World class manufacturing has been the heartbeat of the Mahoning Valley for centuries. When the electric vehicle automaker Lordstown Motors asked Kundel Industries for a handling solution for their 1,700 lb. trademark battery used to power electric vehicles, we were delighted to partner their innovation and design with our custom ergonomic material handling equipment for ease of movement.
The Mission: Design customized tooling to place batteries onto the Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) that would travel from the battery station to the rear axle assembly station, to the truck frame station then continue throughout the build.
The Kundel Solution: Creation of tailor designed tooling over parallel stationary Jibs extended over a workstation. This ergonomic custom tooling captures 1,700 lb. batteries out of a dunnage to travel on the programmable AGV to the necessary stations throughout the plant.
James Hughes, Consultant Specialist, says “There were two key factors in LMC decision making when going with Kundel. The first is our Foundationless Pods. The pods enable us to install our jibs on their 6” floor, avoiding huge cost of the large foundation that would otherwise be required. Second, the fact that we are able to offer a complete turnkey solution with custom tooling for handling their products.”
This partnership between family owned Kundel Industries and Lordstown Motors is a worthy match. Our hard working, dedicated people create enclosed track overhead cranes with the best features, heaviest capacities and an industry leading 10:1 Safety Factor. Lordstown Motors aims to build vehicles to be “an extension of the worker – smarter, safer, and more productive.” Together in this collaboration, our companies are leading the way into the future of manufacturing and innovation in the Mahoning Valley. That’s just what we do.
Written By: Jennifer Balest