Color-coded flow racks

Creform Corp., a manufacturer of unique products for material handling and commercial use, has designed and built a two-toned mobile flow rack that takes advantage of Creform’s variety of pipe colors. The two colors help visually reinforce the location of handling right-handed and left-handled parts and helps reduce picking errors.

The flow rack replaces a flat table where the manufacturer had to move the boxes (sized 16" W x 24" L x 10" H and weighing under 10 lb.) each time they were emptied. There were stacks of boxes on pallets, clogging the aisle and the operator had to take the empty box to another pallet, then pick up new box and walk back to the table. The table also had no signs or separation for left and right parts.

The Creform flow rack guarantees first-in, first-out (FIFO) inventory management as well as ergonomic presentation. The dimensions of the rack are 39" W x 73" L x 48" T and is rated to hold up to 400 lb. The rack features one supply level for product presentation with two lanes. Each lane features a special steeper presentation angle at the picking point making it easy to see and to reach into the box. Each lane features physical separators on both sides so that the boxes are contained and separated so they flow down the lanes smoothly.

The rack features a return level below, also with two lanes, to send empty containers back to the service side to be refilled. Each of the cart’s levels or the entire flow rack can be repositioned and customized with only simple tools, which encourages changes for continuous improvement.

The flow rack features gravity conveyors for excellent flow characteristics and strength, while the low-friction skate wheel conveyors allow for shallow flow lane angles. It features nine 4" diameter stem casters with urethane wheels for easy, stable, and safe movement. Wheels lend themselves to easily moving the structure for housekeeping or repositioning. Four corner casters feature brakes that can be engaged for secure positioning.

A Creform flow rack can be part of a supermarket storage area as it is ideal for picking individual SKUs that make up a manufacturing kit, typically appropriate for assembly applications. It’s also useful for general warehousing of pull-to-ship parts and point of use presentation rack within an assembly work cell.

As with all Creform flow racks, a wide variety of pipe colors are available, and accessories can include information sheet holders, label holders, tool storage, hooks to hang tools, and other supplies. Creform Structures can be built for ESD for anti-static applications. Available as a kit or an assembled structure or in the component form for a complete DIY solution.

The Creform System is used to create an array of material handling and efficiency enhancing devices and is a proven component in continuous improvement and lean manufacturing programs. The company partners with customers in developing and implementing these programs.