The German automotive supplier Brose relies on ASYS MATERIAL LOGISTICS in its factory. The fully automated solution for incoming goods of component rolls and the needs-based storage solutions were convincing. The company has sought a higher degree of automation with the aim of saving costs and strengthening the Brose location in Hallstadt.
Automation is the decisive keyword. The final material logistics concept envisages that in future, component rolls will no longer be touched by employees between storage and actual use on the assembly line. Once the outer packaging of the component reels has been opened, they are automatically booked into the ERP-system and the reel is fed into the system.
Thanks to an integrated, fully automatic Scan&Label Station, the ASYS incoming goods solution enables the traceability of component rolls from the very beginning. A component counter counts the existing components on a roll and feeds exact values into the production database. The infeed of finished component rolls is also provided for. This ensures a valid and coordinated process that eliminates the need for manual inventory of the component rolls. In the Dry Tower of ASYS/Totech the component rolls are stored fully automatically at a relative humidity of less than 5%. This is ASYS’ response to the requirements that sensitive MSL components place on storage. Driverless transport systems are used to realize autonomous processes. With these AIVs (Autonomous Intelligent Vehicles), the individual stations in production are networked with the storage system. In addition to component roll containers, they also transport magazines, KLT boxes or trays. The vehicles generate their routes independently and dynamically adjusted to the ambient conditions, thus achieving Just-in-Time supply.
The calculation and coordination of the material flow is done by the ASYS Material Manager. Using the integrated Advanced Order Planner, the production orders imported from the ERP can be automatically distributed optimally to the SMT production lines according to various criteria. Due to the complete networking and the real-time calculation, the material replenishment to the production lines is delivered according to demand, in continuous coordination with the production cycle. This allows the customer to drastically reduce his material stocks at the line. At the same time, the availability of material in production is increased, which results in a reduction of costs.
The complete networking of the solutions and the extensive consulting services that preceded it were decisive for the award of the contract. Fabian Autenrieth, Product Manager MATERIAL LOGISTICS, describes his recipe for success and the approach: “Individual, scalable concepts, tailored to your shopfloor – that is our strength. We rely on a modular concept that allows us to implement our MATERIAL LOGISTICS solutions in various degrees of automation. This allows us to take the first step towards a Smart Factory with you today, in order to build the future on it.”
The Following Steps Are Performed by Different Modules of ASYS/Totech
– Intermediate storage of the rolls on a “container station”
– Transport of the rolls to the label machine
– Automated scanning and labeling of rolls with a unique ID
– Further transport to the “X-Ray Counting” module
– Counting the rolls using an “X-Ray Counter”
– Measuring the roll
– Transport to the automated storage system Dry Tower (chaotic, volume-optimized storage)
– Retrieval of rolls according to order data/part list
– Automated transport of the rolls to the placement line via driverless transport systems