Project 31 – Plant Material Handling and Finished Goods Warehousing (1997)

A medical products manufacturer supplying world markets from facilities in the U.S. and Great Britain initiated a strategic realignment and rationalization of operations on both sides of the Atlantic. Phase I of the project focused on the production line layouts and plant material handling in England. An automatic guided vehicle system (AGVS) was selected over an overhead conveyor transportation and sortation system for its lower cost ($0.7 million vs. $1.3 million) and for its ability to support both the outbound and inbound movement of products and materials.