ISS Material Handling Projects

Problem: This St. Louis center identified a bottleneck in their operations that was consuming more time than necessary. When packages were moved from the main conveyor line into a problem-solve area, a worker would have to walk across the opposite end of the facility to the jackpot kick off point. This was wasting valuable time and manual labor, highlighting the need for a material handling solution.

Solution: Along with Industrial Controls & Robotics, ISS Material Handling designed and installed a custom metal chute fed by a 32’ Hytrol Belt Conveyor. This conveyor uses optical sensors to reintroduce packages that had been kicked off to the main conveyor line. Overall, this automation solution saved this center over three hours of package circulation time and many personnel trips back and forth across the facility.

Problem: This parts distributor had a 10-building picking and shipping operation…but needed to move into a single location. The challenge was making sure all of their inventory could fit into one new picking and shipping operation.

Solution: After an inventory analysis, a two-level pick module was chosen to go in the new facility. ISS Material Handling designed and installed a conveyor and vertical reciprocating conveyor (VRC) to transport items to the mezzanine level. The heavy conveyor was installed to run the length of the second level, and the vertical reciprocating conveyor was designed to transport the heavier and bulker items up and down levels. These material handling solutions allowed this distributor to consolidate their 10-building inventory into one location.

Problem: An Auto Body Shop in St. Louis was running out of storage space. They didn’t have easy access to their mezzanine and had limited floor space, so they started storing inventory in their bays, which was losing them revenue each day.

Solution: ISS Material Handling recommended a vertical reciprocating conveyor (VRC) to help this auto body shop easily access their second level in order to store their carts. This hydraulic straddle VRC can lift 20ft per minute and allowed the shop to free up six of their bays. This material handling solution was able to save them a revenue of $28,350 a week.