July 4, 2003—Rogan Corporation, a hand hardware manufacturer, turned to Remstar vertical storage systems to free up floor space, increase productivity, and reduce labor in their Northbrook, Illinois facility. Taking advantage of their building’s ceiling height, Rogan utilized five Remstar Shuttle Vertical Lift Modules (VLMs) in three departments to regain 5,000 sq. ft of floor space, increase productivity by 22%, and reduce inventory.
Two 21-foot high Remstar Shuttle VLM’s replaced a 1,000 sq. ft. area of 6-foot high pallet racks buffering mold bases; two additional Shuttle VLM’s are storing semi-finished inventory that previously occupied a 25-foot high pallet rack with a footprint of 4,000 sq. ft.; and one more Shuttle VLM is holding sample parts that were on a 6-foot high shelving system covering 1,000 sq. ft.
Rogan says that the company gained a net 5,000 square feet of floor space by going up. With the space freed up from the elimination of the pallet racking, the company set up manufacturing cells using both existing and new equipment, allowing greater control over process inspection and greater throughput without increased labor costs. Rogan also regained 930 sq. ft. of floor space from transferring their sample parts, on which they were able to expand their toolroom and add additional assembly machines.
Rogan says that the plant is turning out more product, and manufacturing costs have fallen since implementing the Shuttle VLMs. The use of VLMs eliminated the need for a bricks-and-mortar expansion. For more information on Remstar products, visit Remstar International or call 800/639-5805.
