By replacing traditional shelving with a vertical storage and retrieval system, laboratory equipment manufacturer Thermo Forma has not only improved productivity, but has also freed valuable floor space to accommodate market growth.
The Marietta, OH company is a leading manufacturer of controlled environment laboratory equipment used in educational, biomedical, pharmaceutical, clinical, and industrial applications. Its diversified product line includes cell culture incubators, non-CFC ultra-low temperature freezers, biological safety cabinets and laminar flow equipment, laboratory refrigerators and freezers, LN2 cryopreservation equipment, orbital shakers, blood bank equipment, monitor/alarm systems, and washing/drying systems. When market growth and product expansion required that Thermo Forma improve efficiency while controlling costs, one area studied was its parts handling and storage operation.
"The existing system required too much human handling and lifting of boxes," said Craig Knowlton, Thermo Forma senior planner/analyst.
The company was using a triple-tiered shelving system with 27 x 54 x 7 ft sections -- some 30,618 cubic feet of shelving capacity -- to store both service parts and components used in the manufacturing operation. Thus employees were spending a significant amount of time walking aisles and searching shelves to fill orders. The shelving system was also designed with the receiving operation at the top of the system's mezzanine, requiring extensive product handling -- in some cases, cartons were moved and re-stacked up to five times before they were delivered to the correct storage location. Travel, search, and handling time reduced the company's ability to meet increasing demand for its products.
To improve the efficiency of the parts storage and retrieval operation, Thermo Forma installed two MegaLift™ Vertical Lift Modules (VLMs) from MegaStar Systems to replace a portion of the rack and shelf system. The MegaLift VLM is an enclosed system of vertically arranged trays, an ergonomically designed extraction platform, and computerized controls. It can store up to 2,000 lb. per tray with a total maximum payload of 88,000 lb.
Why a Vertical System?
MegaLift VLMs are designed to present stored items automatically at an ergonomically correct height for safe, efficient order picking -- usually 39 inches above floor level, about waist height for most people. This location helps reduce the incidence of job-related injuries caused by reaching, stretching, bending, and climbing necessary to retrieve items from traditional shelving. "Golden zone" positioning, combined with the vertical design concept of MegaLift VLMs, improves productivity and system throughput by allowing operators to fill orders without walking aisles searching for items. Although Thermo Forma still uses shelving in its parts storage operation, the installation of the two MegaLift VLMs has reduced walk and search time 50 to 60 percent, improving system throughput and employee productivity.
"Our personnel are our most valuable asset, and their safety and health are primary concerns," Knowlton said. "These VLMs allow us to offer them a more productive way to do their jobs, as well as a safer way to do it."
The MegaLift VLM is designed so it can be configured to meet varying ceiling heights. For example, one VLM, installed in the Thermo Forma service area, has a dual access and is 22 ft tall, with one foot of ceiling clearance. The other VLM, a 26 ft tall unit with 10 in. of ceiling clearance, is installed in the manufacturing receiving area.
The contents of approximately 25 percent of the shelving system fit into one VLM, freeing up about 7, 660 cubic ft of space at the Thermo Forma facility. The recovered floor space allowed the company to relocate the receiving operation from the top of the mezzanine to the ground floor, only a few feet from the receiving dock. Vendor-supplied parts are now placed on a conveyor and delivered to the storage area.
Putting the System to Work
Orders for parts required in the manufacturing operation are sent electronically to centralized printers in the receiving department. Pick lists are printed with the item description, quantity, and location. The operator removes items from the MegaLift VLM and then searches shelving to complete the order. The system has been configured so that the most frequently requested items are stored in the VLM, allowing the operator to remain in one place to complete most of the order. Items that are used in combination are located in the same tray to reduce the number of transactions required to pick an order.
Service parts orders follow essentially the same route as manufacturing parts orders, being electronically entered and sent to the receiving department where a pick list is printed. Operators pick parts from their VLM and retrieve other parts from the shelving system. When an order is complete, it is boxed and queued for pickup.
Since the installation of the MegaLift VLMs three years ago, the service parts department has increased its workload 30 to 40 percent without the need to hire additional staff. Because parts are stored in an enclosed system, they are dust free when shipped to customers, maintaining the company's quality image.
The installation of the VLMs was based on a 2.4 year ROI calculated on the productivity increases alone. Factors such as floor space recovery, improved inventory management, and the reduction of lost time caused by product handling injuries were not included in the equation.
"The VLMs have certainly helped us improve our internal processes and procedures and meet our growth plans," Knowlton said.
