fastening & assembly solutions and technology - Approved Business
fastening & assembly solutions and technology - Approved Business fastening & assembly solutions and technology - Approved Business
FAST OCTOBER 2011 FASTTOP TIPS Ten ways to cut costs with industrial vending Tony Goodwin describes how semi-automated, lineside vending of parts such as fasteners and small components will substantially reduce operating costs and boost productivity Pro-Vyda semi-automated vending for components needed on a manufacturing line can drive down inventory spend by as much as 40% Inventory, stock, parts or MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) consumables, call them what you will, provide the ‘oil for the engine’ in manufacturing and processing plants. They can represent up to 20% of total enterprise spend and account for more than half of all indirect purchasing transactions, yet many 54 organisations do not have the systems in place to restrict access to inventory and monitor the usage of spares and consumables down the line. Too often, storerooms are free-for-all facilities, where users take parts on autopilot, squirrelling stock away in lockers and, worse still, pilfering company property as a perk of the job. As a result, inventory costs run out of control, storeroom data is totally inaccurate and the inevitable stockouts of critical spares lead to costly downtime, lost production and cancelled orders. Emerging from much the same technology as coin-operated snacks and drinks machines, industrial vending equipment dispenses MRO consumables, PPE, tooling or whatever in a similar semi-automated manner, except that instead of payment transactions, access is normally by means of time & attendance swipe cards, biometrics or personal identification codes. Known as point-of-use or lineside vending machines, because they are located close to the production line or work area, they are nowadays advanced inventory management systems, enabling strict control of stock access, monitoring of usage down to user level and automatic reordering of out-of-stock items. Although previously designed around an engineering footprint for handling mainly tools and parts, the latest generation of industrial vending technology, exemplified by our own Britishmade Pro-Vyda equipment, is configured to be genuinely usable by a whole range of industry sectors, from aviation, automotive and energy, to food processing and pharmaceuticals, and to accommodate all manner, shapes and sizes of stock items. For those new to the technology, semi-automated parts vending offers a secure environment in which to store and dispose a whole range of items and an effective way of driving down inventory spend. In fact, here are 10 ways that point-of-use vending will help you cut costs, typically by as much as 40%. 1 Reduces inventory holding – as much as 70% of inventory items are never used or obsolete, so an initial data cleansing exercise and plant-wide amnesty on parts in lockers and toolboxes, as part of a vending machine implementation programme, will bring about immediate stock
eductions; add to that subsequent opportunities for weeding out low turnover items and eliminating duplication across the whole enterprise. 2 Frees up valuable floorspace – new lines mean storing spares to meet service and maintenance needs, putting pressure on storerooms already overstocked with excessive inventory; by utilising vertical space and high density storage technology, modern vending machines are designed to hold a vast array of products within a highly compact footprint, freeing up manufacturing floorspace, a commodity usually in short supply. 3 Improves staff productivity – a major cause of downtime is when staff have to spend time collecting spares from a central storeroom, building cumulatively into hours of lost production; point-of-use vending machines serve the location where they’re installed, dramatically cutting the times taken to travel, locate and retrieve parts, while touch-screen interfaces with ‘shopping basket’ functions speed transaction times. 4 Drives down inventory spend – the most powerful way to reduce spend is to restrict access to inventory, with a complete lock-down ensuring that only authorised users can remove items; a full audit trail and subsequent monitoring of usage down to user level will identify wasteful employees or departments and indicate excessive maintenance activities, in turn highlighting issues of asset reliability. 