Danville, Ky.— The employees of FKI Logistex White System — who specialize in carousel technology — take pride in all the products they produce and the clients they help. But you'll understand if in the last several months they've taken a special interest in one client and one product in particular.

Their container carousel bins are playing an essential role in the supply maneuvers being performed by U.S. Marine Corps' forces in Iraq.

In fact, the bins have become an essential part of the military's day-to-day operation — used in conjunction with the Marine Corps' STRATIS (Storage Retrieval Automated Tracking Integrated System) inventory control system.

"Employees keep asking where are they now and how are they doing," said John Molloy, vice-president of FKI Logistex White System. "There is a great sense of pride and patriotism at White, resulting from our efforts to supply a state-of-the-art solution to our soldiers."

Molloy described the carousel system as "mini-warehouses …offering the USMC the capability of storing and accessing their components efficiently within a high-density carousel."

"These units came on shore with our Marines in Kuwait and operate as small parts storage and retrieval systems in their field warehouse setup," explained Marine Lt. Col. Al Will, a project officer with the Marine Forces Atlantic. "As you can imagine, managing all the small items necessary for the field can be difficult without this type of system."

"These carousels are an excellent way to mobilize inventory for rapid development of any material that fits," said Molloy. "They also can be operated in a refrigerated environment or even be used in mobilizing drug or vaccine distribution in the event of an epidemic or bio-terrorism attack."

The design of the carousels was developed with the input of the Marines.

"I worked hand-in-hand with White to ensure the proper features were put into the carousels," explained Lt. Col. Paul Turner, logistics director for the Marines' Blount Island (Jacksonville, Fla.) command center.

It's not the first time that FKI Logistex and the Marines have worked together.

"White built the first container carousels the Marines ever used," Molloy said. "We're happy to contribute to the efforts of our servicemen and women and hope they get everything they need for their safe return."

FKI Logistex is a supplier of integrated material handling solutions for various distribution, baggage handling, freight, parcel, and manufacturing applications. Along with White Systems, its brands include Alvey Systems, Cleco, Crisplant, Inc., and Real Time Solutions.