the valve production line. With no overhead truss system to support the rail, they needed a freestanding system capable of spanning the entire area, while allowing each machining center to have independent control of an overhead solution.
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Electrolift Rail Car A/C Maintenance Hoist
The customer required a hoist that can remove and replace the air conditioner unite from the top of the railcar. The unit must be removed at an angle, requiring independent hoist movement. One end of the unit is raised, moved forward slightly, then leveled and completely removed from the car. This was accomplished by providing two independently controlled hoists in a common frame. One radio control unit controls two hoists with selector switch for either hoist, or combined hoist operation.
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Productivity Doubles With Help of Work Station Bridge Crane
Two Free Standing Work Station Bridge Cranes with 1 ton aluminum bridges and chain hoists with vacuum end effectors were installed. "The Gorbel system has worked out very well," said Moeller. "One operator is able to do 30 cycles per shift now, where before we may have only done 15. Plus, there have been no injuries."
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Cleveland Tramrail® Monorail Reduces Maintenance and Increases Safety In Lab
A 2-ton Cleveland Tramrail® monorail system, with roughly 90 feet of straight and curved Tarca® track and Safpowrbar, was installed to replace the existing monorail. New support steel was installed and two new columns on concrete piers in front of the loading dock. Header beams and bracing were bolted to the new columns to provide rigid support to the monorail and switches. With the switches secured by the rigid mounting, the system was aligned once, and after repeated use, continues to remain properly aligned.
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Work Station Crane with G-Force® Helps Workers Catch Up To Assembly Line's Output... To Assembly Line's Output...
Gorbel® Work Station Crane with an Aluminum Bridge and a G-Force® Intelligent Lifting Device was installed. The Q model G-Force® was a great fit for the application because the G360™ swivel feature allowed the tooling to continuously rotate without twisting the coil cord. The workers natural flow in this application is circular which caused problems for the previous lifting devices. The speed that the operators are now able to work, and the frequency of loads they are able to handle has greatly increased. They are now able to keep up with the lines output of 22 units per hour, whereas before they were falling behind.
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Gorbel® Crane Increases Productivity 40%...Eliminates Need For Overtime
Two side by side Gorbel® Free Standing Work Station Cranes with vacuum handling devices - 100 ft. runways and 25 ft. bridges were installed. The previous high count for a day was 500. Now the plant is able to produce 700 panels in a day even with the elimination of overtime hours, an increase of 40%. The operators are also able to move the panels without assistance and they don't complain of back strains. The cart paths were entirely eliminated, which allowed for more usable floor space for production.
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