Warehousing automation at CR Slitters

By Mathieu Lemay
Content manager

Are you looking to optimize space in your warehouse while reducing human intervention ? 

Do you think overhead crane automation is too complex or inaccessible ? 

Find out how CR Slitters successfully automated the management of its steel coils in a new 650-foot-long facility. 

In this case study, you'll see how the company maximized its space, accelerated its operations and transformed its productivity - all thanks to a bold, well-supported automation strategy. 

Maximizing space, simplifying management and saving time : major challenges! 

The new CR Slitters plant serves as a storage facility for coiled steel sheets, which are then further processed.  

As part of the project for this new facility, CR Slitters was looking to maximize storage space: the aim was to use the same space to store more steel coils.  

But the more product there is, the more complex its management becomes. "The quantity of coils to be managed means that the inventory is constantly changing," says Dany Lampron, Production Manager. For this reason, "keeping track of their location was a problem", he adds.  To simplify this management, each product had to be easily located and moved, while speeding up the process. Handling also had to be smooth, as it was important not to damage the coils when moving them. 

The Valleyfield-based company therefore opted for an unconventional option in the field of lifting and warehousing management in Quebec : automation.

Complete automation of coil management: a tailor-made solution 

CR Slitters has opted for fully-automated warehousing and inventory management of the product to be processed. What does this involve?

Of the 7 overhead cranes supplied by Premium, 2 were prepared for integration with the automation solution. The aim was for the overhead cranes to be able to locate the coils, move them, re-sort them and dispatch them to the next processing stage without operator intervention. 

This solution involved the collaboration of numerous specialists in their field. How can implementation be successful in such an operation?

The success for implementing such an innovative solution: a project supervisor 

When implementing a complex solution involving many suppliers, it's important that one of the parties involved takes charge of the project. They can then coordinate the various specialists and ensure that all stages run smoothly, so that the end result lives up to the customer's expectations. 

To achieve this, the project supervisor must have the skills to understand and combine the various specialties. In this case, electrical, mechanical and structural considerations were involved. Which is why Premium Industrial Group was chosen to play this role. 

In addition to manufacturing and installing the overhead cranes, Premium Group coordinated Premium Industrial Structures, who carried out the complete installation of the rail system. Team IMS, which specializes in non-standard hoists, supplied custom-made hoists fitted with coil grabbers, which were also fully automated. Carego then implemented the automation solution. The data communication system was made possible by Nexus BB products supplied by Conductix. 

What are the benefits of this solution for CR Slitters? 

The benefits of the automation solution 

In this section of the plant, "human intervention is no longer necessary", replies Mr. Lampron. "This allows the rows of steel coils to be tightened up," thus maximizing space, since the system "requires little space for access" to products. 

What's more, automated inventory management "lets you know in real time where is located the product" you're looking for, saving you time. Add to this the rapid unloading and registration of the product, and it results in better work organization. 

The automated system can even work at night! While the workers are asleep, the system continues to operate, so that everything is up and running when the crews arrive in the morning. 

Since they no longer intervene as much, employees save time, which they can now use for other important tasks. This boosts productivity. 

Think differently with the application in mind! 

As we've seen, fully automated warehousing can have many advantages: it can maximize space, simplify management and increase productivity. But for such a project to be a success, it's wise to have a skilled project supervisor take charge of the project. 

How do you know if an automation solution is right for you? The secret lies in the key step to make the right choice : determining the application. It's the first step to get any overhead crane project off to a good start! Of course, automation does not apply to every project. But by thinking differently, with the application in mind, the solution could be quite different from what was originally being considered. 

For this reason, we encourage you to consult the article " Need an overhead crane: Where to start? ", which outlines the important steps for approaching your overhead crane project in the right order. You can also contact us by clicking on " Contact a specialist " at the bottom of this page, and a lifting expert will contact you to assess the possibilities with you.