Solution experts
December 1st 2003

Charlotte Stonestreet visited industrial storage specialists, System Store Solutions, to find out about the benefits their installations can bring When you first scan through System Store Solutions core product range, you could be forgiven for thinking that the company was simply another storage equipment supplier. In fact, theres no doubt that the cabinets, lockers and workstations you see in the portfolio could easily be sold through a catalogue or website but talk to managing director David Price and you will realise that this is no run of the mill distributor. Of course, the company does do a considerable amount of straight forward equipment supply, but it is in providing a complete solution that it really excels. Our main assets are our experience and expertise, says Price. We are able to sit down with customers who may not have any experience of specifying storage equipment, and work hand in hand with them from start to finish. Individual scheme Initially an expert from the company will typically spend two or three hours with a customer, guiding them through the product range and assessing their individual needs. They will then devise a storage scheme to suit the application and produce a technical drawing of the solution, along with a quote. Its the personal touch that sets us apart as a company, says Price. From day one on a large system, the area sales manager will be directly involved and will follow it right through to the completion of the build programme. In fact, altogether the team here has over 100 years experience in storage! I dont think you will get the kind of service we provide from anywhere else. Price estimates that around 50% of the companys business lies in projects. The systems are used across many sectors of industry and the companys customer base is constantly evolving. At the moment, major markets for System Store Solutions are aerospace, automotive and museums, but in 18 months time it could be a completely different picture as more diverse sectors come to the fore. Around 70% of the equipment supplied comes from Italian manufacturer Fami, while the company also has partnership agreements with HiLo and Troax. Of course, if storage needs fall outside these companies product ranges, Price and the team at System Store Solutions will find the answer elsewhere. Generally, we can meet all storage needs, says Price. For the majority of cases someone at the company will have relevant experience even if it is on a product we do not normally deal with. In the few cases where we do not have the required knowledge, it is safe to say that we will know a man who does! The benefits of a storage system from System Store Solutions can be many fold. In a recent installation, Hoerbiger Compression Technology has reduced the distance travelled around the shop floor to move parts by 30%. This equates to a saving of 130 working days per year on raw materials handling. Time spent on stock control is also reported to have been reduced by 50 working days per year. These factors result in very favourable pay back periods. In this project it was particularly important that the right balance of storage equipment was specified, as it had to fit into a JIT manufacturing cycle so System Store Solutions expertise proved very valuable. At the Bradford plant, 50% of the turnover comes from its manufacture of packing rings. These packing rings are made in varying sizes for reciprocating compressors for industrial, petrochemical and natural gas applications. System Store Solutions tailored the storage system to Hoerbigers requirements and was able to provide an installation that catered for all the raw materials as well as the different types of packing ring components. It also provided a compact system that integrated seamlessly into the factory floor environment. Hoerbigers own labelling and a link to a proprietary database has further enhanced the accessibility provided by the equipment. This helps staff locate components faster and more easily. It also tells them the situation of each component and what stock is required. Stock control A strict and regular regime of stock control is essential for Hoerbigers JIT manufacturing. A consequence of the new storage installation is the transfer of parts identification to the suppliers. Predetermined quantities of parts now go directly to the production line, in a straight-to-stock principle. Hoerbiger, therefore, no longer has to rehandle the material, which used to be a laborious and time-consuming task that took up a full days work for one employee every week. Prior to the installation of the storage, Hoerbiger discovered that, over an eighteen-month period, the manufacturing of 115,000 packing rings involved 19,000 kilometres (454 marathons) of employee travel. Reports show that the new storage installation will demand just 13,500 kilometres of travel (322 marathons) over the same period. Hoerbiger has also found that half an employees workload each week is saved on raw materials handling. This is because the materials are now stored in colour coded multi box units, which improve visibility and accessibility.

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