There are a lot of options for tool boxes and small parts storage in the market today. However there is only one ‘best in class’ product and that is the Rousseau Cabinet. Rousseau Cabinets are manufactured in North America and have been tested to be the longest lasting drawer cabinet available. Other manufacturers are now using plastic roller wheels to reduce cost, but Rousseau Cabinets are still manufactured using hard steel wheels with ball bearings for easier drawer movement when fully loaded.

Rousseau has been manufacturing products since 1950 and have the most modular and flexible system for their drawers. Their patented design allows their Rousseau drawers to be installed in cabinets or in standard shelving. The same drawer fits both applications. This allows the user to combine cabinets and shelving in the same layout and still have the ability to use the same Rousseau drawer cabinet parts in either system.

The Rousseau cabinet system is available in 15 different footprint sizes from 18″ to 60″ wide and 18″ to 27″ deep. They offer all these footprints in 6 different heights from 28″ desk height up to 58″ eye-level cabinets. Inside the Rousseau cabinet, you can install 10 different drawer heights, from 3″ to 14″, and 2 types of roll-out shelves. The options for compartments inside the drawers are even more complete with hundreds of combinations of adjustable partitions and dividers, removable plastic bin cups, groove trays, foam inserts for tools, or hanging file bars for the deeper drawers.

Rousseau cabinets are designed with the most up to date sustainable development initiatives in mind, for both the product content and manufacturing processes. Rousseau cabinets are can help customers with their LEED certification by meeting several of the LEED criteria including: Waste Diversion from landfill, Resource Reuse, Recycled Content, and Indoor Environmental Quality.

Contact us for more information or for a solution to your small parts storage problems.

email: support@innovostorage.com      phone: 401-383-0883      web: innovostorage.com

A CATERPILLAR EQUIPMENT DEALER MAXIMIZES HIS WAREHOUSE’S CAPACITY WITH ROUSSEAU STORAGE SOLUTIONS

A Rousseau specialist came to the aid of Kelly Tractor, a Caterpillar equipment dealer, and really pushed the boundaries of what a storage system can do. A combination of multi-level shelving and drawers in shelving were used to design the ideal solution for the company: efficient and scalable storage that can grow with the company.

CHALLENGE
The company had too many parts for their available storage space and wanted to increase their storage capacity by 25% to make room for new equipment and parts. All this had to be done without expanding the building and keeping the warehouse operational.

OBJECTIVE
Use the various storage products available so that each part number has a specific location, while retaining some of the existing shelving and cabinets and creating 25% extra capacity for future expansion.

ROUSSEAU SOLUTION
Like many other companies, Kelly Tractor in Miami, FL, was looking to expand its warehouse capacity substantially without enlarging the building itself.

Kelly Tractor’s warehouse was using outdated cabinetry and shelving that was not providing adequate storage. John Sarnecki, manager of the parts department in Miami, described it thus, “We were at the point where we had about 55,000 part numbers but we only had 50,000 locations available.” So, he started looking at the various solutions available. After a few unsuccessful trials with another company, John asked Caterpillar if they could recommend a manufacturer. They recommended Rousseau Metal Inc. He therefore began to work with Dave Shank of Deluxe systems, a Florida-based distributor specializing in Rousseau products.

Two main goals needed to be taken into account for this project: each part had to have its own unique storage location, and an extra 25% of storage capacity needed to be provided. Speaking of working with John Sarnecki’s team, Dave Shank said, “They were open-minded. It allowed us to propose a different solution than what they had initially considered.” He subsequently proposed a customized solution combining modular drawers in Spider® Shelving and Rousseau mezzanines.

The shelving drawers provided high-density storage while larger parts could be stored on shelves. John explained, “One of the things that most Caterpillar dealers are mostly concerned with is cleanliness. This system enabled us to have a lot of our parts out of open shelving and in the drawers, which improves the need for contamination control.” Furthermore, the addition of a mezzanine and deck-over shelving helped Kelly Tractor to substantially increase its storage and expansion capacity, while retaining some of the cabinets and shelving they already had. Dave indicated that the expansion capacity had even exceeded their initial expectations. This system also allowed the full height of the building to be used. Before Rousseau products were installed, the full height of the building was not being used because objects stored on top of the shelves were only accessible by man lift. A second level helped to maximize storage by using all available space and effectively doubled the square footage being utilized.

