From raw material to finished product, Republic Anode Fabricators (RAF) serves plating industries with a full spectrum of metal fabrication and service capabilities, including full-service design, engineering, machining and fabrication. Established in 1987, the company continues to expand. Several years ago, RAF purchased a new production facility in Valley City, Ohio. Unfortunately, the building wasn’t equipped with an overhead crane.
Without an overhead crane, parts and products ranging from 100 to 900 lbs. had to be moved and positioned by forklift or handled by team force. Patrick Nicholson, general manager at RAF, describes the all-hands-on-deck process.
“Even with forklifts, there was a lot of sweat equity required,” he says. “Sometimes it took several people to muscle parts around, which meant we had to take workers off one job to help someone working on another.”
Safety first
Pulling workers away from a job was always a concern, but even more concerning was the potential for workers to hurt themselves. Lifting heavy items is one of the leading causes of injury in the workplace. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that more than 36 percent of injuries involving missed workdays were the result of shoulder and back injuries. Over-exertion and cumulative trauma were the biggest factors in these injuries. Bending, followed by twisting and turning were the more commonly cited movements that caused back injuries.
Strains and sprains from lifting loads improperly or from carrying loads that are too large or too heavy are common hazards associated with manually moving materials. Plus, the heavier the load, the greater stress on muscles, discs and vertebrae.
While forklifts can ease the burden of manually moving parts, forklift safety is often overlooked. Whether they are loaded or not, it is easy for a forklift to tip over on ramps and sloped surfaces. Some think that because a forklift typically weighs more than a car, it is easier to brake or stop. But this couldn’t be further from the truth due to a forklift’s heavier weight, rear-wheel steering, longer stopping distances and general instability issues.
But forklift safety concerns don’t stop there. A variety of other common safety issues include leaks from the fuel system, brake pedals that start feeling a little spongy and exhaust fumes that can make people feel sick. To say the least, there is a lot to address when it comes to creating a safe environment.
According to an OSHA representative, “Once every forklift operator at your company passes a training and certification program that observes OSHA regulations, you’ve taken a major step toward fostering a safer workplace.”
When employees are properly trained, which includes the use of smart lifting practices, they are less likely to suffer from back sprains, muscle pulls, wrist injuries, elbow injuries, spinal injuries and other injuries caused by lifting heavy objects.
Crane investment
On top of the safety issues, “a lot of sweat equity was required,” Nicholson says, so manually moving parts wasn’t an ideal system. Realizing that, the company decided to invest in an AL System Workstation Crane from EMH Inc.
“Fortunately, we never experienced safety issues while handling materials in the past,” he adds. “But having said that, safety is always part of our decision-making process, and the installation of the new crane was no exception. Having a solution that is both efficient and safe for employees – as well as for the products we are moving – is always the goal.”
RAF is actually involved with a wide range of architectural and public art projects, including large-scale art installations where pristine aesthetics are paramount. Regardless of the end product, however, dropping or damaging a part while moving it through the shop would be costly from both a time and material standpoint.
After the AL System Workstation Crane was installed, it, of course, eliminated the potential safety concerns at RAF, but it actually accomplished a lot more. With its lightweight aluminum track profiles, the versatile and flexible material handling solution can be disassembled, moved and then reassembled if needs change. Furthermore, EMH’s T-Slot design, anodized enclosed rails and anti-kickup nylon wheels provide maintenance-free installation wherever they might be needed.
For the team at RAF, the decision to invest in the crane was multi-faceted. Not only can it easily handle parts and materials up to 2,000 lbs., but the crane can safely and efficiently accommodate a variety of lifters and handling devices. The lightweight aluminum track profiles are easily configured to suit almost any application requirement. The anodized aluminum extrusions and enclosed rails maximize strength, providing longer durability and adding to the aesthetics.
Articulated anti-kickup wheels offer additional advantages at RAF as they are free moving and do not require movement at right angles. This feature provides smooth operation and a low starting force even when the load is at the end of the bridge. In addition, the nylon wheels deliver smooth and safe movement of the trolley inside the enclosed rail.
One of the most important advantages over other lightweight aluminum rail systems is an exclusive design for splicing two pieces of rail together. With the T-Slot design, installation with a variety of integrating equipment, such as lifters, end effectors, chain hoists and smart lifters, is easy. The T-Slot design also eliminates bumps when a load is moved over track splices.
Increased productivity
Once the decision was made to move forward with the EMH crane, productivity gains were realized in short order. After submitting the RFQ in November 2024, Handling Concepts, located in Akron, Ohio, was chosen to perform the installation in April 2025, which only took two days.
“Going from having nothing to having a fully functional and working crane system in just a couple of days was quite impressive,” Nicholson says.
While reducing the potential threat of material handling injury was important, increasing material handling productivity was RAF’s immediate need.
“Utilizing the overhead crane system to move product that was previously moved by hand has increased individual employee productivity by reducing common physical wear and fatigue that would set in over the course of a day, week or month,” he adds. “Since the workstation crane has been installed, we have experienced additional units, parts and steps being completed on a regular basis. In turn, we have reduced lead times and increased output. It has been mutually beneficial, serving our company and our employees well. It’s something we are really excited about.”
