When a shop has outgrown its facility, but building a new facility isn’t an option, many vehicle maintenance and repair operations turn to storage updates that improve organization and workplace efficiency. Moreover, as facilities expand over the years, additional high-density storage solutions can be incorporated like modular building blocks, including parts cabinets and automated storage.
But a simple reconfiguration can have its obstacles, says Tim Vaughan, director of sales, storage and workspace systems, Lista (www.listaintL.com), a manufacturer of workshop and warehouse furnishings. These can include the presence of existing air lines; hydraulic, air and electric lifts; and oil lines, as well as water spigots and electrical connections already in place.
“To work around this, professional storage experts – like the sales engineers at Lista – make multiple visits to inspect the layout of the facility and conduct information-gathering sessions that include technician interviews, cataloguing technicians’ personal toolboxes, surveying cubic-inch storage capacity of toolboxes and developing a configuration for bays with appropriate cabinet layouts,” he explains. “By incorporating existing features, sales engineers can develop custom configurations to be used to update the facility.”
Solutions
Products that are often recommended, Vaughan says, include:
- Mobile technician toolboxes – Available in single-, double- and triple-bank, as well as two-bay configurations, these types of toolboxes provide organized and secure storage of tools and parts wherever it’s needed.
- Automated tire carousels – Because storage space is usually at a premium in parts and service departments, a fully motorized tire carousel makes it easier and quicker to store and retrieve various styles of tires. With this piece of equipment, it is no longer necessary for technicians to have to assist each other when it comes to retrieving tires, as only one operator is required to operate it.
- Wall storage systems – Storage and productivity can be increased by taking storage floor-to-ceiling with a storage wall system. These systems can be configured with a mix of shelves, cabinets, drawers, roll-out trays, doors, etc., to provide optimum productivity and flexibility.
Additional Benefits
“The goal of installing high-density storage is to carry more parts in a smaller building footprint, yet an additional benefit is increased productivity with the same manpower, due to faster parts retrieval time,” Vaughan says. “About 75 to 80 percent of all fast-moving parts can be stored at the parts counter, and retrieval time is cut in half because the cabinets, drawers and compartments can be labeled in a manner making it extremely fast and easy to find parts.
“This allows the facility to move more parts with the same number of personnel.”
About the Author
