VIDEO: TOOLING UP – Work Smarter, Not Harder with Ergonomic Solutions From VESTIL

Narrator: Welcome to Tooling Up, a series by MSC Industrial Supply Company that provides real-world insights brought to you by leading industry experts and aimed at improving the efficiency and productivity of your operations.

Eddie: Hey everybody this is Eddie with MSC and welcome to MSC's Tooling Up featuring VESTIL. In today's episode we're going to talk about the importance of ergonomics in manufacturing. And here to tell us everything that we need to know is our good friend from the team at VESTIL, Ken Schneider. Let's bring him on in. Hey Ken, thank you so much for joining us on this episode of MSC's Tooling Up. Before we get started, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do for the team at VESTIL?

Ken: Sure Eddie, thanks for the introduction. I look forward to spending some time with you today talking about our ergonomic solutions. For those in the audience my name is Ken Schneider, senior vice president here at VESTIL Manufacturing Company. I've been with the company for over three decades, believe it or not, and I help manage the relationship between VESTIL and MSC.

Eddie: Awesome, well thank you so much for joining us on our episode today. So let's jump right in. Today we're going to be talking about ergonomics in manufacturing. So Ken tell us what that means.

Ken: Sure. Ergonomics at assembly is working smarter, not harder. It's moving the work for each individual person into the most comfortable position so they can do their job as efficiently as possible and with as much ease as possible.

Eddie: Hey this makes sense. And though ergonomics can really prevent lots of injury, what are some of the costs associated with injuries alone?

Ken: Sure. Well OSHA has a quote where they're stating that direct cost to manufacturing companies in the United States per year exceeds 20 billion dollars per year. That's a lot of money if you're not using economic solutions within your manufacturing process, in your operations.

Eddie: Yes, very much so. So when it comes to ergonomic solutions, what can they specifically do for manufacturing Ken?

Ken: Sure Eddie. Well, there's three primary benefits that ergonomic product solutions can provide to a manufacturing company. The first is increasing efficiency, the second is reducing the potential for injury, and the third is providing a safe work environment for the most valuable asset of any company which is the employee.

Eddie: This is very, very true Ken. So let's transition into some of the solutions that VESTIL provides to combat these everyday issues in manufacturing. So let's first talk about your portable scissor cart. Ken, what do we need to know?

Ken: Sure Eddie. Well portable scissor carts are basically a standard platform truck. A platform truck is simply a wooden deck, two rigid, two swivel casters and a handle on it. Almost everybody in manufacturing has used a platform truck. Well everybody knows that if you want to use a platform truck, if you want to put products on the platform truck. you have to conform your body to the product. A portable scissor cart from VESTIL Manufacturing provides an elevating platform on the platform truck. So it's basically a platform truck with an elevating platform, so what that benefit is is it moves the work closer to the employees so they don't have to bend over to do their job.

Eddie: Very convenient. Now Ken, how does it do this?

Ken: Sure. Well there's two different types of standard scissor carts that we manufacture here at VESTIL. The first is our manual. The manual unit is operated with use of a hand pump or a foot pump mechanism so this is manual, there's no electronics or anything like that. The second, our most popular, is our DC battery powered unit and that unit includes a battery with an electric motor for quickly and efficiently raising and lowering the platform into the right position for the user.

Eddie: No, this makes sense and so when it comes to the platform and the safety involved with it, why does this matter?

Ken: Sure. Well using a platform that's in an elevated position brings the work closer to the worker and in doing so it prevents that worker from having to bend over and reach and do what their job entitles them to do. so if they're going to do that, it's going to provide a safer environment and potentially reduce the injury potential for a back injury by having to bend over and lift those heavy boxes up off a standard platform truck.

Eddie: Right. Now what bad habits does this specific solution replace?

