#1 Cochran Automotive is the leading automotive retailer in Western Pennsylvania, and one of the top private dealer groups in the U.S. What began as a single Pontiac dealership in 1965 has grown to six locations with 24 showrooms and 17 new vehicle franchises.
At #1 Cochran’s Monroeville Buick GMC dealership, the service department is one of the largest in the city of Pittsburgh, with an equally large parts department to support it. Despite the size of the service area, #1 Cochran needed even more service bays to support customer demand, and wanted to add premium customer services such as an automated car wash.
To make room without the cost of new construction, #1 Cochran installed a Hänel Lean-Lift® VLM and a Rotomat® Vertical Carousel.
The machines were placed in an unused corner of the service area, with convenient access from all service bays.
The Hänel machines allowed them to consolidate a large storage room full of shelves into just two storage units. Room to add additional services was freed in the existing building for a huge cost savings compared to new construction.
The Rotomat® and Lean-Lift® provide faster and more convenient access to parts because items are brought to the user. This eliminates walking rows of shelving, searching for parts. Security is enhanced with enclosed, locking storage and password-restricted access.
Both machines were connected to #1 Cochran’s existing DMS system.
The seamless integration offered by Hänel’s advanced controllers helped to improve inventory accuracy and boost productivity.

In 2011–12, #1 Cochran undertook a major renovation of their Robinson Township, PA Buick GMC dealership. The goal was to improve customer convenience, dealership efficiency and appearance. The project included construction of a new showroom, major renovations to their service center and expansion of their lot space and landscaping.
The existing building housed the showroom, parts department and service area. With the new showroom, the parts department could be expanded and additional service bays and services added. To help make room for the new additions within the existing building space, #1 Cochran turned to Hänel for a vertical storage solution. The Hänel Lean-Lift® was chosen to free up valuable floor space and make parts retrieval faster and more accurate for employees. The Lean-Lift® installation was designed as part of the building renovations, allowing it to be incorporated directly into the physical structure of the facility.
The result is a parts department that is a bright, inviting place to work. Separate counters are provided to support the retail customer operation and the service department alike. Parts in inventory are now easily found at the touch of a button, eliminating the time-consuming need to climb stairs or walk rows of shelves to search for the correct

With its numerous inventions, Hänel Storage Systems has made a significant contribution to the success of vertical carousels and vertical lift modules in the field of automated materials handling. This success is yet another incentive for our team to offer future-oriented solutions for intralogistics based on continuous further development.
Hänel storage systems find applications in a wide variety of industries. Operating in sectors such as medical technology, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, automotive, aviation, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and wholesale – to name but a few areas that demonstrate its versatility – Hänel has the right solution for every application. Numerous small and mediumsize enterprises have also opted for the efficient storage systems from Hänel.
The modern Hänel microprocessor control systems enable continuous inventory updates and accurate inventory control. They can be used as stand-alone storage management systems or in conjunction with customer IT systems.