Learn more about our customer's success stories!

For a long time material handling systems such as Flexpipe, were known only by the automotive industry and later became popular in the aerospace industry. Today more and more industries have started to adopt the pipe and joint systems as they have quickly improved productivity and efficiency.  We are proud of our customer’s projects and we want to show you what the best in their fields have accomplished with our help.

If you are still hesitating about implementing a modular handling system in your business and if you are looking for examples in your area of expertise or to just understand what worked for others here are some case studies crafted by our team for you!


Here are some examples of how the Flexpipe System can Help

Industries
Wastes
Critical Steps to Facility Layout Planning with Flexpipe at R+W America L.P.

Critical Steps to Facility Layout Planning with Flexpipe at R+W America L.P.

Electric equipment

Justin Fleming, an engineer for R+W America L.P. – a division of R+W Antriebselemente GmbH in Germany – was tasked with laying out R+W’s America L.P.’s new manufacturing facility in West Chicago, Illinois. Facility layout planning is a long, detailed, labor-intensive, and arduous process. However, once successful, companies benefit from considerable cost savings.

Using Flexpipe for Lean Manufacturing CabinetMakers

Using Flexpipe for Lean Manufacturing CabinetMakers

Furniture and wood products

Implementing lean is a journey in itself. No company goes from 0 to 60 in record time when implementing lean principles. They learn, get better, learn some more and then improve some more. Each step of that journey is made easier when senior management is entirely on board and, in some cases, driving the lean journey.

How kaizen initiatives improved batch-to-batch processes at American Woodmark

How kaizen initiatives improved batch-to-batch processes at American Woodmark

Furniture and wood products

Carlos Rubio – head process engineer at American Woodmark in Dallas, TX – was tasked with improving the residential cabinet manufacturer’s material handling systems and batch-to-batch production processes. Carlos and his team made their own Flexpipe material handling structures to lower cabinet assembly cycle times, reduce transit times, and shorten the distance for work-in-process parts. They also improved the aesthetics of the workstations while improving ergonomics, worker safety and reducing the likelihood of musculoskeletal injuries.

Major Corrugated Box Manufacturer Gets Lean with Flexpipe

Major Corrugated Box Manufacturer Gets Lean with Flexpipe

Printing and packaging

President Container – a major manufacturer of corrugated boxes with a storied history going back to 1947 – had three core objectives when creating their lean visual workplaces: Improve visuals and cleanliness in and around workplaces and machines, reduce manufacturing setup times, and enact effective end-of-shift cleanups. Find out how Matthew Grossbard - Continuous Improvement Manager at President Container – leveraged Flexpipe’s solutions to create these lean visual workplaces with easily-assembled Flexpipe structures and material handling systems.

How Serta Simmons improved productivity at Its Vaughan plant

How Serta Simmons improved productivity at Its Vaughan plant

Furniture and wood products

Serta Simmons is one of the world's largest mattress manufacturers. The company markets the Serta, Simmons, Beautyrest, and Tuft & Needle brands in Canada. It opened its first Canadian factory in 1891 in Old Montréal and now has five manufacturing facilities in addition to its head office.

How modular carts help this logistics company improve its efficiency

How modular carts help this logistics company improve its efficiency

Transportation

Robinson Innovations’s role is to reduce the overstock of parts used by Bombardier for construction of metro cars, light rail vehicles, trams, and commuter rail cars. Learn more about how they reduced defects with a modular solution they've seen at Bombardier's Thunder Bay plant.

Discover the benefits of Lean Manufacturing in the corrugated and packaging industries

Discover the benefits of Lean Manufacturing in the corrugated and packaging industries

Printing and packaging

The packaging and corrugated cardboard industries must work harder to meet growing demand from the business sector, in particular, due to the significant rise in electronic commerce. See how Leslie Pickering turns this problem into an opportunity in corrugated cardboard manufacturing plants.

Pipe and joint system for medical equipment manufacturers

Pipe and joint system for medical equipment manufacturers

Medical

Here are examples of how medical manufacturers use the pipe and joint system for lean manufacturing. Below are several photos of various workstations: U and L-shaped work cells and one-piece flow assembly line, among others. Manufacturers also use pipe and joint systems to build carts for different purposes: WIP, kitting cart, sub-assembly, etc. The structural system can also be used to build custom flow racks and 2-bin systems than can be integrated into the workstations.

How the maintenance employee can influence the productivity of an SME

How the maintenance employee can influence the productivity of an SME

Medical

Medicus, an orthopedic laboratory that manufactures prosthetics and orthotics, implements Flexpipe equipment in its production environment so it can quickly adapt its lean manufacturing workstations. Thanks to the modular system and the maintenance employee, it's possible to adjust the workstations of the workforce promptly. Read on to discover the reasons why Médicus chose the modular approach to optimize its productivity and improve the ergonomics in its plant. Estimated reading time: 3 minutes.

