As the folks at Nixon will tell you, they “Make accessories to reflect who we are and the life we live.”
We travel all corners of the globe to experience life and it is through these explorations, the people we meet and the journey to get there that takes shape in the things we create.” So, when Nixon set out to purchase a new storage system for their growing service center, you can bet they wanted the end product to speak to their sense of style and desire to be responsive to their customers.
The Challenge:
Nixon’s goal was to gain efficiency by improving part availability through high density storage and space management. Nixon had 5 key factors they wanted to address: Improve organization, control parts costs, add workspace in the same footprint, open visibility to parts flow, and reduce response time to service requests. Prior to their update, Nixon had small parts stored in plastic tote bins. These bins came with a litany of constraints (pictured above): They blocked the light, prevented communication, provided zero work surface, unstable tall units could tip with body contact or seismic activity, and the travel time to pull parts was increased. Nixon sought the gold standard for small part organization and aesthetic appeal and chose the an ISDA partner’s high density storage products. After a site visit to a service facility whose vast storage needs dwarfed their own watch repair parts dilemma, Nixon engaged Ycology to design a more efficient and flexible storage system. Ycology aimed to increase available workspaces while protecting delicate, complex parts from dust, light, impact, and misidentification. Low stack heights would promote visibility within the space, improving the efficiency of foot traffic and increasing communication.
Implementation:
Concept drawings informed available volume of storage capacity. Goals were reached easily using a high-density divided drawer configuration in a 3″ drawer height, allowing for flexible organization schemes including two-bin/kanban. Workflow plays an important role during design feedback, where 3-dimensional drawings help fully consider solutions. Internal dividers in each drawer customize subcompartments and are carefully labeled for accurate pulls. Substantial, expensive parts are protected from each other and organized so minimum effort accesses the greatest number of parts. Several layouts were considered.
The Solution:
Twelve custom high density storage toolboxes with custom benchtops and integrated power adds 105 ft.2 work surface and cuts cubic storage volume in ½.
The Details:
- Custom high density storage drawers maximize parts density 400%, adding capacity without adding footprint
- Worksurface increased 87.5%
- Cubic volume cut 54%
- Protects precision parts
- 400 lb. drawer capacity
- Made in the USA quality
- Ultradurable powdercoated finish
- Improved labeling options
The Results:
- Access to hundreds of parts at each position saves time
- High density storage improves productivity by reducing travel
- Improved traffic flow
- Contrast edging reduces dropped parts
- Increased natural light reduces fatigue
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