On any given day there could be 22 different carriers shipping IR ARO products to original equipment manufacturers in such varied industries as transportation, vehicle service, textile, construction, mining, packaging, wastewater treatment, food and beverage, material handling, printing and woodworking to name a few.

From manufacturing candy to cars, if you need a pump, IR ARO makes it. And they make it to order.

IR ARO manufactures approximately 1,500 different configurations of pumps. It is a multi-faceted operation where one end product may require 100 or more parts from multiple locations within the plant. As if those logistics weren't challenging enough, now factor in that the plant was constructed in the 1930s and has undergone numerous expansions, including the construction of additional buildings that require material handling equipment to traverse parking lots and multiple ramps. Plus, the workspace around machining centers remains very tight.

Clearly, this is a material handling challenge. It takes a comprehensive fleet of durable, high performance lift trucks to move products through the machining and assembly process rapidly to keep up with the product flow. That's why IR ARO turned to Crown.

"Crown keeps us moving."
Distribution Manager Mark Shepherd joined the IR plant in 2000. Having had previous experiences with Crown lift trucks, he set about converting the plant's fleet to Crown. He had confidence that Crown would be able to meet the demanding obstacles that the lift trucks would have to work through. "We need our lift trucks to handle high capacity loads with speed, flexibility, dependability, adaptability and durability in order to maximize uptime," said Mark. "Our floors can be rough, we have four ramps that allow transition between buildings, and we have to have the ability to deliver items to other buildings across parking lots. My experience with Crown has me convinced that they will hold up under these demands.

"We can't build the next pump until the last one moves. Items are constantly moving from one location in the plant to another. If one of my lift trucks goes down, I'm getting phone calls because that means we aren't shipping finished products. So we depend on Crown to keep us moving."

Crown lift trucks on the job at IR include:

• Seven reach trucks (RR 5200 Series) - used throughout the plant
• Two rider pallet trucks (PR 3000 Series) - for shuttling parts between machining operations
• Two walkie stacker trucks (ST 3000/20 MT) - for various uses in the assembly area
• Four counterbalanced sit-down rider trucks (SC 4000 Series) - for unloading and loading trucks and taking materials to machining or assembly
• One counterbalanced sit-down rider truck (FC 4000 Series) - for recycling and reclamation
• One tow tractor (TWR) - takes a chemical recycling tank throughout the plant
• Numerous hand pallet trucks (PTH 50 Series) - used throughout the plant

"The reach trucks provide tremendous versatility and can perform multiple operations in our manufacturing facility," said Mark. "They do everything from picking product from 12-foot racks to moving a 12-inch basket. They're nimble yet still have lifting capacities that allow handling of heavy loads such as 12-foot bar stock. We have 10 different pallet sizes and Crown RRs handle them all. They have speed to cover distances quickly and safely."

It's all added up to remarkable gains in efficiency and productivity. Since converting to Crown lift trucks, the IR ARO plant is now able to complete all material handling with one-third fewer man-hours for a saving in excess of $150,000 per year. In addition, because of the ability of the reach trucks to work within narrow aisles, IR was able to reposition some of their racks to increase efficiency and product flow within the plant. "When I came here, the aisles were double the width they are now," Mark related. "We are now able to better organize the products on our shelves, which allows for more efficient picking and is also safer because it provides for greater sprinkler coverage in case of a fire."

"They are durable."
Lift trucks are only able to keep productivity high if they stay on the job. It's the attribute of Crown equipment that Mark appreciates most. "They are durable. We have sit-down riders that have logged over 10,000 hours in less than three years. They're used two shifts solid, unloading and delivering parts to machining and assembly.

"The reach trucks are the most versatile and reliable piece of lift truck equipment I've been associated with. The trucks' reliability is far above anyone else's. My biggest maintenance related headache comes from keeping tires on the lift trucks. An inherent problem with machining activities is metal shavings on our floors. They can destroy wheels and tires."

Mark also appreciates Crown's commitment to keeping his fleet humming. A planned maintenance program helps prevent serious problems. Only ten service calls were made through the first eight months of 2004 due to a truck down situation. "Crown typically responds within four hours - and I believe that 99 percent of the time the problem is fixed within two hours of the serviceman's arrival," said Mark, who also can't say enough about his Crown service representative Joe Nofziger. "In my 17 years of experience, I have never worked with a better service technician. Joe is professional and extremely efficient. I have total trust in him. That's the kind of relationship you want from a service provider."

Mark has also appreciated how Crown's leasing program has helped lead to more uptime. Transitioning IR's old fleet out quickly was made easier by establishing a lease program. "Leasing the lift trucks gave us the opportunity to operate a new fleet with today's technology which has meant increased uptime.

Crown Credit Co. was very easy to work with. While there are always issues with contracts, Crown was willing to work with us to make the lease a good fit for both companies."

"No OSHA recordable incidents."
Safety is also a major concern. Crown provided a comprehensive train-the-trainer program for Ingersoll-Rand ARO. Crown trained Mark and other managers/supervisors on the safe operation of every truck in his plant, knowledge they have passed on to every operator. "Since the operators went through the training, they are much more familiar with the equipment," said Mark. "They have a much better idea of what a lift truck can and can't do, so they don't put themselves in a position that isn't safe. Since I've been here, there have been no OSHA recordable lift truck incidents."

And thanks to the advanced ergonomics of Crown lift trucks, operators also appreciate losing the aches and pains they used to feel on other lift trucks. "The average age of our material handling workers is early 50s," added Mark. "We don't get complaints from the drivers anymore about sore backs and legs or about getting on and off the lift trucks. Crown obviously pays attention to how operators use their equipment."

"No tolerance for anything other than the highest quality."
Maybe Mark put it best when he compared his company's commitment to quality with that of Crown's. "There is no tolerance at Ingersoll-Rand ARO for anything other than the highest quality work possible. Our expectation is that Crown lift trucks will meet that same high quality standard. And they have come through day in and day out."