Virtually every manufacturing plant, fabricating shop, machining facility, assembly location and even a warehouse has one, the unique material handling or storage challenge with no practical structural solution offered; a maintenance job that needs to move tools and repair parts into limited access locales. Transporting an awkward shaped part, or storing a fragile component.  Infrequent but necessary janitorial duties handling scrap or refuse.  Hazardous, laborious or unpleasant tasks, and myriad other chores that conventional, standard equipment can’t perform, jobs that make it difficult to justify high investments in custom-made structures, yet jobs where the convenience, safety and enhanced operation require some level of resolution.

      Such was the case at the machining facility of a major aerospace company where managers were seeking an easy, convenient, and economical solution to a  dangerous situation.  Throughout the area, many oil and solvent-based liquids in the form of machining coolants and lubricants were present.  Additionally, oil-soaked rags, containers and other such waste products needed to be separated for environmental concerns and proper disposal, and safely stored to prevent accidental combustion from sparks or to minimize spills.  To remedy the situation they settled upon high visibility red five gallon pails, each featuring a bright yellow warning and directions label, specifically designed for holding oily wastes and byproducts.  Each pail has a foot operated mechanism to open the lid for hands free actuation, and a self-closing action that shuts the lid when the pedal is released.

      Then an additional problem surfaced — how to stow the pails, provide mobility and how to promote and encourage their usage.  A standard flat bed cart would make using the foot levers difficult, and unsafe to move pails without tipping.  Fabricated steel racks would be expensive, heavy to move, and more structure than the application required and potentially dangerous through electrical conductivity.

      The solution was the Creform System from the Creform Corporation. With this system, a series of plastic-coated steel pipe, mechanical joints and hardware accessories, the oil pail cart, now in use at the aerospace firm, was custom designed and built to meet ergonomic requirements while securely holding three containers and preventing them from tipping.  The structures elevate the pails approximately 24" above the floor that is a convenient height while providing a formal appearance to the waste station...

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