Spanco Ceiling-Mounted Monorail System Improves Safety and Efficiency for Agricultural Machinery Manufacturer
Products used
Overview
A global provider and original equipment manufacturer of agricultural machinery produces tractors, harvesters, balers, self-propelled sprayers, haying tools, seeding equipment, utility vehicles, and more. Their equipment is produced worldwide, but their 154,000 square-foot factory is home to the largest hay production and baler-making facility in the world.
As their business and factory expanded, so too did their need for a material handling solution to move long farm equipment components around their facility. The pieces had to follow a large, repetitive route, so they knew they needed a versatile system that would be easy to use and could navigate around obstacles. They needed a system that could reach from one work area to another, and potentially even travel the entire course of the facility. That’s when they reached out to a Spanco dealer to conduct a thorough assessment of their operation and suggest the best system for their needs.
Solution
Ken Deaven from Power Hydraulics, Inc. answered the call and immediately recommended a Ceiling-Mounted Monorail System from Spanco. Ken was familiar with the company’s products and facility, as they had purchased multiple Spanco Workstation Bridge Cranes over the years.
Workers use a lean manufacturing process that requires parts and equipment to move from work area to work area. The ceiling-mounted monorail not only provides the ability to lift and move products along a fixed path, but it’s also flexible enough to connect to other systems—like workstation bridge cranes—and cover the entire length of the facility. Considering that fabrication, welding, painting, and even shipping and receiving all take place in the facility, the system needed to cover a lot of ground to reach multiple work areas.
Spanco Ceiling-Mounted Monorails are an excellent, economical alternative for work areas that cannot be serviced by bridge cranes, including hard-to-reach locations and buildings with high ceilings. The ceiling-mounted monorail system is drop-rod mounted to avoid overhead obstructions and includes a maximum capacity of 4,000 pounds—with two 2,000-pound capacity hoists. The monorail runs nearly 130 feet in length and includes electric hoists and proper festooning to ensure ease of use and functionality.
Check out our catalog of solutions and find your fit
Impact
Since the expansion, workers at the agriculture machinery manufacturer are very happy with the new Spanco Ceiling-Mounted Monorail System. The system requires no floor space for support columns and includes hangars for slopes, splices, and end stops. Not only is the monorail easy to use, but it also navigates around columns and bulky machinery that would normally obstruct material handling equipment. With the new Ceiling-Mounted Monorail System from Spanco, workers are able to move heavy equipment and parts from one point in the production facility to another without worrying about floor or overhead obstructions.