Above: A newly installed Böckelt Tower has 153 locations.

Smart systems help store, locate, move and re-rack raw materials, work in process and finished goods

August 2022- The optimization and management of raw material and work in process is one of the most significant improvements a shop can make, but it is frequently overlooked. Valuable resources are regularly consumed searching for lost parts or raw materials that often go unfound or need replacing due to damage. This can have a profound impact on a shop’s productivity as machines wait for the material or parts needed for the next run.

Unorganized and inefficient management of raw materials and work in process contribute to three of the seven wastes or “Muda” described in lean manufacturing: transportation, motion and waiting. At a time when the scarcity of labor has driven up costs significantly, every resource consumed that does not add value must be reduced or eliminated.

Labor is not the only resource wasted by poor factory logistics. Materials, work in process and required aisleways take up vast amounts of valuable floor space that could be put to more profitable use. Each 5-foot by 10-foot skid of material occupies close to 70 square feet of floor space, and 6- by 12-foot close to 80 feet—an area much larger than the material itself. It does not take many stacks to quickly consume an inventory bay. And as is standard, the stack of material needed for the next job is the one at the bottom of all the rest.

Other parts of the world suffer labor and space constraints much worse than our own. And it is from these areas that some of the cleverest storage and logistics solutions are developed. Outside Düsseldorf, Germany, in the town of Wenden is Böckelt Tower. Böckelt has engineered logistic solutions for factories since 1963. More than just building storage racks, Böckelt creates intelligent logistics solutions that provide dynamic high-density storage, tracks material, work in process and post-manufactured goods.

STORAGE TOWER

Fully customizable to fit customer requirements, Böckelt Towers can handle sheets up to 20 feet long and loads up to 171,000 pounds, and stack up to 21 feet high. Using an RFID transponder system, the Böckelt warehouse management software keeps track of what you have, and where it is.

The system consists of cassettes on which material is placed and a tower system that racks the cassettes. Assigning inventory to a cassette can be as simple as scanning a barcode identifying the inventory, then scanning the cassette on which it will be loaded. The Böckelt warehouse management software has now recorded what is contained on that cassette. The cassette is randomly racked in the tower, and the RFID reader on the tower “interrogates” the cassette and registers its location.

For companies that use an automated punch or laser system, Böckelt has designed Automation Cassettes that load directly into a wide range of automated systems. Being able to pull a cassette with the desired material and load it directly into an FMS expands its capacity in a very efficient and cost-effective manner.

MANAGED CONTROL

Most systems incorporate a wireless terminal on the forklift and a weighing system. Knowing the tare weight of the cassette, and the calculated weight of the material, the forklift will weigh the load and confirm the contents of the cassette. Variances throw an error so inventory can be reconciled. Connecting to ERP/MRP systems provides real-time management of inventory and even more managed control through the plant.

The forklift terminal provides information on which cassette is needed where. Assigning the inventory to a given location can be done in the software or by scanning a barcode on the job ticket that pulls the inventory and assigns its requested location. When a material is assigned out of the tower, the software will indicate the position of the cassette containing the requested inventory, and an LED will illuminate at the cassette’s location. The software will also show where the cassette needs to go. When it is withdrawn from its location, the RFID registers its removal, the contents are confirmed when weighed and, upon delivery, the forklift driver confirms its location or a standalone RFID reader interrogates the cassette and confirms its delivery.

      An Exchange Tower services a TRUMP laser cutting machine.

Any inventory at any stage of production can be loaded onto a cassette and tracked. Register lasercut parts to a cassette and rack them in the tower. When the folder or brake needs them, the job is pulled, the forklift driver is notified, the location made known and the cassette is delivered. Re-rack the parts after forming until needed at the next location. Vertically storing, staging and tracking raw materials and work in process allows management to always stay in full control of inventoried items and their locations.

       A Bystronic ByTrans loading/unloading system is serviced with Böckelt automation cassettes.

This is particularly useful for companies that have large quantities of valuable remnants they must track. A remnant is assigned a cassette, similar to any other inventoried item. Racking the cassette stores its location in the software, and the remnant is quickly and easily found when needed.

A single operator can service a variety of flat sheet processing machines with multiple Exchange Towers and jib cranes.

DETAILS MATTER

Böckelt furthers its process management with an Exchange Tower, a Drawer System for immediate random access of multiple material types, and an Expansion Tower where a slewing [jib] crane and vacuum lift is mounted, providing fast handling of multiple material types to service several machines efficiently with a single operator.

A stand-alone Drawer System with dual doors can also be installed between processes. Loading laser cut parts on one side and pulling the drawer to the other where they are offloaded onto the next operation is one example. Results include immediate execution from cut to form, vertical highdensity management of work in process, and everything exactly where it is needed, when it is needed.

Most service centers have accepted that random stacks of material and work in process clogging the factory is a necessary evil. But the devil is in the details. When tracked, the amount of resources consumed manually managing raw materials and work in process can be staggering. Not to mention the amount of fl oor space sitting idle under stacks of materials. Pennies eventually add up to millions.

For metals companies to stay competitive, a smart system that supports processing, not just raw material storage, continually returns its investment across multiple areas of a plant. A simpler way to achieve big returns simply does not exist. MM