Resources
The Lean Line Blog
Practical guidance on lean line design, material flow, and modular material handling - written by the team that builds it.
- Material Handling
Line-Side Racking: Often Overlooked But Still Has to Work
Line-side racking is usually the last thing designed, fit into whatever space and constraints remain. Why a modular system, not a rigid one, is what actually makes that position work.
- IPS Engineering Team
- 7 min read
- Material Handling
Choosing Between a Modular and Fixed Workstation
Neither option wins by default. What actually determines whether a modular or fixed workstation fits your cell, beyond a general preference for flexibility.
- IPS Engineering Team
- 5 min read
- Material Handling
Tugger Cart vs. Push Cart vs. Mobile Flow Rack
Two real cart types solve line delivery differently, and sometimes what looks like a cart problem is actually a mobile gravity flow rack problem instead.
- IPS Engineering Team
- 6 min read
- Material Handling
AluPro vs. Creform: What Actually Changes on Your Line
Same lean manufacturing problem, two different structural approaches. What actually changes on the floor when a line moves from pipe-and-joint to precision aluminum framing.
- IPS Engineering Team
- 5 min read
- Material Handling
Assembly Workstation Mistakes on Multi-Shift Lines
One workstation, three shifts, three very different operators. Why "one size" almost never actually fits, and what gets missed when height adjustment is added on rather than engineered in.
- IPS Engineering Team
- 7 min read
- Material Handling
FIFO Lane Design Mistakes in Gravity Flow Racks
A FIFO lane looks simple until it isn't. Four design mistakes that quietly cause line-side stockouts and WIP buildup, and why fixing them shouldn't require scrapping the rack.
- IPS Engineering Team
- 6 min read