Whether you are looking to expand your current warehouse or build a new warehouse to grow your operations, one major decision will what type of racking you need to install to best meet your needs. Pallet racking, in simple terms, is a material storage system that is used to help you better manage your materials or products and keep your warehouse organized.
Visual communication is key to safety and productivity in your facility. Floor tape and floor signage increase safety when it is used to guide employees, as they work in or walk through your warehouse or manufacturing operations. It has also become common practice to use floor tape and the principles of 5S to bring organization and efficiency to work areas. Read more
The various constraints and challenges faced in the warehousing and distribution industries have put a strain on overall operations and has made them more complex than ever before. With so many challenges and constraints, it is essential for distribution center managers and facility engineers to avoid these common mistakes. Read more
President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 into law in December. This is one of the most comprehensive overhauls of the US Tax code that has occurred within the last 30 years and contains significant changes in individual and corporate tax rates. This new law is likely to have an impact on all businesses in some way, including impacting the material handling industry. Read more
Pallet racking is a common and popular storage solution in distribution centers, manufacturing facilities, and warehouses of all sizes. With a wide range of pallet racking choices, it is essential to understand the flow of your pallets to and from the racks, the type of pallets you are using, and the type of loads or SKUs you are storing. This will allow you to choose the style of rack that will provide you with the best solution for your needs. Read more
For decades, pallet racks have played an important part in increasing and maximizing the storage capacity of distribution centers and warehouses. An essential part of pallet racking design is the rack decking. This decking serves as a base for storing non-palletized items or cases in conjunction with palletized products. Read more
Pallet racking is an integral part of warehouse operations and material storage throughout a plant. Damage can occur to your racking at any time and when it happens, it compromises the safety of your employees. No matter the type of business or product you store, it is important to have an inspection and maintenance plan in place for your pallet racking.
The Client
Ultimate Granite has been transforming the interiors of Pittsburgh-area homes and offices since 2002. Lead by the son and father team of Chris and Dwight Morrow, with over 35 years of combined industry experience between them, Ultimate Granite is Western Pennsylvania’s premier supplier of counters and tabletops. They pride themselves on their ability to offer a wider selection of countertop materials, more personalized service, and more competitive pricing than the rest of the local market.
With business continuing to grow and prosper, Ultimate Granite had the opportunity to upgrade their operations and needed help. They turned to Cranston Material Handling Equipment Corp. (Cranston) of Pittsburgh to develop a solution.
The Challenge
For years, Ultimate Granite had just one machine to cut their stone tops. The process required lifting and loading slabs of stone that could weigh well over 1,000 pounds. Their business, however, had grown to the point that they needed a way to safely speed up the process of moving the stone slabs in order to support the additional production of counter tops their new water jet and saw blade combo machine was capable of producing.
In practical terms, the solution would require a crane system to fit in a very congested work area with limited headroom, while providing unobstructed access from the staging area to the existing and new saw.
The Solution
Cranston was able to provide a crane that enables the employees to pick up a stone from the staging area and then almost effortlessly move the slab to one of the saws. The 50’ span of the header beams allow the crane’s columns to be nestled along the wall creating unobstructed access throughout the work area. The precise positioning of the runway on the header beams allows for loading both the old and new cutting machines, which are on either side of the 50-foot-wide room. Incorporating the Wood’s Powr-Grip Vacuum Tilter into the system allows Ultimate Granite’s employee’s to easily and safely lift and position the slabs of stone onto and off of both saws.
The Equipment used:
The Result
Ultimate Granite is very pleased with the enhanced workflow created by combining a vacuum lift with the workstation crane system. The new system has dramatically improved the speed and ease of loading while increasing safety throughout the cutting and finishing process.
Find Out More
Cranston Material Handling Equipment Corp. looks at your material handling or storage application through the lens of decades of experience. Whatever you’re specific needs we can help you sort through options to maximize your workspace. Contact us for more information today or call us at 412-741-8060.
The Client
In business since 1942, Curbell Plastics, Inc. (Curbell) is one of America’s premier suppliers of plastic sheets, rods, tubes, films, tapes, adhesives, sealants, and prototyping materials. Headquartered in Orchard Park, New York, with locations across the U.S., Curbell offers custom fabrication, exceptional service, and next-day delivery of high-quality plastics nationwide.