5 Optimises costly parts usage – modern machines like Pro- Vyda can allocate a unique status to each compartment, so that refurbished or reconditioned parts can be dispensed instead of new items, saving on routine costs; the machine will also deliver the exact amount of parts required, rather than automatically dispensing standard packs of 10 or 20, again optimising usage. 6 Eliminates staff pilfering – as economic pressures mount, workplace theft tends to increase, whilst at particular times of the year certain items are consumed at greater levels than normal, such as gloves around bank holidays, paint pens and markers during school vacations and batteries at Christmas; locking down access and making staff fully accountable for what they are consuming, has a remedial impact on such behaviour. 7 Reduces employer liability – as all transactions are logged against a user, an employer can identify precisely what an individual has received, providing vital evidence of access to essential personal protective equipment in the event of a health and safety incident and helping avoid expensive litigation; real-time access to vending machine data also enables supervisors to immediately question why incorrect items are being taken out. 8 Provides 24/7 parts availability – one of the issues that management has to balance is the cost of either paying stockroom staff to support shift workers or allow unmanned stores access out of hours; vending machines eliminate that problem by providing 24/7 controlled access and monitoring, while a feature like Pro-Vyda’s reservation facility enables off-site staff to pre-book parts for planned maintenance whenever they arrive. 9 Minimises costly downtime – with manual storerooms where there are no routine stock checks, there are often discrepancies between inventory records and physical items on the shelves, leading to stockouts at critical points FAST OCTOBER 2011 and consequent downtime; vending machines ensure accurate data and userdefined depth of stock on vital parts, as well as incorporating expiration and calibration dates against any part. 10 Improves budget control – as well as avoiding bloated inventories and restricting access to parts, vending machines like Pro-Vyda can allocate budget ceilings to individuals, cells and departments, ensuring budget compliance; given strict control of parts distribution and automatic restocking, stockholdings can be kept below one or two months in hand and complete stock checks can be carried out within hours, rather than days. And contrary to the view that workers might object to point-ofuse vending machines, Propeller has found that hardworking staff respond positively to the idea of having the right parts in the right place at the right time, rather than wasting energy tracking down items themselves, and appreciate facilities for reserving MRO consumables for upcoming maintenance and repair jobs, instead of finding much-needed parts out of stock at the last moment. Tony Goodwin is CEO of PROPELLER GB 0191 569 1690 55
- Page 4 and 5: FAST OCTOBER 2011 FASTCONTENTS REGU
- Page 6: FAST OCTOBER 2011 FASTUPDATES Pay s
- Page 10: FAST OCTOBER 2011 FASTUPDATES Hose
- Page 14 and 15: FAST OCTOBER 2011 FASTUPDATES Movin
- Page 16 and 17: �����������
- Page 18 and 19: FAST OCTOBER 2011 FASTQ & A Innovat
- Page 20 and 21: FAST OCTOBER 2011 PRODUCT REVIEW: Q
- Page 22 and 23: FAST OCTOBER 2011 FASTPROFILE Custo
- Page 24: FAST OCTOBER 2011 SPECIAL FASTENERS
- Page 29 and 30: cost effective production method wa
- Page 31: FAST OCTOBER 2011 Ingenious solutio
- Page 34 and 35: FAST OCTOBER 2011 ENCAPSULANTS The
- Page 37 and 38: Bespoke hinge becomes the standard
- Page 39 and 40: Advanced fastener design for plasti
- Page 41 and 42: In mobile phones OCAs ensure invisi
- Page 43 and 44: Technical advice Overnight shipping
- Page 45 and 46: The firewall for the Volvo cab to h
- Page 47 and 48: It’s encouraging to hear a suppli
- Page 49 and 50: The Machinery Directive anticipates
- Page 51 and 52: Fasteners deployed in key military
- Page 53: Meeting the aesthetic demands of th
- Page 58 and 59: FAST OCTOBER 2011 FASTPRODUCTS Wet
- Page 60 and 61: FAST OCTOBER 2011 FASTPRODUCTS Inst
