Above: TAB Industries won the bid to produce custom cart
April, 2025- Even stationary, horizontally stored material that appears clearly visible to workers can pose a safety hazard. Th at was the scenario at dormakaba USA Inc., according to Kyle Demore, entrance systems production manager for the manufacturer of building safety and security products, which includes door hardware, interior glass systems, safe locks and more.
The Indianapolis-headquartered company produces aluminum extrusions at a facility in Reamstown, Pennsylvania, to create an array of custom products, Demore says. “We consider ourselves a made-to-order-type manufacturing facility.”
The extrusions were typically laid down on carts for storage and transportation, he says. “We were running into safety concerns with the overhang of the material off the cart, which presents itself right at eye level but sometimes blends in with the background, so it’s very easy to bump your head.”
For dormakaba by providing the best lead time, quality and cost compared to the competition.
Multiple injuries occurred that needed first aid, he reports. In addition, extrusions stored closer to the floor caused workers to scrape their ankles or worse. “We had an individual trip over this material and ended up breaking a rib.”
The three-story facility employs over 140 people.
Another factor that added to the urgency of switching to carts that store material vertically was landing a retail customer that essentially tripled production at the Reamstown facility, Demore says. More work in progress required more cart space. “The only way to do that would be to reduce the footprint of how we store it. It was kind of twofold in its resolution.”
TAB fabricates on-spec metal parts and finished products at its facility in Reading, Pennsylvania.
PACKAGING
ORBITAL STRETCH WRAPPER ADDS AUTOMATION
In addition to the custom cart for aluminum extrusions, dormakaba USA’s facility in Pennsylvania purchased an A-frame rack for housing glass for a division that operates on a separate floor, plus three welding tables for its revolving door manufacturing operation, Demore says. The fabricator is also interested in the TAB Wrapper Tornado orbital stretch wrapper as a new way for it to package material. This would be part of an initiative to reduce shipping and materials costs.
Dormakaba visited TAB’s facility, which is about a 30-minute drive, to test the orbital wrapper. “They’ve been more than accommodating every single time we’re gone up there,” Demore says.
According to TAB, its three standard models function as semiautomatic orbital wrapping machines in which a lift truck operator raises a pallet load of material and drives toward the center of the wrapping ring, attaches the end of the stretch film to the pallet and returns to the driver’s seat with the corded remote control in hand. Upon pressing start, the wrapper automatically encircles the pallet load 360 degrees around and under the pallet and covers the product in protective plastic as the lift truck operator gradually moves forward or back until wrapping is completed. Smart Controls are available to transform it into an automated stretch wrapping machine.
“We have an a la carte philosophy with our wrappers,” TAB’s Thomas Brizek says. “We’ll make them as basic and standard up to fully automated as you like. It allows one operator never to have to get off the fork truck during the wrapping process, depending on the options they want to install.”
Andrew Brizek adds that switching from a banding to wrapping process improves worker safety by eliminating the risk of lacerations from metal bands and the repetitive bending required for banding. The wrapper can also be incorporated into a system where the material is fed along a conveyor for wrapping before being lifted and removed at the end of the line. “With one worker, you’re able to wrap most loads in about a minute or less.”
Similar to dormakaba visiting Tab to test the wrapper, Thomas Brizek says TAB offers a test drive program for any prospective customer in which a customer covers the freight costs to ship product and return it wrapped. The program includes a video of the product being wrapped. “For a low investment cost, they get a good-quality test of the abilities of the TAB machine without having to purchase it outright.”
SELECTING A SUPPLIER
Corporate governance mandated that the facility obtain three competitive quotes, he notes. One company that received a request for a quote was TAB Industries LLC in Reading, Pennsylvania, which is led by Th omas Brizek, president, along with Andrew Brizek, vice president of sales and marketing.
A relative of Brizek had worked at dormakaba before working at TAB, so the family and company names were well known; plus, dormakaba contacted TAB some time back about an orbital stretch wrapping machine (see sidebar). TAB had the best quote. “They won the bid as far as lead time, quality and costs are concerned.”
With the latest project, dormakaba used Demore’s design to collaborate with TAB Industries to develop carts that grip the extrusions, which all have the same thickness, and hold them perpendicular to the cart, Demore says.
“We sat down multiple times just to try and convey what we were looking for out of the cart and some of the design points that they would need to adhere to. They were very accommodating to what we threw at them,” he recalls.
TAB Industries reports that the manufacturer can make anything for anything metal related.
SECURE HOLD
A manufacturing challenge was consistently replicating the distance, or spacing, between the arms, according to Demore. “That’s the main feature of this cart, so that when you do push it in, it stands on its own. The extrusions are not free floating inside to cause damage to the product or another safety concern with the product falling out of the cart.” The cart arms feature rubber bumpers to prevent material damage, and users can load an extrusion easily without bumping into another extrusion to avoid scratches or other damage.
The fabricator took delivery of the first cart at the end of last year. “TAB Industries was able to make it to print, and we’re very happy about that.”
‘MAKE ANYTHING’
Andrew Brizek says TAB has the ability to fabricate custom solutions. “We can make anything for anything metal related. They give us a sketch concept, we draw it up in CAD, we can laser cut it, CNC form it, weld it, even powder coat if they want.”
TAB offers standard products, but Thomas Brizek concurs that TAB can readily perform custom fabrications as well. “Basically, dorma has the same capabilities similar to ours. It’s just that their guys are so busy working on their own products that they needed these extra items, so they asked us to make them.”
The workers who use the carts were engaged throughout the process, Demore says, which helped create an ergonomical design. “It was very well received. They like working with it. We will continue to partner with TAB Industries.”
dormakaba USA Inc., 717/336-3881, http://dormakaba.com/
TAB Industries LLC, 610/921-0012, http://tabindustries.com/, http://tabwrapper.com/
