Lewis Paper built its business on a straightforward promise. Free delivery, standout service, nationally recognized brands, competitive pricing, and the flexibility to sell to anyone who buys paper, whether that's one ream or a full truckload. Some 30 years later, that approach has made Lewis Paper one of the largest wholesale paper distributors in the Midwest. It runs eight distribution centers serving businesses in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado and Wyoming.
That promise also makes for a tough job in the warehouse.
Small orders, lots of SKUs, 30-foot racks
Lewis Paper's core customers are specialty retailers who buy fine printing papers and graphic arts supplies. Most of them want to keep as little stock as possible.
"Our clientele for the large part doesn't want to carry any inventory on their shelves," says Robert J. Erwin, General Manager at Lewis Paper.
So orders come in small and often, and they pull from a wide range of SKUs stored in racking up to 30 feet high. Pickers needed to move through the aisles quickly, get up to the product, and handle picks that are small but can still be heavy. Paper adds up fast.
The team started with rolling staircases and ladders. Next they tried a powered machine that was sold as an upgrade, but it didn't deliver. Through all of it, safety in a racked environment stayed a major concern.
What Lewis Paper needed
The list was short. Powered travel, the ability to elevate, and enough capacity for heavy cases. It also had to be safe and easy to operate. The team went looking for a better machine and found the Big Joe J1 Joey.
Comfortable in five minutes
Within five minutes of stepping onto a Joey, the Lewis Paper team felt at ease driving it. They liked that its safety features couldn't easily be overridden. They were even more impressed that the Joey runs well enough that operators have no reason to try.
From there, Big Joe factory reps worked directly with the Lewis Paper team to make sure the Joey would perform the way their operation needed.
The results
Compared with the equipment they used before, Lewis Paper reported these gains.
- 15% fewer picking trips
- 50 to 60% higher productivity and uptime
- Lower maintenance costs
- Much shorter training time
- Improved safety
The Joey carries much more than their previous machine, so the productivity gains showed up right away. Operators also noticed how tough it is. They compared it to a tank, and that toughness meant more uptime and better use of every machine on the floor.
Training changed too. The Joey is intuitive to run, so new operators got up to speed faster, and the crew felt more comfortable and satisfied on the job.
In their words
"What a well-designed, reliable work horse the Joey has been. It is our go-to unit in the warehouse. It is very easy to train someone on, dependable and extremely safe. It has proven to be such a good investment that we have since bought units for most of our warehouses. I wish I had the return on all my equipment that I feel the Joey gives us. I would not hesitate to recommend anyone a Joey, hands down the best piece of equipment you will ever own."
Robert J. Erwin, General Manager, Lewis Paper, Addison, IL.
About the J1 Joey
Big Joe introduced the J1 Joey in 2013 for warehouse tasks where a rolling ladder is usually the go-to tool. It combines what an elevating work platform, an order picker and a tugger each do best in one compact vehicle. It handles piece picking, case picking and towing carts, so it works well for B2B distribution and multi-channel fulfillment. It can take on anything from overhead maintenance to order picking.
See the Joey on your floor
Contact your local Big Joe dealer to schedule a demo.
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