Mallard Manufacturing, an Illinois-based provider of gravity-flow storage systems, plans an expansion that includes a 30,000 sq. ft. facility equipped with robotic and automated manufacturing technology, as well as a dedicated research-and-development (R&D) area to produce new products and identify expanded applications.
The highlight of the Innovation Lab for customers will be the enhanced live-feed testing center. Customers will be able to virtually join and participate in testing of their gravity-flow project designs. Free testing is conducted using customer-supplied materials—pallets, totes, boxes, inventory—prior to finalizing project orders to ensure that the system design is optimized to perform as expected.
An immediate focus of the R&D center will be to address the rising demand for pallet separators as warehouses implement more automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and robotic picking equipment. Pallet separators isolate the front pallet from the rear pallets in the pitched flow lanes. Eliminating the pressure of the rear pallets is a critical safety concern for these automated systems and a range of other applications.
Mallard Innovation Lab will also include dedicated space for private offices and collaborative workspaces.
The vision of the Mallard Innovation Lab is to improve plant efficiencies, shorten lead times, enhance live-feed client testing, speed new product development and advance plant automation and tooling.
“By implementing automation enhancements, innovative tooling and robotics, we can ensure timely, cost-effective, custom solutions,” said Kevin Risch, president, Mallard Manufacturing.
“Our goal is to deliver an unparalleled customer experience. This includes bringing as many systems and component manufacturing processes in-house as possible to control quality and supply products on demand. Our interactive testing lab will allow customers to be a virtual yet integral part of their simulation test and, ultimately, the development of their custom solution,” added Risch.
Mallard Manufacturing has completed three expansions since 2015, including transitioning carton flow products manufacturing from the plant in Sterling, Illinois, to a dedicated facility in Maquoketa, Iowa.
Mallard expects to begin full production in the new Mallard Innovation Lab in the fall of 2023.
