Author: kryan

Evolving Our Operations to Help the Nation Combat COVID-19

Posted on | by kryan

IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, THE WORLD AROUND US CHANGED DRAMATICALLY.

All of a sudden, so much was on the line – the health of our community, the livelihood of our employees, and the future of this great nation. The governor’s orders for all non-essential businesses to shut down, meant that all 150 of our employees had to return home, with the uncertain future of not knowing when they were going to return to work.

“I was thinking what can we do to preserve jobs, but more importantly, help with the COVID-19 crisis?”

– Bob McMurtry, President, Richards-Wilcox.

To bring relief and comfort to many, as well as provide the work needed to keep the Richards-Wilcox family contributing during this time of crisis, we knew we had to be agile, innovative, and ready to adapt at a moment’s notice. After all, this wasn’t the first crisis that Richards-Wilcox brought its resources forward for the good of the Nation. During WWII, we pivoted the factory resources for the war effort. And this was no different. It was time to step up, once again.

Keeping pace with a radically changing world, we evolved our operations and transformed our 365,000 square foot factory into an Emergency Bed critical response manufacturer.

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Within 72 hours of Governor J. B. Pritzker’s Executive Order requiring the entire State of Illinois to “Shelter in Place,” and within 24 hours of New York’s announcement to turn the Javits Convention Center into a 1,000-bed hospital, the Richards-Wilcox teams began working tirelessly to engineer strong, durable and easy-to-assemble emergency beds – the Quik-Cot and Quik-Bed, for medical, overflow and quarantine facilities.

It seemed like the perfect opportunity to do our part in mitigating the crisis while helping our employees keep their jobs.

“I am proud that we’re weathering these difficult times together and are able to help our employees earn a livelihood, support their families, as well as contribute to the greater goal of keeping our nation safe.”

– Bob McMurtry, President, Richards-Wilcox.

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The Richards-Wilcox Quik-Cot and Quik-Bed are being shipped to healthcare facilities across the country, complete with a mattress from local business, Moonlight Slumber, Inc. In the coming weeks, we are hoping to significantly reduce the burden of hospitals facing a severe shortage of beds and improve patients’ access to treatment. If you or an organization you know is in need of emergency beds, please reach out to us immediately.

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Helping the Houston Food Bank Fight COVID-19.

Posted on | by kryan
The Richards-Wilcox Powered Overhead Zig-Zag Conveyor in the Houston Food Bank is moving over 750,000 lbs. of food per day to help thousands of American families affected by COVID-19. Here’s the full story.

 

COVID-19 is impacting our lives in unthinkable ways. While medical professionals are working tirelessly to control the pandemic’s direct impact on health, an army of frontline workers across sectors are taking unprecedented measures to mitigate the indirect socioeconomic impact of the pandemic on the community.

As people continue to lose their jobs, more and more Americans are becoming food insecure. Hunger Relief Organization, Feeding America, is now preparing to feed 17.1 million people, on top of the 37 million that they already serve. Not surprisingly, food banks are starved for resources and manpower needed to meet the growing demand.

As the largest Feeding America Food Bank in the country, our client Houston Food Bank is going above and beyond to ensure every American family is able to put food on their table in these difficult times.

A few years ago, Richards-Wilcox Conveyor had the opportunity to design a conveyor system for the Houston Food Bank. We knew that the Houston Food Bank couldn’t afford downtime. A lot of families depended on them. Our goal was to help automate their process with minimal human intervention and increased efficiency. A goal that seems all the more relevant and significant in the current times.

“Randy Degood with Progressive Handling reached out to us to help design a conveyor system for the Houston Food Bank. After several ideas and input from all parties, we developed a system that allows them to prepare 750,000 lbs. of food per day.”

– Matt Chorski, Systems Sales Manager, Richards-Wilcox Conveyor.

 

Today, we’re proud to see our conveyor hard at work in the Houston Food Bank – supporting President Brian Greene and his team on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis.

The COVID-19 crisis also brings to light the importance of cleanliness and hygiene in protecting people from the pandemic. By reducing manual handling of food, our conveyors not only help the Houston Food Bank meet the strict safety and sanitary regulations, but also maximize productivity and process efficiency.

Designed to be durable and reliable — while providing flexibility and customization, our powered overhead Zig-Zag conveyor is helping the Houston Food Bank respond faster, stronger, and smarter to COVID-19. The Richards-Wilcox team is proud to work with clients like the Houston Food Bank, and engineer conveyor solutions that keep factories future-ready at all times.

Building a Brand That is Engineered for Evolution

Posted on | by kryan
100 years ago, Richards-Wilcox Conveyor gave the world something no one had seen before.

The overhead enclosed track conveyor. Several generations and two industrial revolutions later, we continue to lead our clients into the future by engineering the world’s most effective conveyor solutions.

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Evolution and innovation are at the heart of everything we do.

Inspired by British naturalist Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution: the species that are best able to adapt to changing environments are the ones most likely to survive in the long run – we got thinking about evolution in our industry.

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Today, we live in the world of Industry 4.0.

Manufacturing and distribution operations are getting faster, smarter, leaner, more advanced. To survive, you have to be highly efficient. You have to take advantage of the day’s most effective technology. And you have to be ready to adapt at a moment’s notice.

For centuries, our conveyors have carried the same qualities as some of the most evolved species that walk the surface of this earth.

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Tested in the Wild for More Than 100 Years…

Our systems are designed to adapt.

Flexible, modular, and integrated with your technology and your evolving floorplan.

Our conveyors are built for the future.

When the world changes and the pace quickens, you will stay at the front of the pack.

Our solutions are engineered to evolve.

Constantly adapting to meet the challenges of the modern factory.

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Our new brand brings this vision to life in every word, pixel and piece of metal.

It stands tall in the form of larger-than-life beasts we built from the same steel structures that make our conveyors – serving as a daily reminder of our power and purpose.

As we celebrate our legacy and look boldly to our future, we encourage you to explore our new website to see how our company has evolved with every creative conveyor solution we engineer.