U.S. Toy Company operates a 750,000 square foot distribution center that ships to retail consumers, as well as commercial and wholesale accounts. When it facility space requirements changed this led to a reduction in truck shipment preparation space. So Fairbanks Scales suggested one of its Yellow Jacket U-Shaped floor scale as a solution.
U.S. Toy Company’s distribution center includes robotic and manual picking areas that ship using parcel, less than truckload (LTL), and full truckload modes. The company reduced the area devoted to shipping as part of an overall facility space reorganisation that allowed it to make better overall use of the distribution center. The reductions had a major impact on the LTL department, leaving the area with limited space dedicated to the preparation of truck shipments.
U.S. Toy had one older floor scale, along with about ten table scales for parcel-UPS type shipping. The U-Shaped floor scale is an alternative to traditional floor scales in manufacturing and warehouse applications where floor space is at a premium. It claims to allow material handlers to capture the weight of standard and non-standard pallets and skids without removing the pallet jack.
Operators move the pallet into place over the scale, lower the pallet jack so the load is resting on the scale, capture the weight, and then raise the pallet jack to easily move the pallet or skid to its next location. This reduces weighing times by eliminating the step of pulling the pallet jack out from underneath the pallet.
The scale is 2.4-inches tall and does not require a ramp or pit. Accessories offered include a portable wheel kit and a quick-disconnect cable (between the scale and the readout). The built-in handles, used to move the scale, were designed for comfort and to avoid stress and injury.
At U.S. Toy, the new Yellow Jacket U-Shaped floor scale is used to weigh skids of product in preparation for shipping.
The large facility comprises three buildings and they sometimes need a scale in areas other than the shipping space. For example, they can bring the U-shaped scale to the receiving area for cross docking, a logistics procedure involving unloading imported containers from an incoming semi-trailer truck and loading them directly into outbound trucks with no storage and without skidding it (weighing for shipping out to a customer).
Another example is use of the scale for special projects, in which they might be preparing pallets for a future shipment. The new scale allows them to bring the scale to that area, versus bringing the pallet to the scale. In the past, products had to be skidded wherever the scale was permanently positioned. This involved using a forklift, bringing products to the scale, weighing them and bringing them back for shipping.