Unlike distribution centers or even smaller footprint manufacturers, industrial carts in the agricultural sector almost always deals with heavier pieces of heavy-duty utility equipment.
Agriculture equipment manufacturing is a broad section of products from lawn mowers to tractors. Along with the wide range of products, the industry also deals with high seasonal production variation and a market range from consumer to high-end professional that present unique production system challenges. Topper’s lean material handling equipment solutions, including tube and joint flow racks, industrial cart delivery systems, and ergonomic workstations, reduce excess handling of components and enhance efficiency; additionally, these material handling solutions can help achieve the goals of quality management systems such as those pertaining to ISO 65.060.01 (Agricultural machines and equipment).
Manufacturers of agricultural equipment are moving away from the use of forklifts as the primary means of material flow. Fork truck free cart delivery systems solve the point to point movement in safe and efficient ways. Modular cart delivery systems using mother daughter carts, tow carts, and sequence carts work together seamlessly. Agricultural equipment manufacturers design production lines with operators on both sides, or multiple operators working on a unit at the same time to keep lines shorter. There is a need to manage volume fluctuations, which presents material flow challenges best address by mobile workstations, custom-designed part presentation, and heavy-duty cart systems.
The approach of material flow in agricultural production systems is important because it determines the convergence of inputs (indirectly, the natural resources) to the field. In the same way that manufacturers talk about OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness), the agricultural material flows are quantified by effective field capacity, which is the amount of area per time that the agricultural machinery performs. The theoretical field capacity is the result of work speed multiplied by the work area width. The effective field capacity is the theoretical value multiplied by the field efficiency.
The range of material flow in the agricultural sector touches far more phases than just the field and the final landing destination at a local grocery store. The labor shortages in each of the areas shown below require increasingly innovating fork truck free solutions whether at the processing level or logistics level.
About Topper Industrial
For more than twenty years, Topper Industrial, (www.topperindustrial.com) based just outside of Milwaukee, WI, has been a leader in the material handling equipment industry. The company’s product roster features industrial carts, conveyors, lifts, lifts & tilts, shipping racks, containers, casters, and cart components. From mother-daughter carts to quad steer carts to tilt carts and rotate carts, Topper’s material handling solutions make delivering material line side more effective through more efficient practices. Topper Industrial has a team of experienced professional experts able to assess and provide the right product for all material handling equipment requirements.
Topper Industrial is a proud member of MHI. Follow on Twitter @TopperInd or on LinkedIn.