Lockheed Martin facility rethinks materials management
After installing a mobilized racking system, the facility has improved productivity while boosting on-site storage capacity by 70%.
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Orlando, Fla., wanted to improve operational efficiency, the tracking of production materials on site, and inventory control. More specifically, the goal was to have slow- and fast-moving production materials in sync. After installing a mobilized racking system, the facility has improved productivity while boosting on-site storage capacity by 70%.
“The system gives us the opportunity to take existing space and do more with it,” says Sam Cox, senior manager of material center operations at the facility. “We’ve seen how it can improve efficiencies for relatively low cost.”
The new system replaced five static racking units used to store slow-moving production components, which arrive at the facility in palletized boxes. The new system, which compresses racking aisles when not in use, also accommodates existing pallets of large plastic shipment containers. Each of the system’s four mobilized carriages has three levels to capitalize on 16 vertical feet of available space. To save costs, the 65-foot-long carriages incorporated existing and new pallet rack.
Pallet stackers are used to access stored materials. A push of a button allows users to move the carriage to open the desired aisle. The facility has increased its capacity for storing slow-moving materials on site by 70%, in a significantly smaller footprint. Because slow-moving materials can now be placed closer to the point of use, the facility has seen a further 15% gain in efficiencies as measured by minutes per transaction. Slow and fast-moving materials are now in sync at the facility, enhancing its reputation for operational excellence.
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