Case Study: Efficient Coil and Die Storage Leads to Increased Throughput

Safely storing and accessing heavy metal coils and stamping dies can pose a real challenge. Recently, NHI Mechanical Motion, Claremont, NH, a manufacturer of mechanical power-transfer products, sought a solution for better organizing its coil and die storage areas. Its new 140,000-sq.-ft. facility includes 87,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space (stamping, machining, welding, etc.) and 42,000 sq. ft. of inventory and shipping. Until recently, the firm had been storing sheet metal coils and stamping dies on the floor (above), consuming valuable production space and creating safety hazards. While coils in some cases were stacked on top of each other to free up some floor space, that practice created difficulties in locating and accessing the correct coils and transferring them to the stamping presses in a timely fashion.  On average, company officials say, locating the correct coils required approximately 30 min., while finding dies could take as long as an hour.

When NHI moved into the facility, it looked to take advantage of its vertical space, as well as reduce material-handling and manufacturing setup times. That’s precisely what it gained by investing in new vertical-rack storage units—Dexco racks from Ross--and locating them near its presses.  

After a bit of discussion, NHI’s Erik Minske, quality and environmental health and safety manager, working with Ross sales engineer Tracy Buck, determined that Ross’s Dexco wide-span and die-rack systems (right) would best address the facility’s storage challenges. The heavy-duty, wide-span racking minimizes the number of columns required to support the shelves, and therefore optimizes flexibility in material storage. 

“The project also made die traceability a reality,” says Buck.