Streamlining Manufacturing with SafeSmart's StepOvers
Cottonsoft is a New Zealand operated and managed provider of tissue and hygiene products, renowned for quality and sustainability. With a focus on customer satisfaction, Cottonsoft is a trusted name and has grown significantly since it began in 1986. In 2021, they opened a new facility on Cavendish Drive, Auckland. More recently Cottonsoft added a new production line to this facility. This is when SafeSmart got involved.
The Challenge:
With a new production line added to keep up with increasing demand, Cottonsoft found that access way around the plant used a very circuitous route which was slowing down their production. The inefficiencies stemming from staff movement throughout the plant not only incurred significant time costs but also led to frustration among employees who had to navigate between different areas of the facility.
The SOLUTION:
Realising they had to do something to streamline their production, Cottonsoft reached out to access experts, SafeSmart Access, who visited the site to understand exactly what Cottonsoft required. The SafeSmart team thoroughly scoped the facility to better understand the business, pain points, and production access challenges that led Cottonsoft to seek a solution. Once this was completed, the SafeSmart and Cottonsoft teams put their heads together and thought through some solution options.
SafeSmart’s engineers and consultants then worked with the information brought back from the site visit and designed a custom built stepover structure. The proposed solution was presented to key stakeholders at Cottonsoft and it was agreed these custom built, state of the art Stepovers would enhance production speed and address the access challenges they encountered.
As part of the proposal we also provided a short-term solution using our Proscaf Scaffolding system and AdjustaStairs while the Stepovers were being manufactured.
The Result:
Due to the demand for an immediate solution, SafeSmart Access were able to provide a temporary set up using Aluminium Proscaf and AdjustaStair’s whilst the custom units were being manufactured. This alleviated the pain point in the interim while SafeSmart designed and manufactured the Stepover in our Northland based factory!
Once manufacturing was completed, the custom Stepovers gave easy, safe and efficient access over conveyor belts. They were assembled out of the way of the main production line and then craned into place using the gantry crane which minimised downtime during the install.
Robustly built to stand the test of time, Cottonsoft will be using these platforms for years to come whilst SafeSmart will continue to provide ongoing support for any future issues they may face!
Got a similar challenge? Contact us for a worldclass product and a worldclass, stress-free experience.