The flexibility provided by Rousseau products is undoubtedly the major attraction for the Kelly Tractor team as well as Deluxe Systems, as John Sarnecki confirms, “Today I don’t know what size parts we’re going to be needing. This system right here is very flexible. If I need bigger locations, I can make it with bigger locations. If I need more drawer space, I can always add more drawers.” Dave Shank adds, “The mix of products that Rousseau has available to us gives us so much more flexibility in how we can design and implement projects for our customers.”

One of the other challenges encountered in this project was the logistics of installing the units. The warehouse had to remain operational and open for the duration of the project. Dave Shank therefore put together a three-phase plan. The timeline was a crucial element of this project. John recalls, “I think the best thing that Rousseau did was when they said they were going to do something, they did it. We were on a very tight schedule because it was a working warehouse. We said that we were going to be needing the first cabinets on June 1st, and on June 1st the cabinets were there.” John added that the Deluxe Systems team was very professional, which meant that the hazards associated with such a project were well managed.

In short, Kelly Tractor’s project was a big success. The choice of Rousseau products ensured that every part had its own storage space and the initial expectations for expansion capacity were not only met, but exceeded.

There are some items that are difficult to store and retrieve from conventional shelving. The first post in this series concerns items that are HEAVY! This can also include items that are awkward to lift or must be picked up in a certain way to avoid damaging the item (or damaging your back when you lift).

There are two basic problems here. Because they are hard to handle, and usually picked less often, these items are often stored on the lower shelves of a shelving system. This creates two problems. First of all, it is harder to store them, as you have to bend over with a heavy or awkward load, pushing or manipulating it into the shelf for storage, you risk injury to your back or knees. The second problem comes when you have to retrieve the item. It has to be dragged out to where you can get a grip on it and then lifted onto a cart or truck or carried away to the location where it is needed.

Modular drawers can provide a convenient solution to this problem. You can order modular drawers with adapter brackets that fit into your existing shelving units. These drawers are available without fronts and sides, essentially creating a pull-out shelf with 400# capacity. This shelf can extend fully out into the aisle creating easy access to whatever is stored on the shelf, whether is a heavy case of product, like oil or fluids; an oddly shaped item, like a set of jack stands; or even a heavy die, that is picked up by an overhead hoist.

Modular Pull-Out Shelf

Modular Pull-Out Shelf Unit

There are certain restrictions with this type of application. So, contact us if you have specific questions.

There are some items that are difficult to store and retrieve using conventional shelving because of their size. This article concerns smaller items that take up much less space than the full depth of a shelf, such as: smaller hardware items, fasteners, air fittings, electronic components, machine tooling, and repair & maintenance items. Conventional plastic shelf bins can waste a lot of space with this type of item. There are bin inserts for these bins, but there are a number of problems with plastic shelf bins with inserts:

1. There are a very limited number of sizes of inserts that fit inside existing plastic bins.
2. It can be very hard to get your fingers into the smaller inserts to access very tiny parts.
3. They are open on the top, allowing dust and debris to accumulate on rarely used items.
4. You have to remove the plastic bin from the shelf to see inside the smaller bins for picking or inventory.

The best solution for storage of these very small parts is modular drawers with removable bin cups. Modular drawers are designed to be installed in your existing shelving or are available as stand-alone cabinets with drawers in a wide variety of sizes.

