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Ergo Cup Competition: Tote Slide

28th Annual Applied Ergonomics Conference

At this year’s Applied Ergonomics Conference, MTM proudly submitted a second entry to the Ergo Cup® Competition—this time from our Discovery Logistics team. The project, known as the Tote Slide, showcases the power of collaboration and rapid innovation in eliminating a persistent ergonomic burden in one of our highest-risk areas.

The Ergo Cup® Competition celebrates practical, impactful solutions to workplace ergonomic challenges. Projects are evaluated based on innovation, employee involvement, risk reduction, and business impact, and this one delivered results that checked every box.

The Problem: Lifting Heavy Totes in Tight Spaces

Before the kaizen, team members in Logistics were manually lifting wire harness totes into the heater barn—a tight, repetitive task that placed significant strain on the body. It was one of the top injury-risk processes in the Internal Logistics Shop due to awkward lifting and constrained movement.

The Solution: Slide, Don’t Lift

Working side-by-side with team members, the internal Kaizen team developed a simple but highly effective solution in just four days. The Tote Slide allows tugger operators to pull directly up to the delivery point and slide totes into place, eliminating the need for lifting.

The tool was designed and fabricated in-house, undergoing multiple iterations based on feedback from team members. Kaizen team members even performed the job themselves to understand the pain points and ensure the solution directly addressed them.

The Impact: Safer Work, Better Results

Not only did the Tote Slide dramatically improve safety, but it also has strong potential for scalability. The same concept could be applied to other tugger delivery processes involving flow racks or similar equipment across the facility.

Ergonomic Risk Reduction

Eliminated the lifting task

Injury Savings

$64,400 annually

Cost to Implement

$1,753

ROI

3,573.70% with a payback period of just 10 days

Collaboration at Its Core

This project reflected MTM’s commitment to cross-functional teamwork and continuous improvement. Key contributors included Joel D., Will R., Josh Y., Shayna L., Dave W., and Kaleigh F., with the support of the entire Discovery Logistics team.

Their passion and creativity exemplify what MTM stands for—empowering team members to solve real problems, reduce risk, and build a safer, more innovative workplace for all.