- Page 62 and 63: FAST OCTOBER 2011 FASTPRODUCTS: Sec
- Page 65 and 66: Product developments serve broader
- Page 67 and 68: Improved accuracy for servo press r
- Page 69 and 70: Lubricant-free linear drive system
- Page 72 and 73: FAST OCTOBER 2011 72 Collect your f
- Page 74 and 75: FAST OCTOBER 2011 74 AXSON UK LTD A
- Page 76 and 77: FAST OCTOBER 2011 76 ELESA (UK) LTD
- Page 78 and 79: FAST OCTOBER 2011 78 LEE SPRING LTD
- Page 80 and 81: FAST OCTOBER 2011 80 PROFIL GmbH &
- Page 82 and 83: FAST OCTOBER 2011 82 STAYTITE LTD C
FAST OCTOBER 2011<br />
FASTTOP TIPS<br />
Ten ways to cut costs<br />
with industrial vending<br />
Tony Goodwin describes how semi-automated, lineside vending of parts such as fasteners <strong>and</strong> small<br />
components will substantially reduce operating costs <strong>and</strong> boost productivity<br />
Pro-Vyda semi-automated vending for components needed on a<br />
manufacturing line can drive down inventory spend by as much as 40%<br />
Inventory, stock, parts or MRO<br />
(maintenance, repair <strong>and</strong> operations)<br />
consumables, call them<br />
what you will, provide the ‘oil<br />
for the engine’ in manufacturing<br />
<strong>and</strong> processing plants. They can<br />
represent up to 20% of total<br />
enterprise spend <strong>and</strong> account for<br />
more than half of all indirect purchasing<br />
transactions, yet many<br />
54<br />
organisations do not have the<br />
systems in place to restrict access<br />
to inventory <strong>and</strong> monitor the<br />
usage of spares <strong>and</strong> consumables<br />
down the line. Too often, storerooms<br />
are free-for-all facilities,<br />
where users take parts on autopilot,<br />
squirrelling stock away in<br />
lockers <strong>and</strong>, worse still, pilfering<br />
company property as a perk of<br />
the job. As a result, inventory<br />
costs run out of control, storeroom<br />
data is totally inaccurate<br />
<strong>and</strong> the inevitable stockouts of<br />
critical spares lead to costly<br />
downtime, lost production <strong>and</strong><br />
cancelled orders.<br />
Emerging from much the<br />
same <strong>technology</strong> as coin-operated<br />
snacks <strong>and</strong> drinks machines,<br />
industrial vending equipment<br />
dispenses MRO consumables,<br />
PPE, tooling or whatever in a<br />
similar semi-automated manner,<br />
except that instead of payment<br />
transactions, access is normally<br />
by means of time & attendance<br />
swipe cards, biometrics or personal<br />
identification codes.<br />
Known as point-of-use or lineside<br />
vending machines, because<br />
they are located close to the production<br />
line or work area, they<br />
are nowadays advanced inventory<br />
management systems,<br />
enabling strict control of stock<br />
access, monitoring of usage<br />
down to user level <strong>and</strong> automatic<br />
reordering of out-of-stock items.<br />
Although previously designed<br />
around an engineering footprint<br />
for h<strong>and</strong>ling mainly tools <strong>and</strong><br />
parts, the latest generation of<br />
industrial vending <strong>technology</strong>,<br />
exemplified by our own Britishmade<br />
Pro-Vyda equipment, is<br />
configured to be genuinely<br />
usable by a whole range of industry<br />
sectors, from aviation, automotive<br />
<strong>and</strong> energy, to food processing<br />
<strong>and</strong> pharmaceuticals, <strong>and</strong><br />
to accommodate all manner,<br />
shapes <strong>and</strong> sizes of stock items.<br />
For those new to the <strong>technology</strong>,<br />
semi-automated parts vending<br />
offers a secure environment<br />
in which to store <strong>and</strong> dispose a<br />
whole range of items <strong>and</strong> an<br />
effective way of driving down<br />
inventory spend. In fact, here are<br />
10 ways that point-of-use vending<br />
will help you cut costs, typically<br />
by as much as 40%.<br />
1 Reduces inventory holding –<br />
as much as 70% of inventory<br />
items are never used or obsolete,<br />
so an initial data cleansing<br />
exercise <strong>and</strong> plant-wide<br />
amnesty on parts in lockers<br />
<strong>and</strong> toolboxes, as part of a<br />
vending machine implementation<br />
programme, will bring<br />
about immediate stock