Effectively maintaining a mine requires well-organized storage for inventory and tools. With this in mind, Graymont’s Pleasant Gap, PA operation completely restructured its maintenance department using a Spider® shelving and mini-racking system combined with integrated drawers.
To improve maintenance management, Graymont needed to reorganize its inventory so that all parts and tools were easily accessible, clearly tracked, and simple to locate.
Redesign the parts inventory system to enhance efficiency—while preserving the existing infrastructure.
As the second-largest producer of lime in North America, Graymont depends on an efficient maintenance system to keep operations running smoothly. According to Darrel, Maintenance Superintendent:
“We were completely changing how we approached maintenance—moving toward structured planning and weekly scheduling, with a strong focus on preventive maintenance. A key part of that shift was organizing our inventory so everything could be easily found. We needed clear visibility into what we had and what needed to be ordered.”
J&J Material Handling worked with Graymont to develop a solution combining Spider® shelving, mini-racking, and shelving drawers. They recommended proven configurations and guided the design and layout process. To validate the solution, Graymont’s team visited another facility using Rousseau products.
“Once they saw the quality, they were sold.”
The project was completed in phases due to multiple warehouse areas:
Graymont’s team handled most of the installation internally, citing ease of assembly as a major advantage.
The flexibility of the system played a critical role:
“The big draw was that everything fits together. You can go from shelving to drawers to mini-racking—all in one continuous system.”
This adaptability allowed Graymont to store a wide range of part sizes efficiently, keeping everything within reach.
The impact was immediate and measurable:
“Knowing what parts you have and where they are is essential when running a facility producing over 2,000 tons of lime per day.”
After reorganizing, the team discovered they had been reordering parts simply because they couldn’t locate existing inventory.
“Once everything was organized, we realized we had far more parts than we thought. We’re running the business better now.”
The success at Pleasant Gap has influenced other Graymont operations:
“We were the first plant to take the initiative. Now other plants across Canada and the U.S. are pushing to implement the same system.”
By investing in a flexible, integrated storage system, Graymont significantly improved efficiency, reduced costs, and strengthened maintenance operations—proving that smart organization drives real operational gains.
