http://www.mhi.org/rss/casestudies MHI Case Studies (c)2013, MHI. All rights reserved When a global primary metal manufacturer looked at automating one of their facilities, they needed to find a cost-effective solution that was able to consistently move coils and work rolls through the production process. The problem was that their 20 metric ton coils with a surface temperature of 300º F differs quite a bit from their work roll. Adding to the challenge was meeting the speed requirement while keeping either load stable and safe. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12643 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:56:42 GMT When this health care and health maintenance organization decided to consolidate its Mid-Atlantic regional testing laboratory operations, management looked at alternative approaches to storing specimens, biopsy slides, tissue blocks, reagents and laboratory supplies. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12618 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:14:21 GMT Custom built portable-lift and turntable fits air casting system to provide a precise degree of positioning. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12604 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 10:48:15 GMT Tweaking standard turntable design to meet explosion proof requirement. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12590 Thu, 30 May 2013 10:35:54 GMT Introducing groundbreaking tractor and utility vehicles for construction, commercial and residential use for 36 years gives this company a reputation for equipment that lasts. Their parts promise of keeping parts available for 20+ years is what keeps customers coming back. To fulfill this promise, it was essential to reassess the 60,000 square foot parts distribution center. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12545 Mon, 20 May 2013 10:49:58 GMT Custom built Series 35 EXW Scissors Lift Cart built with wheeled transport base and battery operation allows for easy maneuvering to various work stations within plant environment. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12392 Thu, 02 May 2013 11:44:53 GMT Problem solved for coil inspection in a tight space work environment by installing Autoquip's Special Series 35 Double Long in a recessed pit. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12361 Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:47:29 GMT Este cliente era un fabricante que recibió un contrato para varios años de un gran vendedor al menudeo para el suministro de productos para centros de distribución regionales. El fabricante estaba obligado a consolidar pedidos individuales en tarimas o palés para cada almacén y para miles de ubicaciones. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12343 Wed, 17 Apr 2013 08:12:32 GMT Una planta de refabricación en Canadá necesitaba un proceso más seguro y más productivo para desarmar y volver a armar las cajas de engranajes reductores de motores de turbinas sin dañar el producto. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12342 Wed, 17 Apr 2013 08:11:01 GMT Pflow Industries sales reps and engineers have often heard the term “dumbwaiter” when referring to the smaller platform variations of the vertical reciprocating conveyor (VRC) product class the company pioneered in 1977. Though both dumbwaiters and VRCs move materials and not people, the comparison ends there. A recent retrofit installation of several VRCs in the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville, FL illustrates the engineering sophistication that elevates VRCs well beyond the colloquial “dumbwaiter” term. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12334 Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:19:49 GMT A North American distributor of industrial products expanded its capacity by building a new 585,000 sq ft central distribution center. During the design process a number of manufacturers of loading dock equipment were considered, Pentalift was awarded the order based upon structural design, safety considerations and ease of user friendly product integration. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12322 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:13:33 GMT The client was planning to build a new palletizing area—composed of nine conveying lines feeding three robots. The company needed a flexible system to handle its variety of products but that also eliminated the risk of product jams; offered improved safety; saved floor space; and reduced maintenance and labor costs. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12307 Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:33:13 GMT A wine distributor faced capacity constraints in an existing facility and wanted to increase throughput without overhauling the entire system. In particular, the company needed to replace an existing sorter. The new sortation system needed to be accurate when quickly handling a variety of product sizes, weights, and packaging types while directing cartons into presort 14 lanes with close divert centerlines (39”). Cartons would then be unscrambled and released to trucks sequentially for truck loading. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12306 Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:31:05 GMT The client was planning to build a new palletizing area—composed of nine conveying lines feeding three robots. The company needed a flexible system to handle its variety of products but that also eliminated the risk of product jams; offered improved safety; saved floor space; and reduced maintenance and labor costs. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12305 Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:29:09 GMT The client, an apparel distributor, handles a variety of package sizes and weights, with package contents ranging from lightweight items such as handkerchiefs and earrings to heavier items such as shoes and sweaters. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12304 Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:22:22 GMT A major global apparel manufacturer initiated a project to replace two of its distribution facilities with one new, efficient, ergonomic building. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12303 Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:20:33 GMT The challenge was to create a safety net barrier acting as a door to protect both products as well as employees in a warehouse setting. In addition the door needed to be accessible to the driver of a fork lift from the ground level. