Reduction of material handling in the packing area of IR Steelcraft

Abstract

The IR Steelcraft packing area process involves excessive manual material handling, and is an entirely nonvalue added process. The solution to this problem came in the form of three levels of capital investment into the area. The first level required only that the existing process be rearranged in order to address worker complaints. The mid level solution utilized vertical storage to make a more efficient use of floor space and to eliminate the restacking process. This mid level solution can be implemented for a small capital investment in the area. The high level solution is highly automated and includes an overhead pipe driven conveyor. This solution handles growth well and eliminates virtually all manual material handling. This solution, however does require a large capital investment.