One of the biggest bottlenecks in manufacturing facilities is transporting parts and materials throughout the warehouse for kitting and sequencing. In forklift-driven facilities, a lot of time is spent moving heavy bins of parts to and from workstations, which poses significant safety risks to personnel on the manufacturing floor.

Tilt carts are a safer, more ergonomically efficient option for kitting and sequencing lanes in manufacturing processes. With better pick heights and safer transportation throughout the warehouse, a tugger-and-cart fleet is the best approach for kitting and sequencing.

Tilt Carts vs. Static Dollies: What’s the Difference?

Even in facilities well-versed with the benefits of a tugger fleet over forklifts, the types of carts or dollies matter. A static dolly is essentially a wheeled platform on which containers of parts are placed to be moved on and off a tugger chain, transporting them from the staging area to various locations in the facility for kitting and sequencing. While these bins can carry a lot of parts and materials, they are only really effective for longer, larger parts that won’t require the operator to bend over or move around the cart to access the needed parts.

A container with multiple layers of parts can result in operator fatigue, as the worker will spend a lot of time and effort bending over to lift parts in and out of the container. This is where tilt carts can make a world of difference. Unlike their static counterparts, tilt carts have an easy-to-operate tilting mechanism that moves the container at an angle, making it easier for the operator to retrieve the parts they need.

Benefits of Tilt Carts for Kitting and Sequencing

Similar to tilt tables, tilt carts are a must for any ergonomically-minded workflow. While kitting and sequencing, it’s important for operators and assemblers to have quick and easy access to the parts and materials they need for a kit. Tilt carts offer the same transportation benefits as any static cart used with a tugger, but with these added benefits:

  • Reduced operator fatigue: By eliminating the need for operators to bend over every time they need to grab a new part from a container, tilt carts reduce strain, meaning higher production and a lower risk of worker injury.
  • Faster material flow: Tilt carts angle parts closer to the operator so they don’t need to walk around to the other side of the cart to reach a far-away part. This keeps them out of the path of traffic and cuts out walking time that can quickly add up.
  • Ease of integration: Tilt carts work just like any other cart in a tugger train! At American Manufacturing, our tilt carts come equipped with tow bars and couplers that easily attach to a tugger and throughout a line of carts.
  • Pick height variety: Tilt carts aren’t necessarily one-size-fits all, which is why our industrial carts come in 30, 45, and 60 degree options to meet different container heights and ergonomic reach requirements.

Case Study: Cutting Down on Forklift Traffic

Many big names in manufacturing have moved away from forklifts in the last few years. Stellantis has moved their workflow completely away from monument-style structures and uses tuggers and carts everywhere except the loading dock. This has resulted in a cleaner, safer, and more efficient facility. Even Ford has been looking to reduce forklift traffic and is considering a complete changeover toward dollies in the near future.

Improve Safety in Your Workplace with American Manufacturing

If you’re considering a tugger-driven facility, or if you already have one and just need to upgrade your static carts to a more ergonomic alternative, our carts and dollies are designed with safety and efficiency in mind. Learn more about our industrial cart and dolly equipment or contact us for more information.