Curbell takes its role as a leader in the plastics industry very seriously. Committed to doing the right thing for their customers, the environment and their employees – many of whom have been with them for decades.
When a safety issue occurred in their Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania location, they wanted an effective resolution and contacted Cranston Material Handling Equipment Corp. (Cranston) of Pittsburgh for a solution.
The Challenge
A forklift driver inadvertently damaged one of the rack uprights within their warehouse. The bent twisted post jeopardized the integrity of the rack and they wisely wanted to repair the damage. Curbell did not want to disassemble, replace, and reassemble due to the effect it would have on their operations, not to mention the cost of purchasing a new upright and the expense of shipping it to their location.
To resolve this situation, Cranston needed to fix the safety issue and improve the rack’s damage resistance, while causing as little disruption to Curbell’s operations as possible.
The Solution
Cranston used a heavy-duty tubular post splice kit that is designed specifically to repair damaged rack uprights. The price of a replacement splice post with shipping was substantially less compared to shipping in a brand new upright. The time and disruption to operations resulting from the repair was minimal – certainly it was far more convenient for the customer than it would have been had the rack been partially disassembled in order to replace the upright.
In addition to the repair, Cranston added bull-nosed post protectors to each upright. The bull-nose design protects the posts by working to deflect pallets or forklift forks when they accidentally hit the rack uprights. This helps minimize the likelihood of damage from a forklift or any other equipment in the future.
The Result
With very little downtime needed to install post protectors and fix the rack uprights, the rack is now less likely to be damaged, safety in the warehouse is improved, and Curbell is very pleased with Cranston’s work.
Find Out More
Cranston Material Handling Equipment Corp. looks at your material handling or storage application through the lens of decades of experience. Whatever you’re specific needs we can help you sort through options to maximize your workspace. Contact us for more information today or call us at 412-741-8060.
The Client
Founded 1902, Byrnes & Kiefer Company (B&K) started out as a baking supply business providing molasses, baking powder, flour and other products to customers in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area. A growing success, B&K steadily expanded over the decades to include an extensive array of baking supplies and baked goods under several brand names.
Today, B&K has become a national company headquartered out of a 60,000-square-foot facility in Callery, Pennsylvania where they have consolidated production of their over 300 artisan bakery products.
The Challenge
A family-owned business to this day, B&K stakes its long reputation on the quality of its baked goods. This means using the best ingredients and preparing them in a modern facility designed for easy cleaning and contamination prevention.
At their Callery facility they needed a new set up for one of their giant, industrial mixers. Surrounded by a mezzanine platform that just wasn’t cutting it, the mixer needed a better space for pallets of ingredients to be loaded that could be regularly accessible by personnel and, vitally, to be free of any contamination build up on framing components. Specifically, everything had to be easy to drain and dry after cleaning.
The Solution
Although a new customer, Cranston Material Handling Equipment Corp. (Cranston) of Pittsburgh had the perfect background to solve this problem
As a third-generation business founded in 1957, Cranston toured B&K’s facility and reviewed the issue with their decades of experience.
“They needed a platform that would minimize the opportunity for any contamination to build up around the mixer,” said David Cranston Sr. “I knew immediately that we could create perfect solution for them.”
Cranston took detailed dimensions and developed drawings to define exactly how the ideal platform would accommodate the utilities attached to the equipment, the pallets of ingredients and staff access.
The solution was a Cubic Designs equipment platform installed around the existing mixer. Easy to reach by the wide stairs and with forklift access for palettes of ingredients, the Cubic Designs platform makes it simple for staff to monitor the mixing process, add ingredients and, most importantly, thoroughly clean and dry the equipment.
Additionally, aluminum plating was added to the pallet loading gate and the platform support columns to prevent any paint from chipping and potentially contaminating the mixer.
The Result
Installed on time and on budget, B&K was very pleased with Cranston’s finished work. Not only is the mixer easy to access for personnel and pallets of ingredients, but both it and the platform itself drain perfectly for the end-of-production wash down.
Find Out More
Cranston Material Handling Equipment Corp. looks at your material handling or storage application through the lens of decades of experience. Whatever you’re specific needs we can help you sort through options to maximize your workspace. Contact us for more information today at cranston-material-handling-equipment.com or 412-741-8060.
