PROBLEM
Chrome wheels provided by Alcoa ASL of Chillicothe, OH were being packed onto a wood pallet with hand made plywood and 2 x 4 dividers, then wrapped in foam and shrink wrapped.
Waste: When received, the shrink wrap and foam was single use and had to be disposed.
Labor: Additional time was required to inspect and pack the wood materials prior to returning.
Safety: The weight of the wood dividers made it necessary to utilize two people during handling. In addition minor injuries were incurred through nails and splinters.
Quality: Due to the packaging wheels were more susceptible to scuffs and scratches.
SOLUTION
SAY Plastics designed and developed a clean, efficient, and economical handling system utilizing custom thermoformed tray dividers and stock plastic pallets and top caps.
VALUE
SAY Plastics developed an ingenious method for permanently adhering a closed cell foam into the tray divider wheel location during the forming process. Additional features included an interlock design which allows the divider trays to lock into a cube for stability during transport, while utilizing the stock pallet and top caps permanently attached hold-down strapping mechanism.
CONCLUSION
Harley-Davidson and Alcoa ASL saw immediate benefits in labor, safety, and quality by replacing costly expendable packaging materials, with a light weight, durable, material handling system, which paid for itself in less than 5 turns.
