Bumper Carts/Totes

On an automotive assembly line, material handling equipment is part of the production system. Bumper carts and totes move finished and semi-finished components between workstations and shipping docks, and they can take a beating doing it.

What automotive manufacturers need from a bumper cart is straightforward but unforgiving: precise dimensions that match their floor layouts and handling equipment, structural integrity that holds up under tough conditions, consistent fabrication across every unit in a fleet, and a safety finish that keeps the cart visible in a busy plant environment.

For this project, a major automotive manufacturer in Lincoln, Alabama, commissioned Southern Metal Fabricators to fabricate 30 carbon steel bumper carts, each a substantial 84 inches wide, 120 inches long, and 70 inches tall. The design was based on a proven cart Southern Metal Fabricators had previously built for the same customer, updated with minor modifications. The client trusted Southern Metal Fabricators' prior work enough to come back for a fleet-scale order.

Each cart was finished in safety yellow paint. All 30 units were delivered well ahead of the required date, within a four-week order-to-delivery window.