The Initial Problem
A global leader in motion and control technologies needed an upgraded VRC at their Haverhill, Massachusetts warehouse location. The warehouse consisted of a mezzanine level primarily used for storage with an inclined VRC solution that transported materials from the ground floor to the mezzanine and vice versa.
The VRC came with the mezzanine, and at the time was a great cost-effective purchase for the company. However, optimization issues with efficiency and space usage soon became apparent as the inclined VRC was lacking in certain areas.
Further Issues
The first issue was the space utilization of the inclined VRC. This VRC was simply taking up more room than needed.
The second issue was one of staffing, logistics, and weight restrictions. The inclined VRC could only transport loads of 800 lbs or lower, requiring heavier loads to be lifted by a fork truck and placed onto the mezzanine via a sliding gate right next to the loading docks. This created unnecessary traffic by the docks, an unnecessary use of staff time requiring an additional worker to use the fork truck, and a unsafe method of transportation for heavy loads.
The last issues were less important but still a factor in the decision to upgrade. These issues consisted of the old VRC being too loud when moving up and down the cage, not enough lighting within the unit, and the lack of a proper control room (required by MA state law for elevator lifts).
The Perfect Solution
The solution was a hydraulic VRC that solved many of the issues that were present with the inclined VRC. We chose a Wildeck hydraulic VRC as they are high-quality, long-lasting, state-of-the-art VRC solutions!
The new hydraulic VRC takes up about half of the floor space that the old inclined VRC. It can transport loads up to 2,000 lbs eliminating the need for fork truck usage by the loading docks. Additional lighting was also implemented as well as a control box room, adding safety and code compliance to the entire solution!
With this new VRC the company’s vertical storage process is more efficient and safer than ever allowing them to focus on future endeavors in their Haverhill, MA facility.