TWERGO® Wins Again, Largest US Automaker Achieves Push Force Reductions From 70 lbs. to 40 lbs.

Home » Blog » TWERGO® Wins Again, Largest US Automaker Achieves Push Force Reductions From 70 lbs. to 40 lbs.

By Doug Backinger VP of Sales

Posted on: January 30, 2018

Categories:

Reducing Push Force and Floor Debris Adds Up to Big Benefits.

Situation:

The largest automaker in the United States was having issues with initial push force on the facilities material handling carts.  Each cart load weighed in at about 10,000 lbs. On these carts, initial push force averaged approximately 70 lbs. of pressure exerted per cart. This was a far greater number than OSHA recommends for push-pull force. Perhaps worse, the carts required two operators to start rolling, which reduces productivity and increases cost.

Lastly, there were significant amounts of debris on the floor which built up on the caster wheels and further exacerbated the initial push force issue. Pulling carts of the floor to remove the debris was creating another drain on productivity.

The engineers at the facility contacted Caster Concepts and challenged them to reduce the push force on the carts while also eliminating the accumulation of debris on the wheels.

Solution:

The Caster Concepts engineering team suggested they use 10” and 12” diameter triple-wheel TWERGO® casters with ErgoTread material.

The result was dramatic. Reducing initial push force to about 40 lbs. of pressure was a big win. In addition, the ErgoTread material repelled the floor debris and reduced build-up. The TWERGO® products also increased productivity by eliminating the need for two operators to start the movement. It has been reported that floor operators request the carts with the “green wheels” and the maintenance team can’t switch the wheels on the carts over fast enough.