Retrieving savings in labor, time and productivity

Overview
A national provider of value-added egg and egg products had been facing significant materials handling challenges in its distribution operations.
 
Growing demand for its products led the company to seek a solution that would enhance its productivity, while ensuring safety of the workforce.
 
With more than a century’s business experience, multiple locations and plans for further expansion, this company – the nation’s largest processor of value-added eggs – sought to improve upon its current methods of preparing product for distribution.

Specifically, its production process includes the use of spacers between each layer of product; these spacers need to be removed prior to shipping. Its means of doing so was with workers physically removing the spacers at floor level, requiring considerable time while also exposing workers to injuries from bending and engaging in repetitive motions. The company sought guidance from Cherry’s Industrial Equipment for its Minnesota facility.  


The Challenge
This was a first-time engagement with this client. Corporate Account Manager Jason Podjasek represented Cherry’s in meeting with the management team, going through a comprehensive discovery phase to assess the client’s needs, and proposing a solution.
 
With a fast-paced production schedule,  moving more than 60 pallets per day, the facility is continuously busy. The time required to manually stack pallets, including removing the spacers, could be as much as 20 minutes per pallet. Multiply that by sixty and it becomes clear that this is a time-consuming process. The company sought relief on two fronts: (1) speed up the time it takes to remove spacers and prepare the pallets for shipment; and (2) find a way to avoid the need for workers to reach down to floor level to accomplish this spacer removal.


The Solution
After in-depth discussions identifying the key challenges that required mitigation—and leveraging more than 40 years of industry expertise—Cherry’s Industrial determined that the optimal solution would address two critical needs:
(1) enabling the pallet loads to be safely tilted to an ideal working height, eliminating the need for operators to reach or bend excessively, and
(2) creating space between each layer to accelerate freezer spacer removal without manual handling of boxes.
To accomplish these objectives, Cherry’s recommended the integration of its Pallet Spacer Retriever (PSR). This specialized machine tips the entire pallet load to a 105° angle, loosening the layers for quick and efficient spacer removal while positioning the product at an ergonomically friendly 30-inch working height—enhancing both operator safety and productivity.


The Results
With the introduction of Cherry’s Industrial Pallet Space Retriever, the client reports a 30% increase in productivity. The machine’s ability to quickly and efficiently retrieve pallets sped up operations, reduced the time and amount of manual handling needed and also decreased the risk of workplace injuries. It further led to significant cost savings on workers’ compensation claims, allowing the company to reinvest those savings into further operational improvements.


Conclusion
It is vital for companies to invest in innovative solutions that prioritize both productivity and employee safety. Such investments can yield long-term benefits.  As our client continues to expand, it will further integrate Cherry’s Pallet Space Retrievers into other facilities across the country and explore additional enhancements.  If you're looking to improve productivity and safety in your operations, consider the advantages of modern industrial solutions like Cherry’s Industrial Pallet Retriever.