FloStorFrom Floor to Flow: Cooper B-Line Boosts Productivity and Ergonomics with Conveyor System
Cooper B-Line’s Reno facility replaced manual handling and forklift dependence with a new integrated conveyor system, achieving significant gains in throughput, efficiency, and worker well-being through streamlined material flow and improved ergonomics.
Cooper B-Line Achieves Significant Productivity and Ergonomics Gains with New Conveyor System
The Client: Cooper B-Line
Cooper B-Line is a manufacturer of electrical, mechanical, and telecommunications supports. At its Reno, Nevada facility, the team produces racks, runway components, and related kits used in telecom applications where speed, load integrity, and safe handling are essential.
As production volume increased, the facility needed a more efficient material flow model to reduce handling delays and improve workforce productivity.
The Challenge
- Forklift-Dependent Flow: Pallet movement relied on waiting for forklift availability, creating avoidable idle time between orders.
- Manual Build-and-Move Process: Loads were built on the floor and then relocated manually, slowing pace and increasing handling effort.
- Heavy Unit Handling: Typical palletized loads exceeded 1,000 lbs and required more controlled transfer and securing methods.
- Mixed Order Requirements: Standard palletized orders and crate-required orders needed different handling paths inside one operation.
- Ergonomic Strain During Crating: Legacy crating workflows required more bending and awkward access, increasing physical burden on workers.
The Solution
FloStor designed and integrated a hybrid conveyor architecture combining Hytrol pallet-conveying components with a custom heavy-duty crating module. The objective was to remove forklift waiting from core flow, improve order path control, and deliver safer product access at key handling points.
The resulting system connected packing, transfer, banding, crating, and accumulation into one coordinated process with automated pallet movement and order-specific routing.
Systems Used
- Drag Chain Packing Conveyors: Pallets were built at adjacent packing stations on powered drag chain sections to stabilize load preparation flow.
- Chain Transfer Modules: Automatic chain transfers moved completed pallets from station-level conveyors onto the main takeaway path.
- Hytrol 25-CRR Chain-Driven Live Roller Conveyor: Mainline transport for loaded pallets provided continuous movement from pack to downstream processing.
- Banding and Order Accumulation Path: Standard high-volume orders were banded and routed to an accumulation conveyor with anti-contact protection.
- Custom FloStor Crating Module: A combined transfer cart, lift table, and conveyor allowed crate-required loads to move offline, elevate for ergonomic access, and return to the main line.
The Power of Integration in Action
FloStor’s integrator role aligned standard and custom hardware into one practical execution model. Automated pallet handoffs reduced reliance on ad hoc forklift transport, while route logic separated standard and crate-required orders without disrupting mainline flow.
This integrated approach improved both throughput consistency and worker ergonomics by combining predictable movement with better load access during securement tasks.
The Results
Cooper B-Line converted a manual, forklift-waiting workflow into a higher-velocity pallet handling operation with more reliable order flow and improved employee working conditions. The upgraded system delivered measurable productivity gains while supporting diverse shipping requirements.
By integrating automated transfer, routing, and ergonomic crating support, the facility improved speed and stability without sacrificing handling quality.
Key Performance Gains
- Throughput Increase: Overall throughput improved by approximately 30% to 35% versus the previous manual system
- Daily Output Performance: Facility average reached roughly 150 racks per line per eight-hour shift
- Forklift Dependency Reduction: Automated pallet transfers reduced wait time for forklift movement between process stages
- Ergonomic and Load-Control Improvement: Elevated crating access and controlled positioning improved worker access and load securement quality
Why This Worked
This implementation worked because Cooper B-Line and FloStor addressed flow, routing, and ergonomics together rather than as separate fixes. The system was designed to keep pallets moving, keep operators productive, and keep handling safer under heavy-load conditions.
- Bottleneck Elimination at Handoffs: Automated transfer points removed a recurring wait-state caused by forklift availability.
- Order-Path Segmentation: Dedicated treatment of crate-required orders protected throughput on the main standard-order path.
- Custom Plus Standard Integration: Combining proven conveyor equipment with a purpose-built FloStor module delivered both reliability and fit-for-process flexibility.
- Ergonomics as Productivity Lever: Improved load access and reduced manual strain helped sustain output quality and operator performance.
Related Services
- System Integration and Controls Engineering
- Pallet Conveyor and Transfer Workflow Design
- Custom Crating and Ergonomic Workstation Solutions
- Manufacturing Flow Modernization and Lifecycle Support