Seegrid Profiled in Material Handling & Logistics to Exhibit at Pack Expo

Seegrid Profiled in Material Handling & Logistics to Exhibit at Pack Expo

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Pittsburgh, PA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 10/24/2012 --Pittsburgh-based Seegrid Corp. (http://www.seegrid.com), is the leading Robotic Industrial Truck manufacturer worldwide; industrial robots are creating more jobs in warehousing and manufacturing facilities. The company has recognized the economic change in manufacturing. There is a strong increased demand for driverless industrial robots to transport goods horizontally without wire, tape, laser or other costly automated guided vehicle (AGVs) systems. These industrial robots are manufactured in America and support American manufacturing and warehousing companies— keeping America at the forefront of innovation and technology.

In an article just published in Material Handling & Logistics, titled, “Labor and Packaging: Prime Cuts for Lean Manufacturers,” Tom Andel reports that, “Labor is often the fattest target when converting to a lean manufacturing environment. Sometimes the best opportunities for efficiency come before and after production.”

Andel went on to profile American Packaging Corporation which relies on three different sites to do extrusion lamination and coating, flexographic printing and rotogravure printing. The rotogravure site alone, located in Columbus, Wis., houses multiple eight- and ten-color rotogravure presses, each requiring a lot of space to accommodate loading and unloading processes. When APC adds one of these machines to its operation, the plant’s footprint must expand. Expansion means printed material must be moved farther to reach the storage and dock areas. In the past that has been the work of lift truck operators. But with the latest expansion, that use of valuable labor was finally seen as a waste, and just the opposite of the lean philosophy that APC has adopted.

“Waste is when I have an operator sitting on a forklift and driving back and forth when they don’t need to,” says Jon Smick, finishing manager for this APC facility. “It’s wasted time and movement.”

APC’s newest press, Roto number 7, came with a 100,000 sq. ft. expansion of the building. This press is at one end of the building and the slitters at the other end. Forklift drivers would pick up a roll or a pallet of paper and deliver it to the other side of the facility.

“That’s not skilled labor, and it’s the labor costs that killed us,” Smick says.

That’s why APC looked at automation alternatives like automated guided vehicles and robots. Robots won out. By automating product movement APC was able to disperse the labor for more value-added activities. It purchased two automated pallet trucks (Seegrid GP8s) to transport materials to the company’s eight- and ten-color rotogravure presses, 24 hours a day. When APC added the latest press it would have required a minimum of three or four forklifts and drivers on each shift.

APC decided against AGVs because it didn’t want to deal with wire, tape, laser or other means of vehicle guidance for such long distances.

Lift truck operators still unload trucks and ship finished goods, but only three are needed for those tasks now instead of the five required to drive the entire length of the plant, resulting in a 20-25% labor savings.

The automated pallet trucks get routed throughout the plant based on the most efficient run. An operator keys-in the destination to send the vehicle to the other side of the plant. The vehicle will drop the material behind the press and return on its path to the next destination.

The entire article may be read at http://mhlnews.com/technology-automation/labor-and-packaging-prime-cuts-for-lean-manufacturers-1012/.

Seegrid will be at PACK EXPO International 2012 which brings together more than 46,000 buyers from all over the globe and 1,800-plus leading suppliers, showcasing state-of-the art materials, machinery and methods for packaging and processing in every market. Far and away the industry's premier event, PACK EXPO International comprises more than 1.1 million square feet of exhibit space. The event takes place on October 28-31, 2012 in Chicago at McCormick Place. Seegrid is located at booth Booth # N6143.

Seegrid Corporation
http://www.seegrid.com
Amanda Merrell
amerrell@seegrid.com
412-379-4500

Media Relations Contact

Amanda Merrell
Seegrid Corporation
412-379-4500
http://www.seegrid.com

View this press release online at: http://rwire.com/174834