Home Centers
Background
Aubuchon Hardware
With consumers spending more on home improvements and new construction projects, the burden on home centers’ distribution operations is growing. And with an expansive e-commerce presence, offering a slew of additional products online, there is even more pressure to move products from the distribution center to the store, or to the customer – accurately and efficiently.
Learn how a full service hardware/home center company utilizes a range of Yale® lift trucks in their distribution center to meet demand and keep their store shelves stocked. Their Yale fleet not only requires little maintenance, but includes unique ergonomic features that keep their operators comfortable and productive.
We solve even the toughest cases.
Aubuchon Hardware is the oldest family-owned and managed chain of hardware stores in America.
With more than 124 neighborhood hardware stores across New England and Upstate New York, the company operates a 400,000-square-foot distribution center in Westminster, Mass. Aubuchon sells everything you would imagine finding in a family-owned hardware store, including snow blowers, hammers and nails and painting products.
Challenge
Aubuchon Hardware needed a materials handling solution that was ergonomic for their employees, reliable and specific to their warehouse needs. Their retail application required a pallet jack to turn in a tight radius inside trailers full of merchandise and a reach truck that could load and unload bulk from narrow racks in the warehouse. Finding a solution that was also a good value was also important.
Solution
The team at Aubuchon worked with their local dealer to obtain three types of Yale® trucks to suit their needs. To comply with their narrow rack width, Aubuchon customized their ESC stand-up lift to meet their application requirements. Their MBP truck is able to turn in their loading trailer with freight and is also extremely ergonomic for their workers in the distribution center and in the hardware stores.
“The pallet jacks in particular prevent work-related injuries,” said Eric Berlo, maintenance manager at Aubuchon. “To move the heavy freight with a manual pallet jack like the old days — injuries are just waiting to happen. The electric pallet jack, Yale in particular, is just super.”
Because Aubuchon maintains and services their trucks on their own, having a lift that is easy to service is critical for equipment uptime. Yale also provides great parts availability, which combines with Aubuchon’s strong dealer relationship to minimize downtime.
Impact
With all their materials handling requirements met, the Aubuchon team is able to efficiently and reliably serve their customers. Operators work quickly and safely because of the ergonomic advances in the lift truck technology and ease of use. The company values its Yale trucks because of their longevity, reliability and productivity.
