A common frustration that we hear from our customers in manufacturing and automotive settings is that they’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. They have a manual process that does not fit the requirements of their operation, but no standard automated alterations would provide an ideal solution.
Manual processes can take a toll on individuals and businesses alike. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, back strains result in nearly 15,000 injuries per year in manufacturing alone. In addition to the associated safety risk and downtime, those strains can also represent a significant cost. The National Safety Council estimates the cost per medically consulted work injury is $42,000 – and that’s excluding any related property damage costs.
Just “putting up” with the undesirable realities of a manual process isn’t the only path forward. From individual processes to complete automated systems, custom solutions can precisely meet unique business needs. Let’s look at a few examples of best-fit solutions that aren’t found in a catalog.
AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLES (AGV): TRANSPORTING STEEL DRILL PIPES
Foundries and other steel handling settings are tough work environments, and with retaining sufficient labor as a persistent challenge, it’s important to maximize the productivity and performance of the workers they do have. A customer in the steel industry needed to find a more efficient, less labor-intensive alternative to transport heavy drill pipes between picking stations, rather than having workers manually transport them.
We developed a custom automated guided vehicle (AGV) system to enable the customer to pick individual SKUs from one station and transport them to another without manual intervention, complete with an interface between the customer’s Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and the AGVs. By outfitting an AGV provided by Savant Automation Inc. with a cart and conveyor assembly, the system delivers the strength and capability to handle the steel pipes.
MOTOR ASSEMBLY: STREAMLINED BY CUSTOM CONVEYOR
An off-road vehicle manufacturer was looking for a way to transition motor assemblies between workers and workstations, rather than putting up with the heavy foot traffic and congestion of having workers move from station to station.
To meet their goals for efficiency and safety, we produced a fully automated conveyor system in collaboration with TRANSEPT that transfers the product along rails, with the sliders enclosed by a curtain design to help manage against the risk of worker injury. This approach cuts down on the unproductive walk time and helps keep workers focused on value-added tasks.
LIFT ASSIS LIGHTENS THE LOAD: AUTOMOTIVE SEAT ASSEMBLY
Think about how heavy and bulky the frame of a bench seat in the back of your car. That’s why an automotive manufacturer came to us looking for a more ergonomic way for employees to lift and maneuver those heavy components through manufacturing processes. Typical lift assist solutions weren’t a fit because the frame must be picked out of the side of the plastic gaylord container. Workers also needed to unload the frames in the proper orientation, avoiding the need to manually reposition them.
To meet these specific requirements, we designed a custom lift assist device that tackles the hard work of low-level, heavy lifting, allowing employees to simply guide the turning and placement of the frame. This solution works to reduce the repetitive lifting and resulting physical strain on employees.
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