Features/Benefits Provided:   Picking rates three times faster than before. Increased throughput. 280 additional storage locations. Access to any part in the system by any operator.

A major producer of telecommunications products was struggling with excessive maintenance problems and unacceptable upkeep costs related to its outmoded ASRS system, vertical storage carousels and shelving. To keep up with business growth, it needed a more advanced material handling system that required less floor space, but could deliver more product to production at higher speed.

Before an efficient, cost-effective solution could be devised, the company first identified problem areas. Then, various storage systems were consolidated into a single horizontal carousel-based work-in-process system that enabled kitting and direct delivery of parts and subassemblies to the manufacturing point of use. The system included 2 stacks of double-tier carousels, automated insertion/extraction devices, and a lineshaft conveyor system and conveyor controls, all run by advanced software on a Windows NT network. The results were immediate. The new system is three times faster than the old, which means it can easily support increased throughput demands on the stockroom.

To further increase productivity, the system uses a more ergonomically efficient layout. It also includes the addition of 280 storage locations that better handle the 10,000 parts in the system. Now any operator can access any part in the system. The advanced software was easily integrated into the company's SAP inventory management system. While the facility had to previously update its host inventory manually, the new system does so automatically…eliminating time delays, reducing labor expenses and meeting performance ROI goals.

is a Proud Member of the AS/RS Product Section of Material Handling Industry of America

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www.systemlogistics.com