Topper Industrial recently guided a global firm through their fork truck free lean journey. The global hydraulics client realized the benefits of minimalizing the number of fork trucks at their North American headquarters.
The leaders at the company were not ready to completely eliminate fork trucks, as they still provided tremendous value when going vertical with storage on the shipping docks. However, from an efficiency perspective, the lean engineer in charge of the fork truck free initiative and his team needed to sit back and identify from a 30,000-foot level, how to piece together an internal logistics system which maximized the value of each individual component. Then the team needed to answer how each component would best interface with each other to capitalize on the efficiency benefits of the complete system.
The team had to decide how and when materials were going to be delivered within the plant. There are couple different methodologies in the marketplace with each having different benefits. The Wisconsin-based company chose a Fixed Frequency Variable Quantity approach, fixing their route frequency at a specified time every hour for example. The result was generated efficiencies not only for logistics but also production.
The lean engineer and the team had to realize they didn’t have enough data to get it right the first time, so they spent four-six extra months building a PFEP (Plan for Every Part) and really making sure the time invested was time well-spent. In the end, it paid off at implementation.
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About Topper Industrial
For more than twenty years, Topper Industrial, (www.TopperIndustrial.com) based just outside of Milwaukee, WI, has been a leader in the material handling equipment industry. The company’s product roster features industrial carts, conveyors, lifts, lifts & tilts, shipping racks, containers, casters, and cart components. From mother-daughter carts to quad steer carts to tilt carts and rotate carts, Topper’s material handling solutions make delivering material line side more effective through more efficient practices. Topper Industrial has a team of experienced professional experts able to assess and provide the right product for all material handling equipment requirements.
Topper Industrial is a proud member of MHI. The Topper Industrial client roster includes Anderson Windows, Detroit Diesel, Honda, Kia Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Aramark, Johnson Controls, Whirlpool, and Caterpillar. Follow on Twitter @TopperInd. Call 800-529-0909.
Media Contact
Company Name: Topper Industrial
Contact Person: Jillian Burrow, Marketing Manager
Email: pr@topperindustrial.com
Phone: 262-886-6931
Address:1729 NE Frontage Road
City: Sturtevant
State: Wisconsin
Country: United States
Website: www.topperindustrial.com