Why Lumenpulse evolved towards the pipes and joints modular system

Why Lumenpulse evolved towards the pipes and joints modular system

Electric equipment

Lumenpulse designs, develops, builds, and sells LED lighting solutions intended for commercial, institutional, and urban environments. The exponential growth of the company’s activities brought about the need to move its facilities. Discover the reasons which led to the implementation of a modular tube and joint system in the entire production area — and more! Estimated reading time: 4 minutes.

How Cogeco increased its profitability by implementing a lean solution

How Cogeco increased its profitability by implementing a lean solution

Computers and electronic parts

Cogeco’s technical distribution center in Burlington, Ontario, is one of Canada’s drop-off points for Internet modem and cable device repair. In 2011, the company’s management carried out a Kaizen Blitz to improve the efficiency of its device repair process. The process was indeed challenging but did have the desired outcome! Estimated reading time: 5 min.

Employee's creativity contributes to the deployment of the lean culture

Employee's creativity contributes to the deployment of the lean culture

Metal products

In the manufacturing sector, buying custom workstations from a catalog can be very expensive and, sometimes, the structures can’t even be reused for other purposes on the production floor. For this reason, Minus Forty began using a modular system a few years ago. However, who knew the entire factory would be using it a short time later!

How heritage solutions cut 25% of floor space and made its operation 50% faster!

How heritage solutions cut 25% of floor space and made its operation 50% faster!

Printing and packaging

HP is one of the world leaders in manufacturing digital printing presses, so it only fitted that Heritage Solutions would want to acquire some of the latest and greatest equipment that the manufacturer had to offer. However, upon installation, Heritage Solutions was faced with one big problem – the printing presses didn’t adapt well to the company’s current workflow.

How this automotive manufacturer increased productivity with the Flexpipe system!

How this automotive manufacturer increased productivity with the Flexpipe system!

Automotive

Automotive suppliers traditionally need to have a vast inventory of products and components on hand so they can alter their production lines in short order to deliver the products their customers need. Because of this, material handling solutions are critical.

How a lean philosophy helped increase employee productivity

How a lean philosophy helped increase employee productivity

Computers and electronic parts

Siemens Canada is a century-old company that specializes in electrification, automation, and digitalization. Over time, it had become increasingly clear that the organizational system at the facility was not working to its full potential. Read on to learn how implementing a lean philosophy brought about more streamlined operations and increased ergonomics in the workplace. Estimated reading time: 3.5 min.

How HRE Performance Wheels reduced its assembly floor space and lead time by 50%

How HRE Performance Wheels reduced its assembly floor space and lead time by 50%

Automotive

HRE Performance Wheels designs and manufactures forged aluminum alloy wheels for racing, performance & luxury cars, and SUVs. Based in San Diego, California, HRE’s operations in their 30,000 square-foot factories cover everything from forging to powder coat painting in-house.

How Hologic increased its production by 25% with modular material handling system

How Hologic increased its production by 25% with modular material handling system

Medical

Hologic's floor layout was flawed, and this became particularly evident when the company moved production lines from one building to another, and space became a significant issue. Read on to learn how a modular material handling system helped Hologic increase its production efficiency by 25%. Estimated reading time: 5 min.

How Bay Cities created the perfect support system for the First Oppliger Laminator in the US!

How Bay Cities created the perfect support system for the First Oppliger Laminator in the US!

Printing and packaging

Digital printing is a sophisticated technology – just as is the case with most advanced technologies, there are other factors that need to be accounted for upon its implementation. Discover the efficient and modular solution that Bay Cities has put in place for their new Oppliger laminator. Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

City of Blainville reduces road worker injuries with this simple solution!

City of Blainville reduces road worker injuries with this simple solution!

Other

Road workers of Blainville were using a pickup truck box for transporting signal pannels from a construction site to another. Despite appearances, this solution wasn't the most efficient and ergonomic one.

How Safran's Mirabel facility saved more than 40% on workstations and other equipment!

How Safran's Mirabel facility saved more than 40% on workstations and other equipment!

Aerospace

Safran Landing Systems, a world leader in aircraft landing and braking systems, wanted to find a way to reduce the costs of its storage systems. Read on to see how they were able to cut the cost by more than 40% thanks to the modular pipe and joint system.

How Aldes Canada reduced the cost of its new workstation by 65%

How Aldes Canada reduced the cost of its new workstation by 65%

Electric equipment

When the Aldes Group acquired air 2000 in 2010, the company was renamed Aldes Canada. It subsequently moved to a 35 000-sq. Ft. facility and took advantage of the opportunity to upgrade its equipment. To respond to the growing demand for its products, the company’s goal was to double its production in its new location and become an excellence center thanks to research and development projects for the Aldes Group. Estimated reading time: 4 min.

How the integration of 5S improved production organization at Waterax

How the integration of 5S improved production organization at Waterax

Machinery

Back in 2012, WATERAX's Montreal facility made plans to adopt a new floor layout, but there was a lot of old equipment that needed to be swapped out or changed. The company decided that it was necessary to adopt a material handling system to produce this new adaptable floor layout that is desired as a means of improving its efficiency and its organization. Estimated reading time: 4 min.