Hänel Storage Systems, Pittsburgh, Pa., details how eight Hänel Lean-Lift Vertical Lift Modules helped Tetra Pak, Vernon Hills, Ill., efficiently provide much-needed replacement parts to its production facilities.

Tetra Pak’s distribution center in Cuautitlán Izcalli, Mexico, supplies spare parts to production equipment throughout Central and South America, as well as parts of the United States and Canada.

All eight Hänel Lean-Lifts, six of which are high-speed models, serve as an automated parts depot, ensuring that thousands of parts are kept in one centralized location at a single facility. 

Hänel multi-function containers with flexible dividers and configuration options are ideal for coping with such massive inventories. Versatile bins and trays allow for the neat and compact storage of parts in various sizes and quantities. And, the robust Hänel multi-function containers are distortion-resistant and always retain their shape.

The eight Hänel Lean-Lifts are operated with the compact MP12N controller, which features integrated warehouse management. Several employees working simultaneously retrieve parts from the Hänel systems and place them on transport carts for delivery to the shipping area nearby.

The Hänel Lean-Lift provides a high-tech solution for storage organization and materials handling that saves time and storage space, while enabling a more efficient workflow. These systems ordinarily run failure-free, but should a malfunction arise, the Lean-Lift enables its Expanded Safety Bypass (ESB) feature, which is a series of eight redundant components that minimize downtime resulting from equipment failures. If one system fails, there are eight other systems to ensure that the unit continues to function.

“We chose Hänel because of their impeccable sales and customer service within Mexico, and their responsive field service with authorized, licensed technicians,” says Alejandro Sanchez, regional distribution center manager for Tetra Pak.