Of course, if you’re starting a truss plant from the ground up, it’s a snap to include an Enventek Lumber PickLine in your plans. The real beauty of the Lumber PickLine, however, is that it can be easily configured for existing truss plants – whether inside the plant or outside in the yard. Greenfield or existing truss plant, at the end of the shift, it is all about picking lumber to better organize cut lumber in front of the truss build tables – Feed the Beast! [For all photos, See PDF or View in Full Issue.]
Sometimes, adding a Lumber PickLine to a plant is very easy because we can utilize existing driveways and well-traveled forklift paths. It does not always have to be an extreme plant makeover, however, this too can be relatively easy and the productivity gains are substantial and well worth the effort. For an example of that, please see my article from last May, “An Extreme Plant Makeover in Pictures.”
Interestingly, all of the greenfield truss plants that I have had the pleasure of outfitting with PickLines also decided to anchor their truss production with the wood processing efficiency of the fully loaded RetroC with SpeedCatch auto-fill carts. For greenfield truss plants, starting with a PickLine and the fully loaded RetroC provides a state-of-the-art foundation for efficient truss production with scalability as additional PickLines can be added to feed future saws from the same bunks of lumber. For examples of this, see “A Lumber PickLine Buys Time” and “Feed Any Component Saw with a Lumber PickLine.”
Shown in the photos is a recent greenfield truss plant that had in their start-up budget a 24 ft wide x 40 ft long concrete pad under the SmartConveyors and a 16 ft wide x 140 ft long concrete pad under the PickLine trough. If there was no budget left for concrete, the SmartConveyors and PickLine trough could have been placed on the yard gravel.
This greenfield truss plant poured the minimum 8 ft wide concrete pad for the entire PickLine length, which provides a 2 ft sidewalk on either side of the PickLine trough that can be readily shoveled by hand or by snow blower. Plus, they saved money by placing the SmartConveyor legs onto railway ties.
When a truss plant has the luxury of under-roof lumber storage, columns can be problematic. But, the PickLine trough simply follows the column line.
Of course, for an existing truss plant with under-roof lumber storage and fantastic clear spans, the addition of a PickLine is a “no brainer,” especially when considering the significant reduction of forklift activity with a PickLine.
The majority of our PickLines are placed on existing yards, whether it is asphalt, aggregate, concrete, or a combination. Not that all truss plants are the same, but all truss plants have existing truck paths that are also the forklift paths to existing saws. Most truss plants can benefit from the addition of a PickLine to eliminate inefficient forklift lumber picking and reclaim saw idle time.
The final photo shows the winner of the accelerated ROI contest (if there were to be one). A 7 ft wide concrete pad was added to the existing asphalt yard and main truck entrance. Then a fully loaded RetroC was placed in the existing truck loading dock! The material handling improvement along with increased sawing and better organized lumber at the tables was way beyond this happy customer’s expectations.
The Enventek Lumber PickLine is a cost-effective and practical forklift replacement solution for truss plants looking to enhance efficiency and productivity in their lumber picking process. Whether it’s a simple integration into existing paths or a more ambitious reconfiguration, the PickLine’s adaptability and proven picking and sawing productivity gains make it a sound investment.
When you’re ready to Feed Your Beast and see these efficient and effective systems for yourself, let us know! Inside and out, LimTek Process Organization Technology will help you squeeze out more truss production and deliver quality trusses with shorter lead times to better service your customers by organizing your truss fabrication processes to maximize your investment in automation.