Efficiency Enables Cinram to Move Millions

Cinram Cinram International, Inc., is the world’s largest independent manufacturer of CDs and DVDs for the home entertainment industry. In addition to manufacturing movies, music CDs, video games and more, Cinram offers packaging, fulfillment, distribution and e-commerce solutions. The key to its success is efficiency in material handling by using a fleet of Raymond^® lift trucks that meets the needs of its operations.

In October 2003, Cinram opened a plant in La Vergne, Tenn., to handle DVD manufacturing and distribution needs of a major home entertainment company. In La Vergne, employees can package more than 1 million discs per day, so the company needs reliable material handling equipment to ensure maximum uptime and productivity.

Superior Space Management

Three buildings totaling more than 1.8 million square feet make up the La Vergne plant. The facility has 27,000 locations for products to be stored once they are manufactured. These products are put away, picked and transported throughout the plant by using a fleet of 163 Raymond lift trucks. When the La Vergne facility was built, representatives from Brauer Material Handling Systems, Inc., an authorized Raymond Sales and Service Center, helped recommend the right mix of equipment for Cinram’s lift truck fleet. The fleet consists of Raymond orderpickers, Swing-Reach ® trucks, Reach-Fork ® trucks, sit-down counterbalanced trucks and pallet trucks.

Cinram Cinram "Our buildings are huge, and nearly everything moves on a lift truck so we can move large amounts of product between the docks and the shelves efficiently," says Larry Winnett, director of maintenance facilities and ISO for Cinram. " We need narrow aisles to make the best use of the space, so we use lift trucks that can maneuver within the narrow aisles."

Downtime can cost thousands of dollars in lost productivity and can result in missed customer deadlines. Therefore, it’s important that each of Cinram’s lift trucks is well-maintained to help the company achieve the uptime required.

"I choose Raymond equipment because I know it’s going to stay up and running," Winnett says. "The customer service we’ve received from our dealer, Brauer, is exceptional. I can trust that the people at Brauer will meet any request we have and my operations won’t experience downtime."

Cinram Cinram "Cinram has a preventive maintenance agreement with Brauer. Given the size of the Raymond fleet at Cinram, service personnel from Brauer are at the La Vergne plant nearly every day to conduct preventive maintenance and respond to other maintenance requests. The service team uses a Raymond fleet management system to track all maintenance on the lift trucks and supply Cinram with regular updates on the service provided, which helps Cinram save on lift truck expenses.

Maximizing Efficiencies

Cinram Cinram’s La Vergne lift truck operators move a lot of product. Winnett estimates the company can move up to 40,000 cases of product in a single day.

"We utilize our lift trucks to their maximum capabilities," Winnett says. "In our industry, the profit margin is relatively tight, so we have to be efficient in handling product. Additionally, we have to make sure our space is used efficiently, which is why we chose narrow aisles and tall racks. We can better manage expensive floor space with smaller, taller aisles, and our Raymond equipment has been especially effective in the narrow aisles."

By utilizing a lift truck fleet that meets the needs of Cinram’s operations and establishing a fleet management and service program, the company is able to move thousands of multimedia materials every day. A rightsized, well-maintained lift truck fleet is key to ensuring Cinram meets customer demand and continues as a multimedia manufacturing leader.