Case study: custom-built ergonomic trolley

ManuLine is a French company specialising in the design, manufacturing and marketing of specific intralogistics solutions, particularly custom-built ergonomic trolleys. These trolleys, also known as a handling carts or bases, are intended to facilitate the transfer of loads from a point A to a point B, thus improving handling efficiency. We recently designed and developed a custom-built ergonomic trolley to optimise the transport and storage of hydraulic press cylinders for a world-leading tyre company. Our design office came up with this entirely custom-built design to fully meet our client’s specifications.

Custom-built ergonomic trolley: from design to delivery

Our design office came up with an entirely custom-built trolley to store hydraulic cylinders when they are not being used on machines for this world-leading tyre company. Our client wants to be able to move this trolley manually from the cylinders’ storage location to the place where they are dropped off or retrieved by means of a crane or hoist.

Main technical features of the custom-built trolley

With its rack-shaped structure, this customised trolley offers the option of storing cylinders when they are not being used on a machine. They can be placed in eight ‘compartments’ on either side of the trolley, on four levels. The smallest cylinders are located on the top level, whereas the larger and heavier cylinders are placed at the bottom to ensure a stable centre of gravity.

Thanks to its castors, this mobile rack allows the trolley to be moved manually from the storage location to the place where the cylinders are dropped off or retrieved by means of a crane or hoist.

The trolley also features fork slots so that it can easily be transported over longer distances using a fork-lift truck, if necessary.

Ergonomically designed custom-built trolley

Ergonomically designed custom-built trolleys ensure users’ health and safety, comfort and productivity while meeting the specific needs of each working environment.

The trolley designed for this leading tyre company features ergonomic flexible polyurethane castors which offer several advantages when moving the trolley:

Reduced physical effort: the flexible polyurethane castors reduce the amount of physical effort required when manually moving the trolley within ergonomic ranges. They therefore facilitate movements and minimise muscle fatigue.
Improved handling: the ergonomic castors make the trolley really easy to handle thanks to their low rolling resistance. This allows users to move it smoothly and precisely, even in restricted spaces.
Floor protection: the flexible polyurethane is non-marking and offers good adherence. The castors do not leave any marks or damage on floor surfaces, which preserves the integrity of working environments.
Noise reduction: the polyurethane castors are known for their ability to reduce the noise level when moving trolleys. This helps to maintain a quieter and more comfortable working environment.

The presence of a handle on the trolley is important in terms of ergonomics for numerous reasons:

Gripping comfort: the ergonomic handle fits comfortably into the user’s hand. It has an appropriate size and shape to ensure a natural and comfortable grip, which reduces muscle tension and fatigue in the hands and arms when handling the trolley.
Maintaining a neutral posture: the ergonomic handle allows users to maintain a neutral posture while pushing or pulling the trolley. This reduces strain on joints, muscles and tendons, thereby minimising the risk of injury and of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
Improved control and handling: the ergonomic handle makes the trolley easier to handle and control. Users can therefore move it more smoothly and precisely, even in restricted spaces, thus facilitating transport and handling operations.
Reduced physical effort: the ergonomic handle helps to effectively distribute the force applied by the user when handling the trolley. It offers a lever and an optimised grip, thereby reducing the physical effort needed to move the load and minimising muscle exertion.

Lastly, the brake pad also helps to improve the trolley’s ergonomics and safety. It can effectively secure the trolley in place at the workstation or any other location to prevent it from moving and running into an operator or an item of furniture.

Manufacturing the custom-built ergonomic trolley

After having been designed by the ManuLine design office, this trolley was manufactured by AMS Tôlerie Fine, a company which also belongs to the Fidève Group.

Alsace-based AMS has been a fine sheet metal specialist for over 20 years. Its areas of expertise include co-development, cutting, bending, welding, powder coating and the assembly of parts, sub-assemblies and complete products. With a covered area spanning 13,000 m2, our sister company has invested in a range of high-performance machines to meet all kinds of fine sheet metal requests for small and large-scale series.

As ManuLine and AMS Tôlerie Fine are located on the same industrial site, they communicate directly and very efficiently. The enhanced flexibility and responsiveness enable us to make adjustments in real time and to improve the feasibility of the products designed by the ManuLine team. The geographic proximity between our two companies also facilitates quality control throughout the manufacturing process thanks to regular inspections.

In short, AMS Tôlerie Fine is the perfect partner when it comes to top-quality, made-in-France manufacturing of custom-built ergonomic trolleys developed by the ManuLine team.

You can rely on ManuLine to optimise internal logistics flows

ManuLine’s custom-built intralogistics solutions meet all internal logistics flow project requirements. Do you also need a solution for moving loads/containers within your industrial site? Our design office would be happy to review your specs and work with you to develop the custom-built trolley best tailored to your needs.