Original Date: 07/20/1998
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

SIAD is a critical part of the Army's Industrial Operations Command and has a major mission in the handling, storing, and processing of War Reserve Materials and Operational Projects Stock. To maintain a competitive edge in this role, SIAD is continually finding ways to improve operations and provide its customers with the best service at a fair price. The procurement and use of the Superstacker is an example. In 1990, management recognized that a safer, cheaper, and more efficient method of handling the increasing number of cargo containers delivered to the Depot needed to be found. The methods in use at that time were much too slow and could not meet the levels of work that were being projected. On-site material handling equipment consisted of a 50-ton crane to lift and off-load the container from the railcars, and a 15-ton forklift to move the container to SIAD’s storage location. Since a forklift was being used to move and stack the containers, the storage stacks could only be two high, resulting in the use of more storage space than necessary. There was also no method to remove a container from the middle of the storage stacks without moving all the other stacks in front of it.

To solve this problem, a decision was made in 1994 to procure a piece of equipment known as the Superstacker, manufactured by PBM Cranes, Inc. (Figure 2-3). This equipment combines the capabilities of both a crane and a transport vehicle and is capable of handling various sized containers without the need to make any manual configuration changes or adjustments. The Superstacker has the capacity to lift and move containers, weighing up to 100,000 pounds, and stack them four high if necessary. Current practice at SIAD is to use three-high stacks so that balk decking can be used to keep the bottom container off the ground for weather conditions.

Due to the success and savings obtained by the use of the Superstacker, SIAD procured an additional unit in 1996. The use of this equipment has provided SIAD a safer, more efficient method of unloading the ever increasing number of railcars, while at the same time providing a reduction in labor charges of 50% per container. By using one piece of handling equipment for off loading, transporting, and storing, the need for additional material handling equipment and its corresponding maintenance requirements have been eliminated, and storage space at SIAD has increased because the Superstacker can stack the containers four high if necessary.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.