Texas
Industrial Mobile Racking Assists Southern Car Manufacturing Facility with Consolidation
Industrial mobile racking helped a Southern Car Manufacturing Facility avoid a costly plant expansion by gaining 54% more storage capacity.
Winning With Hard Work And Innovation
Southern Car Manufacturing Facility emphasizes innovation and a healthy dose of hard work. Southern Car Manufacturing Facility has redefined plant operations in the automobile industry, winning the J.D. Power and Associates Silver award for Assembly Plant Quality in its first year of production.
“With the ActivRAC system in place, we save as much as one hour a day—making it a much better situation for our team and the departments we serve.”
Download our Mobilized Storage Systems Brochure
Industrial mobile racking can be used for parts and equipment storage at large automotive manufacturing plants as well as the service departments for their dealership counterparts. To learn more, download our ActivRAC brochure.
Download our Mobilized Storage Systems Brochure
Industrial mobile racking can be used for parts and equipment storage at large automotive manufacturing plants as well as the service departments for their dealership counterparts. To learn more, download our ActivRAC brochure.
In 2008, the Southern Car Manufacturing Facility plant won the J.D. Power and Associates Silver award for Assembly Plant Quality—the first time a new plant had ever won the honor.
New plant, increased production, limited space
When the Southern Car Manufacturing Facility broke ground at the new plant site in Fall 2003, it was to be a simple assembly plant—but the site quickly evolved into an automotive production site including several on-site suppliers that shipped directly to the factory. In addition, Southern Car Manufacturing Facility announced that production capacity would shift from the preliminary plan of 150,000 units per years to 200,000 units. The first pickups rolled off the line just over three years later in November 2006.
Two years later, the Southern Car Manufacturing Facility was facing a space shortage when it announced that all production of this particular vehicle line would be moved to the Southern Car Manufacturing Facility. In addition, all production of an additional vehicle line would be relocating to the Southern Car Manufacturing Facility as well. While the consolidation proved to be a fantastic move for Southern Car Manufacturing Facility, especially in the wake of the financial crisis, it created a challenge: how would the Southern Car Manufacturing Facility effectively store spare parts for production machinery in its General Stores area and avoid a facility expansion to a plant that was just two years old? Storage in General Stores was already maxed out, and all materials needed to be organized and 100% accessible at all times to maintain the Southern Car Manufacturing Facility’s legendary passion for efficiency.
As a result of the ActivRAC system, the Southern Car Manufacturing Facility is able to store nearly 100% of the spare parts needed for production machines.
Rethinking Spare Parts Storage
Southern Car Manufacturing Facility’s plant managers needed to rethink their existing pallet racking placement in order to make 5,000 square feet of storage space do way more than ever before—and after researching a multitude of options, they decided to utilize ActivRAC industrial mobile racking. Southwest Solutions Group, a Spacesaver authorized distributor, worked with the facility to implement the ActivRAC system while the plant was fully operational, determined not to let a switchover in storage impact any of Southern Car Manufacturing Facility’s day-to-day operations.
As a result of the ActivRAC system, the Southern Car Manufacturing Facility is able to store nearly 100% of the spare parts needed for production machines—and gained 54% more storage capacity in the same footprint. Parts include everything from tiny gaskets and motors to large pumps and transformers. The 16’ high industrial mobile racking system features four carriages, all equipped with the plant’s existing pallet racking. The system offers five levels of storage—all match to the dimensions of stored materials to conserve space.
Manufacturing Storage Guide
We understand the diverse storage requirements within the manufacturing industry, and how efficient storage supports unified operations. Learn about all the solutions and benefits.
Manufacturing Storage Guide
We understand the diverse storage requirements within the manufacturing industry, and how efficient storage supports unified operations. Learn about all the solutions and benefits.
The Southern Car Manufacturing Facility is responsible for producing 200,000 of both vehicle lines per year.
Matching Storage to Fit Equipment Needs
One of Southern Car Manufacturing Facility’s necessities was to be able to drive forklifts from one side of the General Stores past the industrial mobile racking and into the plant as needed. To accommodate this, the ActivRAC system was built into an L-shape, with two carriages 63’ in length and two 36’ in length. Stationary racks on both sides of the system house consumables and other frequently accessed items, and traffic can freely flow in, out, and around the General Stores area.
In addition to the easy flow between storage and plant, the ActivRAC system has allowed the Southern Car Manufacturing Facility’s General Stores to hum along at peak efficiency, producing over 200,000 vehicles per year. The team can quickly locate, access, and deliver items, even with the increase in parts due to the plant consolidation, and Assistant Manager says the team saves about an hour of work each day with the more organized system.
“Even before the consolidation, there was a lot of congestion in General Stores due to the lack of space. With the ActivRAC system in place, it makes for a much better situation for our team and the departments we serve,” Assistant Manager says.