Modular Drawer with Removable Bin Cups

Bin Cups shown with Partitions & Dividers

The advantages of modular drawers with removable bin cups are:

1. The bin cups come in 2 heights, 2″ and 3″ high, and sizes from 3″ x 3″ up to 6″ x 6″.
2. Bin cups can be divided into even smaller compartments within each bin.
3. The bins have rounded inside edges for easy removal of even the smallest parts.
4. These bin cups are sized to fit efficiently into standard modular drawer sizes.
5. Bin cups are easily removable for inventory counts or for use at a workstation.
6. They have a clip in the back for hanging on louvered panels or bin rails.
7. Each bin and divider has an angled back edge for easy labeling of contents.
8. When used with a modular drawer system with full extension, all bins are visible when the drawer is open, making for easy location of parts and components.
9. The bin cups can be integrated with other compartment options in the same drawer, such as: partitions and dividers, groove trays, and foam inserts.

Contact us with your specific product application and we can work with you to design a storage system adapted to your specific requirements:  support@innovostorage.com

Innovo Storage Systems 1 Goldsmith St, Johnston, RI 02919 (401) 383-0883

After you are finished with the article, Click below to try it yourself with our

Online Cabinet Design Tool

In this article we are going to go through the steps required to design the most efficient modular drawer storage cabinet for you application.  By following these steps,  you will maximize the storage capacity of your cabinet or drawers in shelving. Although we focus here on cabinets here, the same procedure would work for drawers installed in shelving units.

We work with Rousseau Metal products that are made in North America. All Rousseau Modular Drawer Cabinets and Drawers-in-Shelving use Standard North American Dimensions and are compatible with most standard shelving brands and sizes.

1. Determine the Cabinet Height & type of Base.
Common Height Options (other heights are available):
28”- Desk / 30” or 34”- Bench / 38” or 44”- Counter / 52″ or 58”- Eye Level

Common Base Options (add to the overall cabinet height):
The standard base is a 2” high forklift-able base; raises the overall cabinet height by 2”.
Optional 4” high base, accessible by pallet jack, raises the overall cabinet height by 4”.
The cabinet can also be ordered without a base if vertical clearance is limited.

2. Decide on the Width and Depth of the cabinet
Available Widths: 24”, 30”, 36”, 42”, 48”, 54″, 60”
Available Depths: 18”, 21”, 24”, 27”
The most common sizes are 36″ or 48” wide x 24″ deep, as these sizes will match standard North American shelving sizes.
Another common size is 30” wide x 27” deep; a close match to some metric measured cabinets.

3. Determine the best Drawer Heights for your products.
Available Drawer Face Heights: 3” to 10”, 12”, 14” and Pull-Out Flat Shelves (3” base height).  All drawers have a 400# capacity with full extension, 100% of the drawer interior will be visible. The Usable Height inside each drawer is 1” LESS than the Face dimension of the drawer.

The space available for drawers in a cabinet is 4” LESS than the Cabinet Height you chose.
Therefore a 58” eye-level cabinet would have 54” of usable space for drawers, a 30” bench height cabinet will have 26” available. You can install any combination of drawer heights that makes up the available space, based on the face dimension of the drawers.

Try to match the Usable Drawer Height, as closely as possible, to the products being stored.  Usually this involves a full review of your products, including sizes and quantities of the items to be stored in the drawers.

4. Decide which (if any) Insert Options you want in each drawer.
Internal Drawer Configurations can include Partitions (front to back, fixed) and Dividers (left to right, adjustable), removable Bin Cups designed to fit the drawer exactly, Groove Trays for long, thin items, PVC Drawer Liners, or Foam Inserts for protection or for tool cut-outs.

You can have different layouts in each drawer. Drawer compartment layouts are specific to each drawer size. You can request a drawer compartment layout option sheet for the cabinet size you have chosen.
For smaller fasteners and parts, we recommend bin cups in some of the 3” or 4” face drawers, rather than partitions and dividers, as they are easier to pick from and can be removed for use at a work station, or for ease in sorting or counting of parts.

5. You can call us, fax us, or email us with your specifications and we will provide free quotation within 24 hours.

6. OR, Try it Yourself with our Online Cabinet Design Tool

Phone: 401-383-0883      Fax: 401-354-6610  

Email: support@innovostorage.com

Want this information on a one-page PDF file?  

Click Here: Designing a Drawer Cabinet

Innovo Storage Systems, 1 Goldsmith Street, Johnston, RI 02919 (401) 383-0883