Caldwell master coil lifter attachment

MiTek USA has achieved productivity and safety improvements after deploying a custom lifting product that attaches to a forklift to unload steel coils from rail cars at its stamping plant in Tampa, Florida.

The Caldwell master coil lifter attachment, supplied by distributor Certified Slings & Supply, replaced the previous method that involved three personnel, including one precariously positioned on the rail car truck.

The attachment has reduced the time it takes to unload a single car from one hour to 20 minutes and did away with the requirement for a rigger beneath the forks.

Ken Jurgensmeyer, director of manufacturing operations at the facility, says: "Previously, we were using a lift truck with a wire rope sling strapped over the centre of (the) forks; we then manually passed it through the eye of the coil and attached it with a swivel hook to complete the connection. I put myself in the railcar to experience it from the rigger's viewpoint and it wasn't satisfactory.

"Further, we often had to lift at an angle because of how far away we sometimes had to position the forklift. Once we picked the coil, it was taken to the loading dock and awkwardly swung into position so a second lift truck could move it onwards."

MiTek, which already had several Caldwell products in its fleet, receives the steel coils in batches of six or seven aboard each rail car. Using the previous method, it would have taken all day to unload a whole train. This task can now be completed in a fraction of the time with fewer people.

Dan Mongan, special application support/new product development specialist at Caldwell, says: "Someone could have got injured, so when we were contacted by Ken, our first priority was designing a system that removed the need to manually rig the load. As a byproduct, we were also able to speed production considerably. Even the transfer to the second lift truck is improved because we can lower the coils onto a frame from where they are easily picked."

Following its successful implementation at the stamping plant in Tampa, another MiTek site in Phoenix, Arizona also has adopted the solution, where it has again enhanced safety and efficiency compared to previous methods.