Case Study: Empire Merchants achieves increased warehouse efficiency and $70K annual savings with The Raymond Corporation

Empire Merchants - Customer Case Study

Empire Merchants, a newly consolidated wine and liquor distributor in upstate New York, merged three facilities into a single 220,000-square-foot distribution center and needed to maximize space and improve operator productivity across continuous shifts. To address complex material flow, Empire Merchants engaged Pengate Handing Systems, an authorized sales and services center for The Raymond Corporation, to evaluate the facility and recommend equipment and layout changes.

The Raymond Corporation’s solution — deploying Raymond Model 4700 sit‑down counterbalanced lift trucks with AC motors, Raymond 5000 Series orderpickers, and 7000 Series Reach‑Fork lift trucks, plus optimized aisle spacing and a scheduled maintenance program — increased uptime and let operators perform the same work with fewer trucks. The Raymond Corporation’s maintenance program and a comprehensive labor/repair agreement cut maintenance costs by 8%, reduced fuel and battery usage, improved cash flow with fixed pricing, and delivered more than $70,000 in annual fleet savings.

Empire Merchants