Challenge
Car Craft is an Auto Body Shop located in St. Louis, Missouri, with 51,000 sq ft of space and 80 Work Bays at their largest location in Oakville. As happens to many in the auto body industry, with growth Car Craft was quickly running out of storage space. When storage space became limited on the ground floor and there was no easy access to the second level of their mezzanine, Car Craft started storing their tech carts in six bays in their shop and losing revenue from those bays daily.
Solution
At that point, Car Craft connected with Jeremy of ISS Material Handling (ISSMH). ISSMH’s recommendation was to install a Vertical Reciprocating Conveyor, or VRC. With the help of the expert engineer partners at WilDeck, ISSMH was able to spec a Hydraulic Straddle VRC.
With a capacity of up to 4,000 lbs, lifting speed of 20ft per minute and a lifting height of 18 ft. 6 in., the WilDeck Hydraulic VRC was the perfect solution for the Car Craft facility’s storage needs. VRCs are a cost-effective, safe and easy way to move materials from one elevation to another. They are ideally suited for the safe and efficient movement of materials to a mezzanine or any new or existing upper-floor level.
Results
The ability to integrate the VRC into the existing mezzanine meant the customer was able to make a big change in their facility without closing for construction. After installing the VRC, Car Craft is now able to easily and quickly store their carts on the second level of the mezzanine, freeing up the six bays they were using to store the carts. By utilizing the six bays previously used as storage, Car Craft is able to meet growing customer demand.
For Car Craft, another added benefit of installing the VRC lift is that it would quickly pay for itself:
(6) Bays x (15) Hours/Bay x (5) Working Days/Week = 450 hours/week
450 hours @ $63/Hour - $28,350/week
By better utilizing the bays that were previously being used as storage, Car Craft was able to recoup the cost of the VRC lift within a few short weeks for an amazingly quick return on investment!
This solution for Car Craft is one that can be applied to many manufacturing and industrial applications that are looking to expand their operations, without expanding their facilities.
For help in addressing your storage or other challenges, contact ISS Material Handling to ask your questions or schedule a consultation.