Leaning out your shop storage for better material flow

Changing your storage practices can seem like a sunk cost, but the right approach saves time and increases safety

Most fab shops focus on particular bottlenecks where they see quite clearly lost revenue and time. This focus is usually on the machines themselves: updating a laser for increased processing or upgrading a press brake to take advantage of the latest controls and automation. Storage and handling, however, can support and enhance flow too.

Neglecting the Need

When a company has been managing its operations for a long time in the same way, it is hard to break routine and see how material flow could be improved. They see the shutdown time to implement changes as a hindrance more than they see the benefits of what a new approach to storage and handling might provide.

I have seen 40-year-old businesses that still require employees to climb on material to access it. Neglecting proper storage of bars, rods, and pipe creates unnecessary safety hazards in the workplace.

Safety alone should dictate a change in storage methods, but productivity enhancements inevitably follow. In certain instances, a 20 to 35 per cent increase in productivity can be achieved with the right approach. This would more than offset any downtime required to install a system.

Pinpointing Problems

Storage system companies can help you design a system that suits your needs, but it’s useful to sit down with your shop employees ahead of any meeting with a supplier to determine where they see the greatest problems. Is it a challenge to transport sheet to the laser? Are your aisles too narrow? Is it difficult managing heavier plate? Is removing bar safely from stationary racks impossible in your current configuration? Determining your start point in these terms can set a baseline for designing an ideal system that matches each need in your facility.

At Athena Manufacturing, remnant organization was a real struggle. And this is a common issue with some of the top-performing businesses in this industry. It took large amounts of time to search for a specific cutout that would optimize our material usage. We started looking for ways to manage this, which is how we came to create a working relationship with Eurostorage, licensing their designs.

What we found very effective for remnant storage is a vertical system that allows us to access sheets by pulling out the drawers. Placed near your laser, such a system makes it possible for one person to quickly access remnants and transfer them to the laser bed.

Another issue that we see often is the amount of space pallets take up in warehouses where large volumes of sheet are stored. Some systems allow for the simple removal of the wooden pallets before storage. Each pallet can take up to 6 in. of space. That may not seem like much, but if your facility is like ours and you have dozens of them stacked up, space ends up running very tight. Depalletizing frees up much more room for inventory.

Take the Full Picture

Once you’ve got a sense of where your needs lie, we recommend taking photos of the current situation in your facility, including an overview of the full shop; current material storage practices; as well as any cranes, forklifts, or other methods used to move material from one place to another.

By taking photos and looking at schematics of your shop, you will find it’s easier to explain to a storage equipment supplier how best it can help you move forward.

Bill Johnson is president of Athena Manufacturing, Eurostorage USA Licensee, 15900 Bratton Lane, Austin, Texas 78728, 512-928-2693, www.athenamfg.com.