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12302 Thu, 28 Mar 2013 08:21:10 GMT Retailer of Apparel and Home Fashions had a severely damaged 75,000 square foot concrete mezzanine floor at their distribution center. By placing steel sleepers on the damaged concrete directly over the steel bar joists below, the loads could be transferred through the cracked concrete directly onto the substructure. By installing the steel sleepers and ResinDek® Xspan® over the existing slab, it would avoid flexural loading of the damaged slab and deck. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12299 Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:32:08 GMT "We were initially attracted of course by the cost savings by using ResinDek® flooring. ResinDek® gives more than concrete and is much more comfortable to work on for long periods of time. We were also happy with our previous ResinDek® installation 2 years ago in our Georgia facility, so this reinforced our decision and the savings has freed up some capital for additional projects." Sporting Goods Project Manager, Texas http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12298 Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:31:19 GMT Milwaukee, Wisconsin (March 1, 2013) - The Redding Power Plant is a state-of-the-art facility that generates electricity through the burning of natural gas. The plant, located in Redding, California, has expanded over the years to meet the demands of a growing community. A recent addition is a 58 ft Series-F lift developed by Pflow Industries of Milwaukee, the pioneer and leading manufacturer of vertical reciprocating conveyors (VRCs). http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12269 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:01:34 GMT Milwaukee, Wisconsin (October 25, 2010) - A Pflow vertical reciprocating conveyor (VRC) was recently installed at a 13 story boiler building at a manufacturing facility in Oklahoma. The VRC replaces a 10 ton hoist mounted at the top floor of the building providing a safer lifting alternative, and easier loading and unloading at each floor. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12192 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 13:46:53 GMT Integration of mechanical and electrical protective guarding solutions to improve employee and work environment safety. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12239 Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:41:42 GMT The challenge was to engineer a system of catch nets to protect employees working under a fast moving overhead conveyor system. In addition, the caught objects must remain undamaged and be retrieved quickly without impeding the workflow. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12218 Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:12:51 GMT A major aircraft manufacturer was expanding production facilities and seeking a way to better utilize valuable floor space by going vertical – installing mezzanines throughout to provide elevated working and walking surfaces for the assembly of large parts. This created the need to transfer tools, parts, and equipment between grade elevation and mezzanine elevation, within the smallest possible equipment footprint. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/11353 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 08:19:02 GMT Disney was in the process of updating its inventory storage and retrieval system behind the scenes of its gift shop to better automate the movement of inventory from below-ground storage to store level almost 18 feet above. They were seeking a lift solution that could be controlled by a programmable controller (PLC) to become a component within their overall automated conveyor system. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/11351 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 08:16:44 GMT Offshore oil drilling platforms are often referred to as “cities on the sea” with over 100 people living and working on the largest of them at any given time. With staggered shifts of two weeks on and two weeks off, and a steady flow of supplies needed to feed and care for the staff, there is frequent transport traffic, typically by helicopter, to and from the closest port. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12197 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 07:58:39 GMT Milwaukee, Wisconsin (June 2, 2011) - At just over 1,092 feet in length Dock #8 is the largest of the seven drydocks on the grounds of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) in Portsmouth, VA. Opened in 1942, it is also the newest, designed to hold aircraft carriers, the largest ships in the naval fleet and among the largest mobile objects of any kind in the world. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12196 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 07:57:37 GMT Milwaukee, Wisconsin (February 17, 2012) - Man made satellites orbit the earth at altitudes that can exceed 20,000 miles, typically transported by a rocket or space shuttle, the speed and path of which are precisely controlled in order to launch the satellite into the desired orbit. Satellites at this altitude orbit the earth at the same speed in which the earth turns, hovering over the same spot on the earth's surface at all times. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12195 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 07:56:32 GMT Milwaukee, Wisconsin (April 16, 2009) - Getting the most out of existing floor space is important for all manufacturers as they manage growth and the proliferation of their product lines. This need is magnified when your finished products range in length from 38 to 51 ft and in width from 12 to 15 ft. Such was the challenge facing Sea Ray Boats as they sought to upgrade the storage system for the fiberglass mold dollies in the lamination production area of their Palm Coast, Florida, manufacturing facility - all to be performed with just a minimal disruption to the standard production flow. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12194 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 07:55:19 GMT Milwaukee, Wisconsin (June 9, 2009) - Enjoying NFL football live at the stadium with a couple of cold beers is a tradition as old as the league itself. As such, one of the key elements to the infrastructure portion of a substantial upgrade to Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, is a new stadium-wide storage and distribution system for draft beer. A series of material lifts, known in the industry as vertical reciprocating conveyors (VRCs), from Pflow Industries are integral to the innovative new system. http://www.mhi.org/casestudies/12193 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 07:54:04 GMT