Tool storage system a key to Nova Tool & Mold's success

John Novosel Jr. knows what it takes to make a business successful: "Maintain the competitive edge & for you and your customer."

For the past 10 years, the Novosel family company, Nova Tool & Mold Inc. (Windsor, Ontario), a designer and manufacturer of high-quality injection and related tooling, has committed itself to keeping that edge.

Novas customers are OEMs of automotive, industrial and consumer products. The customers require precise molds so their products will be manufactured correctly.

"If we don't, then our business is over. They rightfully demand perfection," he says.

In order to consistently produce high-quality molds and, thereby, maintain its standing, Nova determined a number of "must-haves" for its business.
1) Invest heavily in the latest production technology.
2) Employ a highly experienced, skilled staff of moldmakers that specializes in producing prototype and production tooling.
3) Ensure its organization runs run as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

"We need to make sure every element performs at its optimum level," says Novosel. "That's one of the reasons we needed to revise our tooling storage."

In the past, Novas tooling storage was a random system of steel cabinets placed throughout the 22,000-square-foot facility. Tools were misplaced, causing delays in production, or lost, causing increases in cost. A change was necessary.

When researching storage solutions, Nova's local MRO distributor recommended Lista International, a Massachusetts-based manufacturer of storage and workspace solutions.

"We had seen Listas products at a few of our customers sites, and they came highly recommended," says Novosel.

Lista set out to create a storage system that was easily accessible to the team on the manufacturing floor, suitable for small and light as well as large and heavy parts and equipment, and modular to accommodate growth. What developed was a tool crib that is its own room within the manufacturing floor.

A major portion of the crib is comprised of three Lista Storage Wall systems. The system provides an optimum use of space by housing both large and small parts at the same time. Listas Storage Wall is a customizable system of configurable drawers, rollout trays and adjustable shelves.

The drawers hold a variety of parts for Nova, including carbide tips, drills, reamers, taps and all major mold components, such as ejector pins, guide pins and bushings. Such drawers are easily configured and customized. They range from 2 1/8 inches to 15 inches in height, and are available in a variety of depths, so items of various sizes can be efficiently stored. Each drawer is divisible with partitions to create organized, custom compartments that can be reconfigured at any time. Additionally, the drawers fully extend from the housing, allowing full accessibility to stored items.

Additionally, the Storage Wall systems are outfitted with Lista roller shelves trays providing Nova with easy access to heavy items, including different-sized sine plates, dies, molds and magnetic chucks. Constructed with standard conveyor rollers, the shelf allows items to glide on and off the shelf for safe, ergonomic storage.

"The shelf can hold items up to 770 pounds. The easy access to heavy items reduces the chances of our employees straining their backs," says Novosel.

Finally, the Storage Wall shelves store boxed items such as light bulbs, tapping fluid, spray lubricants and containers of paint.

Another important feature of the tool crib is the 6-foot-long Lista workbench that sits between two Lista standard width cabinets. The workbench is used as a workstation for the tool crib attendant. Outfitted with a maple top and heavy-duty legs, the workbench provides a station for the tool crib attendant to do paperwork, use the computer or talk on the phone.

The modular drawer cabinets are used for storage of all paperwork, records and catalogs related to the tool crib.

"As important as the organization of the tools and parts is," says Novosel, "it's equally important that all paperwork and files related to the crib are organized and accessible."

Inventory control is an additional benefit of the tool crib. The large tool crib door acts as a counter for moldmakers to place orders with the crib attendant. In order to receive a tool, the employee leaves his ID tag, which is placed in the space where the tool is held. This tag system allows Nova to know where tools are at all times.

The crib is also an important part of the shipping/receiving system. The attendant confirms the order and enters the parts into inventory.

"Just having a structured system for tracking tools has dramatically improved operations," says Novosel.

The benefits Nova receives from this storage redesign?
" All tools, parts and files are organized and easily accessible.
" Employees no longer need to search for tools, and the chance of a lost tool has dramatically decreased, leading to time and cost savings.
" The modularity of Listas products allows for change when Nova grows or adds on to the building.

This article provided by Lista International.

MRO Today. Copyright, 2001.

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