Gorbel Double Girder Bridge Crane with Custom Manipulator helps out with a roll handling application

Gorbel Work Station Crane Helps Eliminate Injuries And Product Damage Green Bay Packaging is a pulp and paper manufacturer using 100% recycled materials to produce a wide variety paperboard packaging. The large rolls are slit and sized based on customer demand, and moved to a work cell in stacks where they are loaded onto skids for final shipping. The size of the rolls vary significantly, but can be as large as 3’ x 5’, and weigh as much as 600 pounds. The primary problem facing the company in this application was operator injury, especially back strains. Back injuries were the leading cause of lost time injury for the company, and at one point were occurring as frequently as once per week. While most rolls are far too big for a single operator to lift, some smaller rolls may only weigh 60 pounds, which are tempting for an operator to move manually in a time saving effort.

The company began looking for a lifting solution that would be able to reduce the
number of employee injuries, while at the same time handle the paper rolls without
product damage.

“The two options being considered were an up-ender and a crane with a manipulator,”
said John Frederick of Green Bay Packaging. “The problem with the up-ender was that
we couldn’t handle the rolls the way we wanted to when loading the skids. The
manipulator became important for stacking multiple rolls.”

With the manipulator selected for tooling, Green Bay Packaging selected a 4,000 pound
capacity Gorbel work station crane, featuring dual girder bridges to support the
manipulator. The crane also features tractor drives to make movement along the runways even easier for operators.

The implementation of the new process was very effective, as workers found moving
even the heavier loads was easier. The manipulator inserts into the hole of the paper rolls and turns it to the proper position. Though the manipulator itself is quite heavy, the dual girders of the Gorbel workstation crane keep the load completely stable, even when the load is not centered beneath the base of the manipulator. The tractor drives assist the operators movement on the x and y axis so that stopping and starting motion of a heavy load does not strain operators.

Of course, the primary goal the company when putting the system in the area was to
reduce injuries. “There’s been a huge reduction in workplace injuries,” said Frederick. “Keeping our workers safe is our top priority. With this Gorbel workstation crane, there have been no injuries, and that was this project’s biggest success.”

If your facility needs help with custom manipulators or Gorbel workstation cranes, please contact our sales department at sales@ergonomicpartners.com.

Gorbel to be at CeMAT Asia

We have seen Gorbel workstation cranes, G-Force Lift assists, and jib cranes being introduced to all forms of manufacturers for the last 20 years. Well Gorbel is at it again by opening a factory to serve the Chinese Market. Gorbel announced they are going to be in CeMAT Asia, October 27-30th at the Shanghai Expo Center. I especially mention this because Ergonomic Partners can help your company with expansion projects you may have in China. Drop us a line at sales@ergonomicpartners.com and we can work with your engineers in the States, or put you in contact with the factory in China.

Jeremy Gao, a spokesperson for Gorbel (Tianjin) Crane Co., Ltd., the Chinese manufacturing facility of US-based work station manufacturer Gorbel, says he is hoping for a wider cross-section of visitors from industry with purchasing-power at the Chinese show this time around.
"We do hope this year will be busier," he adds, saying, naturally, "more visitors would bring us more business opportunities."
Gorbel will exhibit from its enclosed track work station cranes. It will display a free standing work station crane, "which covers a rectangle area and a work station jib crane, which covers a circular area," Gao explains.
Since Gorbel Tianjin only opened in May 2006, many of its products are still new to Chinese market, despite its more than 20-year history in the USA.
"Gorbel is growing fast in the Chinese market," says Gao. He continues: "We have done a good job in the past two years and we hope for more success in the near future."

We even have a free demo of the Gorbel G-Force which can be brought into your plant. Drop us a line at sales@ergonomicpartners to set up a meeting.

Overhead Bridge Cranes vs. Forklifts

Benefits of Underhung Crane Systems vs. Forklifts
Underhung Crane Systems are more space efficient in many aspects than fork lift trucks because they operate overhead. While fork lifts require aisles to move products from point to point, overhead cranes can move directly from the pick point to the drop station. Since it is overhead, the crane does not interfere with the floor activities.
Other benefits of an underhung crane system compared to a fork truck are:
Lower building maintenance costs (Floor resurfacing)
Far lower equipment maintenance costs
Lower emissions than gas powered trucks
Less product damage
Less facility damage
Lower operating costs
Ability to handle a larger variety of loads
Greater cube density in storage area
Greatly increased operating life of equipment
Increased visual control by operator resulting in safer operation
No area required for batteries or fuel tank storage

Need more information or a quote? Please contact us at sales@ergonomicpartners.com

The above courtesy of Cleveland Tramrail/Gorbel.