Greater Paper Plant Efficiencies Realized with RICO Counterbalance Lift Truck Innovation

A paper mill in California faced a conundrum—it could increase processing and storage efficiencies by creating larger rolls, but there was no effective way to move them through the manufacturing/storage continuum. Larger rolls require a larger counterbalanced lift truck and height limitations on these lifts meant less efficient storage.

Enter RICO Manufacturing, Inc., with a unique solution in material handling counterbalance lift trucks that enables paper mills to handle, transport and stack larger paper rolls, with a greater dimension and weight, in vertical stacks three rolls high. This maximizes warehouse storage space and helps streamline production.

Greater Diameter and Height

Paper mills wind their rolls extremely tightly for greater efficiencies and these rolls emerge from manufacturing in a horizontal position.

One plant in California developed a larger roll, both in diameter and height. The typical roll size increased from 52-inches in diameter to 60 inches and the height from 104 inches to 132. This also increased the weight from 8,000 lbs. to 10,000 lbs.; altogether a 20-30% larger roll. These changes translate into greater efficiencies, with more product completed in one run, and more efficient transportation and converting costs—if the roll can make it from production to the truck.  A standard lift truck and clamp cannot handle the diameter of the new roll size.

The custom engineered solution RICO provided can grasp and transport these larger rolls, and then triple stack them in a vertical position, allowing more efficient storage while occupying less floor space.

A paper roll clamp capable of grasping these larger diameter rolls is attached to a compact Pegasus Counterbalance truck with a three-stage mast. The clamp can grab the rolls as they emerge horizontally in the manufacturing facility, then rotate them 90 degrees to store them vertically, in a stand-up position.

Reversing this process, that same device can grasp the rolls from storage, rotate them again for horizontal placement on the truck and then perform the same movements on the receiving end at the converters.

This revolutionary innovation is just one of the many materials handling solutions developed by RICO Equipment to help businesses operate more efficiently. For more information about this latest RICO innovation for paper mills and paper processing, contact us at 330-723-4050.