IPC Communication Services
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SIC: 2759
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Systems Integrator: Bastian Material Handling (Novi, MI)
Fast Delivery, Easy Installation
Companies with basic conveyor needs like IPC
Communication Services find big advantage in Hytrol's
"Stockyard" service featuring 24-hour shipment.
Not
every company needs the most sophisticated conveyor system and complex
computer controls. The top priority for many operations, particularly
those in the small and mid-size range, is basic and reliable equipment.
They want to be able to ramp up quickly when order volume dictates. And
when they do add new equipment, they want it up and running fast.
Hytrol's
"Stockyard" service is tailor made for companies with these
kinds of requirements. Hytrol guarantees 24-hour shipment of more than 500
models of conveyor equipment in 2,500 sizes from the Stockyard. In fact,
if the order is not shipped within that tight timeframe, Hytrol pays the
freight.
These rapid-response capabilities have been expanded recently with
the opening of a new Stockyard facility, located adjacent to Hytrol's main
manufacturing plant in Jonesboro, Arkansas. The location allows for
near-immediate replenishment of inventory. And with 75,000 square-feet of
space, the Stockyard can expand the menu of equipment available for
24-hour shipping. In addition to the new Jonesboro facility, Hytrol
operates a modern Stockyard in Manteca, California.
Making Use of the Stockyard
IPC Communication
Services is a good example of a company that has benefited from the
Stockyard. IPC provides a range of printing and media replication
services, including assembly, fulfillment, and distribution. IPC's
Hawthorne Fulfillment Center in St. Joseph, Mich., focuses on two main
activities: (1) assembling printed material with CD-ROMs and other
computer media and (2) fulfilling print orders for end-users. The
150,000 square-foot Hawthorne operation today incorporates a variety of
conveyor equipment, including belt, horizontal power, live roller, and
gravity. But when the facility opened six years ago, only a limited amount
of powered equipment was in place. As the business grew, IPC added more
and more equipment—most of which was ordered from the Stockyard. Orders
were placed through Unisource Packaging, a dealer of Hytrol equipment
based in Kalamazoo, Mich. IPC also works closely with Bastian Material
Handling to identify its equipment requirements. Bastian is a systems
integrator and Hytrol distributor based in Novi, Michigan. In the Assembly part of the Hawthorne
operation, short segments of gravity conveyor feed the powered units in
the multiple lines used for handwork, automated collation and packaging,
and sub-assembly work. Forklifts then move the completed orders to the
shipment-staging areas.
In Fulfillment, which is basically a pick-and-pack operation, there's a
powered accumulating unit with the EZ Logic feature. EZ Logic controls the
accumulation and movement of product from zone to zone, giving IPC better
overall control of the fulfillment activities. Final shipment preparation
in this area is done on gravity conveyors. Portable
belt conveyors are used throughout the facility in both the Assembly and
Fulfillment areas. These flexible units can easily be added to or removed
from a work area as required by order demand or other operating
considerations. As with all of the other conveyor equipment at Hawthorne,
the belt conveyors can be ordered though the Stockyard with 24-hour
shipping.
Reliable and Trouble Free
Though the IPC Hawthorne Fulfillment Center is
growing steadily, it still needs to remain flexible. For operations like
this one, the approach of adding equipment as needed from the Stockyard
makes a lot of sense. Ordering is fast and easy. Installation is simple.
And downtime is virtually non-existent. "We've
stuck with Hytrol because of the dependability of their conveyors,"
sums up Lee Myers, the company's director of turnkey operations. "We
install the equipment and we're up and running. And there is very little
maintenance required." Over
the past two years in particular, IPC has seen significant productivity
improvements from the additional conveyor equipment put in place.
Production has effectively tripled at the site, while overall labor costs
have dropped significantly. Companies
like IPC with a need for reliable and trouble-free equipment can enjoy
these same types of benefits from Hytrol equipment and Stockyard service.
Plus, all units arrive on site pre-assembled, minimizing start-up time and
maximizing cost savings. These are the kinds of advantages that a growing
number of small and mid-size operations are finding hard to resist.
Snapshot of the Operation
In the Assembly section of the Fulfillment
center, powered conveyor units move material on three types of assembly
lines: handwork, sub-assembly, and packaging and collation. Short segments
of gravity conveyor feed the powered units here. In Fulfillment, a
pick-and-pack operation, product movement is controlled by a powered
accumulating conveyor with the EZ Logic feature. Final shipment
preparation is done on gravity conveyors. Portable belt conveyors can be
added or removed throughout the facility as needed.
Company: IPC
Communication Services
Facility: Hawthorne Fulfillment Center
Location: St. Joseph, MI
Size: 150,000 square feet
Employees: 150 (approx.)
Director of Turnkey Operations: Lee
Myers
Product handled: Print materials, computer media
Types of conveyors: Horizontal belt (TA),
horizontal power (190-ACZ), powered accumulating (190-SPEZ), gravity
Conveyor supplier: Hytrol Conveyor Inc., Jonesboro, AR
Systems Integrator: Bastian Material Handling,
Novi, MI
Dealer: Unisource Packaging Co., Kalamazoo, MI
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