How Vertical Systems Address Five Lean Goals
	By Saving Floor Space. One of the ways a vertical storage and retrieval system helps meet lean manufacturing initiatives is by improving space utilization because they use otherwise unoccupied vertical space . Depending on the usable building interior heights, up to 85 percent of a conventional storage system's occupied floor space can be recovered. Recovered floor space can be re-allocated from cost-associated inventory functions to value-increasing production operations. Improved space utilization also can extend the useful life of existing facilities, eliminating the need for expensive brick and mortar expansion to meet growth requirements. By Reducing Redundant Handling. Vertical systems help reduce redundant or nonessential handling, especially in applications requiring frequent reuse of stamping dies. The small unit footprint makes vertical systems especially valuable for point-of-use storage. Storing dies and other tooling at point-of-use reduces unnecessary processing and transportation common with central storage. By Reducing Tooling Costs. Die damage caused by frequent handling can interrupt process flow. Because vertical storage and retrieval systems are enclosed and lockable, they protect stored items from external hazards and reduce product damage. Likewise, vertical systems can integrate software controls that can restrict and track die usage to specific individuals, departments, or shifts. By Improving Safety. The access area of vertical systems is ergonomically designed to present stored items at an ideal height for picking, usually about waist-high (see lead image). This reduces unnecessary or excess motion and contributes to employee safety, because this ergonomic positioning design eliminates the bending, climbing, and stretching associated with conventional shelving and rack systems. Stored items are quickly accessible via a system of rotating carrier shelves or delivered trays that bring the exact storage position to the operator. By Increasing Equipment Uptime. Another key lean goal is reduction of wait time. Conventional static storage systems require employees to spend up to 70 percent of their time traveling aisles searching for items, while only 30 percent is spent actually retrieving items. Vertical storage and retrieval systems allow quick access to stored items via a system of rotating carrier shelves or delivered trays that bring the exact storage position to the operator (see Figure 2 ). Typically, a vertical system reverses that 70/30 percent ratio.