Background
Tiffin Motorhomes has flourished in Red Bay, Alabama, and the surrounding area for more than four decades. A family-owned business, Tiffin stresses the value of listening to those who craft the product in order to constantly improve the final output and processes. The result is a nimble, safety-conscious workforce that produces some of the most luxurious motor homes in the world.
The Problem
As part of its process improvement initiatives, Tiffin turned to Gorbel to completely overhaul how materials were handled at various stages of the production process. Tiffin changed work processes from handling the electric slide out components or “diving boards” with forklifts and manually placing them into position.
The Solution
Free Standing Work Station Bridge Crane; 1,000 lb. capacity with an electric chain hoist. Now, the only manual work required is to guide the boards into place. The work station crane and hoist handle the bulk of lifting and positioning. Workers have found the system to be very easy to use, and it places no strain on workers. The use of the work station crane has also allowed workers to remain extremely productive and eliminated delays in the overall production process. In the past, workers had to wait up to 45 minutes for a forklift, but now there is no waiting so production continues throughout the day. At times, forklifts may even sit idle for a short time.