For a tire manufacturer, efficient distribution is critical. However, at a key European hub, the physical demands of manually handling tires had become a liability. The technical challenge lay in the "laced" stacking method, a technique where tires are interlocked to maximize density in high-cube trailers. While efficient for shipping, this creates a dense, unstable "wall" of rubber often reaching 8 feet in height. To unload these trailers, workers climbed the tire face to overreach and physically tug interlaced tires free. Conversely, loading required lifting and throwing tires to rebuild this stack. The sheer intensity of exertion, combined with the awkward twisting and stretching required to reach the upper zones of the trailer, presented an unacceptable health and safety risk.

Before the Destuff-it™ was implemented, it took three employees about two and a half hours to unload a truck of unpalletized products. With the Destuff-it™ machine, two employees could do the work in an hour and a half. Employees were thrilled with how easy the machine was to operate, while management was impressed by the efficiency. Within six months, the Destuff-it™ paid itself off and another was ordered.

For warehouses and distribution centers, Destuff-it™ portable ergonomic conveyors provide a safe and efficient solution for handling floor-stacked packages in shipping containers or related vessels.

A Closer Look at How Low Quality Casters Will Cost Your Organization in Productivity

With the Easy Arm® system, VDG operators were able to enjoy the benefits of automation without sacrificing precision.

BackgroundA seed company in Iowa had workers spending all day unloading palletized boxes onto a gravity conveyor. The conveyor moved each box to a staging area where workers would lift them individually onto a workbench for testing and repackaging if needed.The ProblemWith workers manually moving boxes onto and off the conveyor, the ergonomic drain on the company was significant. Each box weighed about 70 lbs, so workers were experiencing frequent back problems and fatigue throughout the day. Production was also slowed because manual lifting was time-consuming and unpredictable.The SolutionA Gorbel® Work Station Crane outfitted with a G-Force® Intelligent Lifting Device was installed. The Work Station Crane helped move the boxes ergonomically through all stages of processing, while the G-Force® provided workers with precise handling abilities. What previously took substantial physical strength could now be achieved with a slight touch of the hand. Workers were particularly grateful that this system was easy to use, with no complicated controls or unnecessary buttons – load sensors on the G-Force® took care of that.

Gorbel provides an ergonomic solution optimizing unloading activities for a large retail outfitter.

Gorbel provides an ergonomic solution increasing productivity and reducing turnover rates for a large retail outfitter.

Gorbel provides an ergonomic solution unloading liquor bottles for a large retail outfitter.

In this automotive industry application, Cynergy Ergonomics designed a system to assist operators in the handling of superchargers during manufacturing/assembly through the packaging phase with a single lift assist device. One system consists of a telescopic rigid mast manipulator using a Gorbel iQ GForce in a nested trolley configuration; this operates in a double aluminum bridge Gorbel free standing workstation crane system. Another iQ G-Force feature is programmable virtual travel limits. This feature is used in conjunction with tooling mounted proxy switches to activate/deactivate preset travel stop elevations, placing the tooling in the exact position needed for pick and place operation

A large muffler manufacturer had concerns about worker safety and fatigue during the assembly process of their exhaust assemblies. The company decided on several Easy Arms with slide handle controls and custom gripper end tooling. The new setup allows a single operator to move the exhaust assemblies all around the welding area effortlessly and quickly.

Workers at this Iowa seed company spent all day unloading boxes from pallets onto a gravity conveyor for staging. A 500 lb. capacity freestanding workstation crane, 165 lb capacity Q series G-Force® lifter with remote sensing hub, and an integrated AIMCO vacuum lifting tool.

When heavy slabs of meat and other perishable items bogged down pallet pickers at Capital Candy Co., Inc., Operations Manager Jim Thibeault knew exactly who to call: UNEX, the company he has relied on for more than a decade to solve order-picking problems.

Using Float Mode has allowed workers to precisely place the parts and decrease product damage in the process.

A leading hydraulic cylinder manufacturer purchased a 1320 lb capacity G-Force® to handle their increasingly heavy products in the summer of 2009, and they knew they found a lifting solution that they could bank on for the future.