The perfect combination – a tailored solution at an attractive price

… is the leading US manufacturer of carts for the storage and transport of retail goods. Its customers include major global retail chains like Walgreens Boots Alliance, Dollar General and CVS.

The American manufacturer produces a significant number of rollcontainers for the storage and transport of retail goods each year. Previously, the majority of these swivel casters were imported directly from China and supplied by a US competitor. To ensure that carts can be transported securely on trucks without taking up too much space, the swivel casters needed to have a low mounting height. The lock also needed to be secure. The customer previously used swivel casters with a wheel and swivel head brake. The fixed swivel heads were frequently damaged by the vibrations during transport. The customer also wanted to make the lock more user-friendly. The compact design of the carts and the low mounting height of the swivel casters meant that there was hardly any space between the release lever of the lock and the base of the cart.

The Blickle solution uses as many standard components as possible and leverages a fully automated production and assembly process. This makes it possible to provide tailored swivel caster systems at an attractive price in a price-sensitive market. To avoid damage to the swivel head during transport, the new system uses a wheel lock without a swivel head brake. A number of possible versions were discussed and shown to the customer. The solution which was ultimately selected is based on the standard swivel rig with a rear-locking brake system (FI). The pedal was adjusted to make the release pedal for the thread lock shorter. This makes it easy to activate and release the lock without touching the base of the cart.

The Blickle “FIRA” wheel lock significantly reduced the amount of failures and damage during transport compared to the competitor’s casters. By using standard components and an automated manufacturing process, Blickle was able to provide the customer with a tailored solution at an attractive price, while ensuring that large volumes can be delivered quickly.