As seen in IMPO, October 1995

VacuMove sheds light
on Savings
Helps outdoor lighting manufacturer conquer Just-in-time delivery

  Stonco Lighting needed to boost its packing and shipping activities if it hoped to provide world-class, just-in-time delivery of its products. The company manufactures outdoor lighting fixtures in its 250,000-sq.-ft. plant in Union, NJ. Its best-selling product is the Power House, a l,000w, 80-lb. floodlight used primarily by outdoor sports facilities and malls. It took two Stonco employees to lift and pack one Power House lighting fixture.
  Alberto Forero, Stonco's senior industrial engineer, needed to find a way to simplify Power House's production line if he hoped to reach his goal of just-in-time service.
  Forero decided to try a vacuum-assisted lifting system to help clear out the traffic jam at the end of the production line. The VacuMove enables a single employee to handle both final product assembly and packaging.
  Immediately after assembly, the products are packed. And without the "waiting lines," space in the factory is freed up. After an operator finishes assembly a Power House on a fixed table, the VacuMove's suction feet are placed where the unit's center of gravity is greatest-around and in front of the fixture's ballast.
  There is no danger of the fixture's tempered glass breaking when the VacuMove's suction is applied. The operator lifts the fixture, turns it 180o, and lowers it into a box positioned on a conveyor belt. The box then moves to a packaging machine. The VacuMove uses a variety of suction feet to lift containers of all sizes, shapes, and surfaces up to 350 lbs. The operator simply guides the floating load along a bridge or jib crane, usually using just one hand.
  The system eliminates the need to bend, lift and twist-all the movements that increase risk of
injuries. This benefit appealed to Forero: "Because everything is done at waist level now, the
ergonomics have been improved and the risk of injury decreased."
   Learning to use the VacuMove took Stonco employees less than an hour. Ken Horin, sales
engineer for the distributor that sold the VacuMove to Stonco, provided the training.
   "After practicing with the VacuMove three or four times, our workers were competent," says Forero.
   Horin attributes the fast learning curve to the unit's ergonomically designed handle. "Up is up
and down is down," he says. "You control it with a tap of the finger.
   Forero, who also uses the VacuMove to lift a 65-lb. lighting fixture used in roadway and parking lot
applications, says the company's investment in the system will be paid back in two years, thanks to
savings from reduced labor costs and greater productivity.