Hagie Manufacturing modernizes factory workflow with overhead crane network

The Challenge:

In manufacturing high-clearance agricultural machinery, floor layout and material handling capabilities directly influence plant throughput. Hagie Manufacturing (a prominent producer of industrial crop sprayers and large-scale airport snow removal equipment) faced an operational bottleneck within its legacy assembly facility. The physical constraint was dimensional. The existing final assembly work bay measured just 30 feet in width, whereas their agricultural crop sprayers featured an expansive footprint extending up to 48 feet wide. This severe geometric mismatch restricted assembly movement and throttled factory throughput.

Additionally, the sub-assembly and final assembly zones were geographically isolated within the plant. This structural separation necessitated time-consuming material transfers across the facility. These transfers caused material-handling lag, increased product damage risks, and misallocated labor resources. Constructing a new building resolved the workflow problem by placing the sub-assembly and final assembly areas side-by-side. However, it introduced a fresh engineering challenge. Engineers needed to implement an overhead lifting architecture capable of supporting continuous, multi-shift production cycles over a 202-foot runway without creating floor-level obstructions or localized bottlenecks.

The Solution:

Project engineers avoided legacy floor-mounted crane structures to eliminate floor obstructions and maximize space. They chose a ceiling-mounted overhead crane network instead. Hagie selected two Cleveland Tramrail® Patented Track systems from Gorbel Inc. to span the full length of the 202-foot runways.

A patented track system was specified over standard structural steel I-beams due to its superior mechanical characteristics. Traditional structural steel possesses relatively soft lower flanges prone to peening, tracking wear, and down-shop flexing under high-frequency wheel loads. In contrast, Cleveland Tramrail® features a specialized, hardened high-carbon running surface engineered to sustain the constant use of multiple bridges across continuous shifts without structural deformation.

The plant's material handling footprint was optimized using two distinct system configurations:

By pairing Gorbel’s lightweight, enclosed aluminum track bridges with rugged patented track runways in the sub-assembly bay, operators achieved low-inertia, ergonomic movement. This hybrid design allowed all six bridges to utilize the same runway without buffers. This layout eliminated operational dead zones.

The Execution:

Operational execution within the new facility demonstrates the synergy of the overhead crane network. In the sub-assembly zone, workers use the high-mobility aluminum bridges to lift and guide heavy component sub-assemblies, such as fiberglass equipment enclosures and structural operator cabs, with minimal rolling resistance. The low dead weight of the aluminum tracks significantly reduces the manual force required to initiate bridge travel. This reduction minimizes operator fatigue.

As observed during production cycles, the electric chain hoists provide precise vertical control. Operators smoothly lift a complete sprayer cab enclosure, transport it down the patented track runway, and align it perfectly with the high-clearance agricultural chassis. The transition to a free-hanging system removes the physical boundaries of legacy jib cranes. It enables multi-axis movement across consecutive work bays and optimizes sub-assembly positioning without interfering with adjacent workstations.

The Result:

The Cleveland Tramrail® installation successfully modernized Hagie Manufacturing’s facility workflow. The system delivered immediate improvements in structural flexibility. Integrating five powered bridges within the final assembly bay enables parallel processing. Multiple orders advance simultaneously through separate build sequences without encountering line stoppages.

Beyond immediate throughput gains, the infrastructure delivers vital long-term plant agility. By avoiding a rigid, single-design assembly line, the modularity of the patented track system allows Hagie to reconfigure workstations as machinery blueprints and manufacturing technologies evolve.

"It gives us so many more opportunities to change our manufacturing process, to give us opportunity to change ourselves so that we're not married into one design," said Jim Schafer, Maintenance Manager. "As our machines evolve, and our build processes change, we're able to address those."