Solutions For The Storage of Tools and Spare Parts in Auto Dealerships

Hanel Storage Systems: Solutions for the storage of tools and spare parts in auto dealerships.

A leading automotive retailer and one of the top private dealer groups in the U.S. using the Hanel storage solutions in their auto dealerships. What began as a single dealership in 1965 has grown to six locations with 24 showrooms and 17 new vehicle franchises so far.

At the main dealership, the service department is one of the largest in the area, with an equally large parts department to support it. Despite the size of the service area, the automotive dealership needed even more service bays to support customer demand, and wanted to add premium customer services such as an automated car wash to the facility.

To make room without the cost of new building and construction, the automotive dealership installed a Hanel Lean Lift VLM and a Rotomat Vertical Carousel. The automated machines were placed in an unused corner of the service area, with convenient access from all service bays in the garage.

The Hanel machines allowed them to consolidate a large storage room full of shelves into just two storage units saving them space and time. There was room to add additional services was freed in the existing building for a huge cost savings compared to new construction that is very timely and costly. The Rotomat and Lean Lift provide faster and more convenient access and retrieval to parts because items are brought to the user instead of the user locating the parts. This eliminates walking rows of shelving, searching for parts. Security is enhanced with enclosed, locking storage and password-restricted access for security on their high dollar assets. Both machines were connected to the dealerships existing DMS system. The seamless integration offered by Hanel’s advanced controllers helped to improve inventory accuracy and boost productivity. The customer was happy and the project was worthwhile with a high ROI.

BSC and Hanel are reliable partners when it comes to optimizing storage processes in automotive facilities.

The pluses:

• Vertical storage makes the best use of available space and reduces the need to stack items like traditional warehouse shelving.
• Over 60% more storage capacity was realized within the same exact floor space.
• Items are brought to the user at an ergonomically correct height at the touch of a button.
• Safety is significantly improved by eliminating ladders and stretching and stooping to access shelves.
• Search, travel and pick times are reduced through organization and picking from a central location in the facility.
• Hanel Rotomats hold thousands of individual items in a secure and protected environment.
• Hanel control system seamlessly integrates with DMS software currently used by automotive dealerships.
• Valuable vehicle parts are now secure and managed in a controlled surrounding.
• Enclosed, lockable storage greatly assists with inventory security.
• Work environment is improved with better lighting, organization, safety and access.

Automotive Dealership Storage Efficiency

An automotive dealership undertook a major renovation of their existing dealership. The goal was simply to expand customer convenience, dealership efficiency and presence. The project included construction of a new showroom, major project renovations to their service center and expansion of their lot space and landscaping.

The existing building housed the showroom, parts department and service area. With the new showroom, the parts department could be expanded and additional service bays and services added. To help make room for the new additions within the existing building space, this auto dealership turned to Hanel for a vertical storage solution. The Hanel Lean Lift was chosen to free up valuable floor space and make parts retrieval faster and more accurate for employees. The Lean Lift installation was designed as part of the building rennovations, allowing it to be incorporated directly into the physical structure of the facility.

The result is a parts department that is an inviting place to work. Separate counters are provided to support the retail customer operation and the service department alike.

Parts in inventory are now easily found at the touch of a button, eliminating the time-consuming need to climb stairs or walk rows of shelves to search for the correct part.

Products like the Hanel Rotomat and Hanel Lean Lift, also Hanel Multi-space, are high tech storage products for automated storage and retrieval solutions.

With its numerous inventions, Hanel Storage Systems has made a significant contribution to the success of vertical carousels and vertical lift modules in the field of automated materials handling solutions. This success is yet another incentive for our team to offer future-oriented solutions for intralogistics based on continuous further development.

Hanel storage systems find applications in a wide variety of industries. Operating in sectors such as medical technology, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, automotive, aviation, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, military, healthcare and wholesale-to name but a few areas that demostrate its versatility – Hanel has the right solution for every application. Numerous small and medium size enterprises have also opted for the efficient storage systems from Hänel.

The modern Hanel microprocessor control systems enable continuous inventory updates and accurate inventory control. They can be used as stand-alone storage management systems or in conjunction with customer IT systems.

The Hanel Rotomat principle

Each Hanel Rotomat is designed according to the tried-and-tested ferris wheel model (vertical carousel principle) which means: good to user and not user to goods. This saves a tremendous amount of time. The compact construction enables up to 60% more storage capacity to be created on a minimal footprint by making use of the available room height and space.

The Hanel Lean-Lift principle

The Hanel Lean Lift is both storage rationalization and goods protection in one: At the center of the cabinet is a computer controlled positioning lift – called the extractor. In front of it and behind it are the storage shelves. This is where the articles are kept in containers. The storage locations are accessed automatically under electronic control by means of the extractor, which stores or retrieves the requested container. The operator works comfortably in the ergonimically positioned retrieval area.

Want to learn more? Contact a local BSC representative at 205-988-3300 or info@bscsolutions.com.