CUSTOMER

Minezawa USA Inc., Evansville, Indiana

CHALLENGE
In automotive manufacturing, production cycle time is critical to maintaining an efficient operation. Minezawa USA, Inc. relied on a robotic system to transport fuel tanks through its facility. However, the robot was unable to keep pace with the facility's production cycle, creating a bottleneck that restricted material flow and slowed production.

SCOPE

• Four Conveyor Zones: Stacked conveyor sections designed to safely feed fuel tanks into a machine-guarded loading area.

• Lifting Conveyor System: Multi-tiered lifting conveyors to transfer fuel tanks from the loading area to the overhead conveyor network.

• Overhead Accumulation Conveyors: Overhead conveyor sections that transport and accumulate fuel tanks while allowing production activities to continue below.

• Multi-Tier Rack Conveyors: Integrated conveyor sections that move and distribute fuel tanks to different portions of the conveyor system.

SOLUTION
Stac engineered an integrated transport solution with a coordinated network of conveyor sections. Four conveyor zones safely deliver fuel tanks into a machine-guarded loading area. Mounted in a stacked configuration, these zones feed product onto a multi-tiered lifting conveyor, which strategically transfers fuel tanks to the overhead accumulation conveyor lines.

The overhead accumulation conveyor sections allow fuel tanks to move through the facility while production activities continue below. The integrated system eliminated a critical production bottleneck and improved the movement and distribution of fuel tanks throughout the facility. The overhead configuration also allowed materials to be transported without interrupting production activities below.