New crane system for advanced automation supplier

Three 5USt capacity overhead cranes have been installed at a JR Automation/Setpoint facility where the design, engineering, and integration of robotic systems and custom amusement attractions occurs. Overhead crane and hoist manufacturer R&M Materials Handling Inc and its distributor Hoj Innovations, of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, combined to deliver a solution for a recent expansion project.

At its Ogden, Utah facility, JR Automation/Setpoint uses a variety of material handling equipment as part of its everyday production. JR Automation/Setpoint designs, builds, and integrates advanced automation solutions for automotive, aerospace, energy, and other industrial customers throughout the world.

JR Automation/Setpoint is at the centre of a sector that requires both large scale construction to manufacture and install these systems and high levels of safety. The company relies on state-of-the-art cranes and hoists to meet the ever-increasing demands of customers such as Universal Studios, Disney, Target, and Amazon.

Jerry LeBaron, Sr, engineering projects manager at Hoj Innovations, explained that JR Automation/Setpoint arrived at a need for additional cranes due to increasing workload projections and the lifting requirements involved.

Steve Schultz, facilities and safety manager at JR Automation/Setpoint, added that the cranes were required to support increasing production and to provide reliable lifting and positioning of heavy materials that was safer and more efficient than alternative methods and technologies. Two cranes were to be installed on a new, 260ft-long runway, which was also part of the contract, and one on an existing runway at the site.

Hoj Innovations has worked with JR Automation/Setpoint in the past: it has been a long-time provider of service and support on the facility’s material handling equipment and a supplier and integrator of conveyor systems used on previous projects.

For this specific project, 5USt capacity top-running, single-girder crane kits were provided by R&M Materials Handling Inc and installed by its distributor, Hoj Innovations. The cranes, which span 47ft 9in and offer 21ft of lift, feature R&M’s SX low-headroom wire rope hoists, which help to maximise the lifting height of each system.

Kimberly Cromwell, regional sales manager at R&M, said that Hoj Innovations chose to incorporate R&M modular crane kits for the project not only because they were able to reduce the overall cost to the customer due to the efficiency of the assembly and installation of the crane components, but they also knew that JR Automation/Setpoint would appreciate the superior quality of the equipment and the extreme ease of use of the overall crane systems.

In July 2021, three new cranes were installed by Hoj Innovations in the facility – two on the new runway and one on an existing runway. Schultz said that the overhead cranes can travel in narrow aisles or corridors and can move in multiple directions. This enables efficient movement of materials through spaces that are too small for floor-based movers, such as forklifts. Hoj Innovations also provided operator training and after-sales support as part of the three-crane project.