Project Examples
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John Deere (Deere & Company) - Manufacturing site, Ankeny, Iowa
Recently, engineers at the John Deere manufacturing plant that produces the large sprayer booms used to treat crops on some America’s largest and most productive farms needed a more efficient manufacturing process to meet the enormous and growing demand for its product. The existing process was plagued with inefficiency and significant full-line down time anytime a single unit encountered a problem needing attention. Deere executives contacted Facility Functions for assistance. Facility Functions engineers worked closely with the Deere team fully redesigning the production line and adding an innovative staged-accumulator process that allowed for continuous production line operation while any individual units requiring attention were addressed.
Genco Infrastructure Solutions, Inc. – Processing and distribution site, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Genco Infrastructure Solutions’ many business lines include the collection and reprocessing of unused prescription medications for return to original manufacturers. With an enormously complicated sorting problem to solve, Genco turned to Facility Functions to design a sorting and picking system that reliably and accurately routed the medications to the proper destination and reduced operating costs by forty-five per cent.
ABC Supply – Distribution Center, Beloit Wisconsin
Ken Hendricks started ABC Supply in 1982 as a small wholesale supplier for area builders. In a short time, he built the company into what would become one of America’s largest roofing and building supply companies. As his company rapidly grew, Ken sought an innovative and trustworthy source to design and install material handling systems that could accommodate ABC Supply’s exploding growth. Ken chose Facility Functions to outfit his distribution centers with then state-of-the-art conveyor and picking systems. ABC and Facility Functions have since worked closely together as both companies continue to grow.
Harley Davidson, Inc, – Manufacturing and Distribution sites, Milwaukee Wisconsin
Perhaps America’s most iconic brand, Harley-Davidson is also a highly innovative, forward looking company. When it looked for ways to reduce costs, enhance efficiency, and improve worker safety and well-being on its production lines, it selected Facility Functions to design and implement its desired improvements. As a result, Harley-Davidson was one of the first major companies in America to switch from continuous 480 volt AC-powered conveyor systems, to the then newly-devised 24 volt DC on-demand systems. The installation costs alone saved Harley Davidson nearly $5 million, and the operating costs savings experienced by reduced power consumption alone have been significant. In addition, the MDR system reduced noise by as much as twenty decibels, and has measurably reduced hazards associated with high voltage, continuous conveying systems.
Draexlmaier / BMW components plant - Duncan, South Carolina
Draexlmaier’s South Carolina plant produces a wide variety of components for luxury automotive models - included among those are the dashboards for BMW. With limited available floor space at the Duncan plant, Draaexlmaier sought a way to improve process efficiency and eliminate frequent disruptions caused by mismatched, poorly sequenced inputs - all without needing to acquire additional floor space. They reached out to Facility Functions for assistance where we re-designed an improved production line flow process and added a two-level staging and return accumulator area, that together virtually eliminated production disruptions.
Lemans Corporation – Distribution Center, Janesville Wisconsin
Lemans has grown into one of the largest distributors of after-market motor cycle and recreational vehicle parts. As the company grew, it too turned to Facility Functions to provide its full material handling system comprised of MDR-powered conveyors, product sorting and picking, and packaging.