May 19, 2022 Cranes Boost Efficiency for Innovative New Factory

A unique factory that produces prefabricated homes is increasing efficiency thanks to overhead cranes from R&M Materials Handling, Inc.

Boxabl uses assembly line principles and new building materials to produce upscale houses at a fast rate and low cost. Overhead crane and hoist manufacturer R&M Materials Handling, Inc. and their distributor American Equipment LLC partnered to deliver an overhead crane solution for Boxabl’s state of the art facility, based in Las Vegas.

Application

Boxabl is a unique company, manufacturing high quality homes which can be delivered on a flatbed truck and erected the same day. Its Casita model includes a full-size kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom, and retails from just $49,500. Fully stackable and modifiable, Boxabl units can be configured for residential and commercial use. Its speed of construction optimizes cash flow for owners as it eradicates the long lead times normally associated with new home construction. This also makes Boxabl ideal for emergency responses to disasters, such as floods.

Challenge

With more than 47,000 people on its waiting list, Boxabl’s first factory had to be as efficient as possible, so that production could meet demand. Boxabl required an efficient overhead crane system to optimize its automated assembly line operations. On these assembly lines, Boxabl manufactures panels comprised of steel, insulation and concrete, which become the walls, floor and roof of the modular home. The cranes were needed to expedite the transportation, assembly and folding of the Casita units. This includes moving different sized boards to be assembled into panels and then assembling larger panels into houses. In addition, the cranes needed to be reliable, safe, and easy to use.

Solution

American Equipment LLC recommended the installation of three 7.5-ton capacity top-running, single girder cranes from R&M Materials Handling, Inc. The cranes, which span 47ft 7ins and provide 25ft of lift, feature R&M’s SX low headroom wire rope hoists, which help to maximize the lifting height of each system.

Working together, the companies won the contract with Boxabl by offering the best combination of features, safety and service.

Results

The three new cranes were installed in October 2021. Josiah Fannon, production manager at Boxabl said: “The cranes have been a huge help and an absolute necessity for our production. They facilitate the transportation, assembly and folding functionality of our units, even down to dropping a custom-built boat-wrap cover over the top of the units to protect them during shipping.”

“They are used daily for a very large portion of each day. The controls are well marked and are easy to use, the crane itself is marked out with the directions of travel to make guiding it simple. It also has some great safety features such as a warning strobe light to alert when the crane is in motion and collision sensors to prevent any of the three units from colliding with one or another.”

Contact for editorial enquiries: Ashlee Shuman, ashlee.shuman@rmhoist.com

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