In today’s world of inflating rent costs, increasing energy costs, and expensive construction, “Doing More with Less” is a high priority across all industries and markets. This is a term that can be misunderstood; thought to mean cost-cutting or a reduction in staffing. For Boston Industrial Consulting (BIC), and many of our clients, this term means getting better at what we already do. This is accomplished by being creative when thinking towards the future; becoming more efficient and/or gaining a better understanding of what is needed while reducing unnecessary steps in a workflow process. All of these considerations, along with a flexible and creative mindset, are key to how BIC is helping clients implement solutions that allow them to do more with less.
In the case of Reiser, a leader in the food processing and packaging industry, doing more with less meant getting all they needed in a building that was limited in the size of an expansion by what the site could accommodate. With the Reiser team, BIC explored everything from manufacturing to parts and machine handling to maximize present day efficiently future growth capacity.
When studying the significant growth in the stockroom, it was apparent that a creative way to future-proof the area was required. While implementing a new mezzanine with shelving and increasing picking efficiency through the introduction of RF scanning and conveyance, BIC helped to design space in a way that would be flexible enough to meet Reiser’s obsessive customer service needs. With the Reiser team, BIC helped develop additional storage areas throughout the building for parts that were not used frequently but still needed to be kept accessible for day-to-day customer needs. The result was a highly efficient, yet simple and effective, stocking method that fit Resier’s needs today and tomorrow. The new efficiencies allow the stockroom to service the manufacturing areas without the need for technicians to leave their workstations.
In the warehousing end of Reiser’s business, BIC recommended a solution that increased storage capacity by 40% over traditional pallet racking and maintained 100% selectivity of all items. This increase in density was accomplished by implementing Mobile Pallet Racking, a semi-automated high-density pallet storage system. This system maximized the utilization of the available height and reduced the number of aisles required in their slower moving storage areas. This solution helped Reiser absorb an outside warehouse and maintain easy access to all their inventory for production, distribution, returns, and inventory purposes. In addition, it has provided an impressive system to show existing and potential customers who tour the facility on a daily basis.
Additionally, in Reiser’s manufacturing areas, BIC teamed up for a detailed analysis of workflow processes and area requirements. This effort led to the implementation of structured production cell designs in both of their manufacture areas, thereby increasing manufacturing capabilities. The redesigned manufacturing cell quantities increased from 10 to 18 cells with minimal impact on day-to-day operations and the flexibility for further expansion within the same footprint as customer demand continues to increase. This effort also included stripping of the work cells, dedicated staging areas for inbound and outbound materials, flexible production areas capable of handling small to very large machine lines with multiple pieces of machinery and a redistribution of existing cranes for better coverage and utilization of flex areas.
Our level of experience across this extensive category ensures that when we team up with clients for any project; Doing More with Less is a focus in our strategic design. Whether your goals are future-proofing, increasing storage capacities, and/or expanding manufacturing capabilities, Boston Industrial will provide you the tools to stay at the forefront of today’s business.
