Crown Equipment Helps Continental/Midland Improve Operator Productivity and Safety
NEW BREMEN, Ohio - When logistics executives from Continental/Midland, a producer of fasteners for manufacturing applications, looked for a forklift that would enable their operators topick and fill orders faster while operating within their narrow aisle application, they turned to Crown Equipment Corporation, one of the world's largest material handling companies. As a result of this decision, the Crown TSP Series very narrow-aisle turret stockpicker has helped the company move product twice as fast while delivering optimum visibility for operators.
Throughout its 100,000-square-foot warehouse in Park Forest, Illinois, Continental/Midland utilizes forklifts to move product and perform picking duties across multiple shifts six days per week. Previously, operators were using man-down trucks, which required them to handle products twice to pull product from the racks, fill orders and replace the unused product. This arrangement inhibited productivity, and it increased the risk of product damage from multiple handlings.
"Our biggest concern was how narrow our aisles were. We wanted to make sure the equipment would be able to deal with our small space," said Ken Breiner, warehouse manager, Continental/Midland. "Crown worked with us to find the right product to fit our small space: the Crown TSP Series. Being able to pivot large pieces of equipment to get our freight down and ready for market has been huge."
Continental/Midland added three Crown TSP Series very narrow-aisle turret stockpickers to its fleet. The versatile man-up truck delivers advanced features to enhance operator comfort, ergonomics and productivity. Its fully adjustable MoveControlR Seat features integrated controls on the cushioned armrest and can be positioned at various degrees to allow the operator to choose the optimum position for each task. With Crown's three-wheel design, fine-tuned steering and visibility, the Crown TSP Series is built to maneuver high, tight spaces with more control, while improving productivity with faster cycle speeds and more efficient energy
utilization.
"The operators love the Crown TSP stockpickers because they are able to pivot within a tight space. Overall, they like the Crown trucks a lot better than being on a man-down vehicle since they had to turn their head each time and look 25 feet in the air to see what they are moving," said Breiner. "We have grown as a business around $50 million in sales and through that growth we have not had to add additional personnel because of the use of this equipment."
For more details about the partnership between Continental/Midland and Crown, visit the Customer Results section of the Crown website.
About Crown Equipment Corporation
Crown  is one of the world's largest material handling companies with a reputation for award-winning product design, advanced engineering and technology, and superior after-sale service. Crown's business philosophy utilizes vertically integrated processes to design, manufacture and distribute forward-thinking, innovative solutions that improve customers' productivity and operating efficiency. Crown produces a broad range of forklifts as well as automation and fleet management technologies.
The company's global headquarters is located in New Bremen, Ohio, USA, with regional headquarters in Australia, China, Germany and Singapore. Its employees number more than 12,000 worldwide. Crown operates a service and distribution network that exceeds 500 retail locations in over 80 countries. To learn more about Crown's ideas for helping customers advance the productivity of their operations, visit crown.com.