Ken: Sure. Well one of the primary bad habits of anyone is bending over and reaching down to lift up a heavy object. Whether it's to put it on a platform truck or take it off, it could even be a pallet, just something low, your power core is right up here close to the center of your body. That's where you're going to be able to lift the most weight possible so by putting your load or your work on a platform truck with this like a scissor cart where the platform is going to go up in the air, you're moving that up right into your power core so it's going to be the easiest and best position for you to do that work with the least strain possible and the lowest potential for injury.

Eddie: Lowest potential of injury. This is a big point that we're going to be covering today so thank you for covering that and additionally as we're moving forward, what do we need to know about your lift and tilt tables?

Ken: Sure. Well we manufacture a line of scissor lift tables. It's one of our most popular product lines in our ergonomic category of product solutions that we offer here at VESTIL. Basically it's a stationary cart, very similar to the portable scissor carts that we were talking about, but this stationary table is a lift table. So you put it in place and it helps the user get what they need right up in their core position of their body, their posture. It's going to help them retain their most upright best most comfortable position for their working environment. That's our standard scissor lift table. Then we also offer an extra added benefit of a scissor lift and tilt table. So the tilt feature is going to provide just a little bit more added benefit to allow that user to tilt the work right into the best position that they need to do their job as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Eddie: That sounds wonderful Ken, but riddle me this. How does it do that?

Ken: Sure. Well each unit includes an electric motor and it's operated with the use of a standard handheld control. The handheld control includes buttons for raising and lowering and tilting up and tilting down the product so it's very easy to use. Or, if they'd like, for a small extra cost they can purchase a foot control. The foot control allows for hands-free operation Eddie, so they can move that product right where they want it to be without using their hands and only using their feet.

Eddie: So Ken, how does this protect the user?

Ken: Sure. Well again, going back to the platform truck example Eddie, it's going to prevent them from bending over and using that bad habit of bending over at their back to reach down and grab a heavy product. You want to move that product and that working surface right into the most comfortable ergonomic position possible so the scissor lift table or the scissor lift and tilt table will allow the user to do that.

Eddie: No, this sounds wonderful in providing an immense amount of convenience and protection to the end user and then additionally what do we need to know about the Tilt Master?

Ken: Sure. Well the Tilt Master is another product that we manufacture here at VESTIL. The Tilt Master is a portable container tilter so that allows the user to not only tilt a container into the most comfortable ergonomic position, but it also allows them to move it from place to place. So it's really effectively two products in one.

Eddie: Hey this sounds wonderful. And then additionally you have a variety of off-the-shelf solutions. But what about those individuals who have very unique applications and may require a little bit of customization?

Ken: Sure Eddie, really good question. We do have a very broad product line of ergonomic solutions here at VESTIL Manufacturing. However, we also recognize the fact that many customers really can't find the ideal solution that they need in an off-the-shelf product. So, we have a team of engineers and craftsmen out in the shop who are really good at manufacturing custom product solutions based on whatever the customer need is. So if you have a need for a custom solution, you can contact your MSC sales associate and they can help coordinate any kind of quote that you have with VESTIL Manufacturing. And again some of those custom solutions include stainless steel solutions for use in wash down and food environments and also different colors too, or it could be just some kind of a crazy off the shelf custom solution that you might need for your application. Whatever it is we're always up for the challenge because one of our taglines here at VESTIL Manufacturing is “if you can dream it, we can build it”.

Eddie: No, that is awesome Ken, we appreciate you sharing that. What a wonderful conversation we've had today not only covering what is ergonomics and manufacturing but also being able to look over the variety of off-the-shelf as well as custom capabilities that VESTIL brings to the market. So lastly, for those who are looking to see and look into what we've covered today but also see all the other amazing things you bring to the marketplace, where can we get more information?

Ken: Sure Eddie. Very simply you can go to the MSC website and look for the VESTIL landing page. It's www.mscdirect.com/vestil to find anything that you might have a need for.

Eddie: Hey, thanks for pointing us in the right direction and thank you for your insight on today's episode of MSC's Tooling Up featuring VESTIL.

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