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Unex Manufacturing, Inc.
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"The Track to Better Picking"est 1964 |
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Capital Candy Case Study
 | “UNEX’s reputation for quality
is bulletproof.”
Jim Thibeault , Operations Manager.
Capital Candy Co. |
| Unex strings together a collection of carton flow solutions for candy wholesaler and the results are sweet! | |
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In 1938, a mom & pop penny-candy operation opened in a small Vermont town. Success followed, and Captial Candy Co., Inc. emerged as a full-fledged wholesaler for grocery and convenience stores. Growth was good, and more was on the way. At a rapid fire pace, manufacturers began introducing new product extensions by the hundreds. Capital Candy was running out of space and the surges in inventory made the need to increase productivity greater than ever. | Customer: Capital Candy Company, Inc., full line grocery & convenience store wholesaler. Operation: Three buildings totaling 70,000 sq. ft., offering next day deliveries for over 8,000 SKU's. Goals: Improve pick rates, save storage space for future growth. Solution: Carton Flow Products by UNEX: ShelfTRACK, Gravity Conveyor in Live Storage, Roller Rack, Span_Track. |
| Exploring THE OPTIONS | |
Even with 70,000 square feet of warehouse space spread over three buildings, Capital Candy was stretched to the limit. "In any space-constrained building like ours – a
175-year-old granite shed with lots of poles, beams and posts – maximizing the cube is imperative," says Operations Manager, Jim Thibeault. The company considered several options:
Working with a consultant, Capital Candy decided to reorganize their pick areas for each product group with UNEX carton flow solutions to match the unique needs of each area. This would maximize pick efficiency and provide a space friendly operation allowing Capital Candy plenty of room to grow. |
"In any space constrained building like ours...maximizing the cube is imperative"  High Profile Span-Track extended beyond the beam optimizes use of linear space and delivers items right to the pick point. |
| Reconfiguring THE WAREHOUSE | |
Applying a multifaceted carton flow approach allowed Capital Candy to reconfigure its warehouse and unleash greater productivity for each pick area.
THE GROCERY AREA needed a major overhaul, requiring the construction of a three-level pick module. On the first level, UNEX's Low Profile Span-Track was installed. Low Profile's drop-in design nests between the beams, amximizing vertical space for product storage. The second and third levels were set up for pallet storage, which allowed Capital Candy to make the most of limited waehouse space. THE FREEZER and cooler sections, UNEX combined Low and High Profile Span-Track in pallet rack to create Easy Access/Fast Pick of cold inventory items. "When we put in something new, we like to use Span-Track, " explains Thibeault, "because everything here is short-coded and needs to be FIFO managed. We have to ensure that customers always receive fresh products." THE CANDY LANE replaced the existing plastic wheel track with UNEX ShelfTRACK, a built-to-last, full-width aluminum roller track that 'drops-in' to existing flow rack shelves--a "sweet rolling major improvement," says Thibeault.
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THE CIGARETTE AREA has UNEX Roller Rack with High Profile Span-Track installed. High Profile sits on top of the beams, allowing the carton flow track to extend beyond the structure, which enables Capital Candy to store more units per SKU.
 Low Profile Span-Track added to floor level of three story pick module, maximizing use of vertical space and assuring reliable carton flow.
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Existing plastic wheel track was replaced with UNEX ShelfTRACK. "a sweet rolling major improvement, " says Thibeault. |
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Customized Gravity Flow Solution UNEX engineered a custom flow rack installed with gravity conveyor sections to accomodate the unique handling requirements of Capital’s dairy line.
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| Measuring THE RESULTS | ||
Since implementing UNEX carton flow solutions, Capital Candy has realized all of the project’s objectives and gained several other benefits in the process.
1,000 new SKUs have been added to the warehouse due to the space gained during the reconfiguration. Inventory is now rotated appropriately. "In the past, if you got a delivery twice a week, sometimes the latest ended up on top of the previous delivery, and the lower inventory went out of date," says Thibeault. "UNEX’s carton flow approach put an end to that problem." |
“We've been able to decrease labor costs while increasing sales” |
Focusing on the Future Capital Candy's 70 year legacy continues, and so does the company's confidence in UNEX. "We've done business with UNEX for over 30 years and never had the need to look at other suppliers," says Thibeault. "Everything has always worked great. UNEX's reputation for quality is bulletproof." |