Automation in Manufacturing environment

When you think of a manufacturing plant, the images that come to mind are of the machinery that makes the new products, not the storage of the product or materials to make that product. The warehousing of the ingredients, parts, or even the finished item isn’t the sexy part of the process, but managing that inventory is every bit as important as the manufacturing process. Simply put, not having easy access to components or packaging of the final product causes inefficiency throughout the plant and that costs money. 

Because storage is so critical for manufacturing facilities, an Automated Storage & Retrieval System (AS/RS) is often the right solution to optimize access to inventory and manage outbound freight.

Key Reasons Companies Consider AS/RS in Manufacturing:

Space:

The primary reason you use ASRS in manufacturing is space – they don’t have enough of it and want to make what space they do have as efficiently as possible. This limitation could be due to property restrictions or the cost required to add more square footage.

Manufacturing Footprint:

When the manufacturing site is developed, the builder makes the same deep concrete pour for the entire footprint to support the weight of the machinery. The entire plant, even the warehouse and distribution area, have that same pour. The more concrete needed adds an additional expense, so that deeper footing is a much more costly space than needed for your DC. Even an AS/RS doesn’t need as deep a pour as your manufacturing area. 

When it comes time to expand the manufacturing area, the most cost-effective way to attain more space is to take the distribution area. An AS/RS will better utilize the full height of a facility allowing for an easier “reclamation” of the more costly manufacturing slab.

Accuracy:

Using AS/RS in manufacturing has the same great advantage as it does in a distribution center, accuracy. An AS/RS performance is orders of magnitude more accurate than traditional manual storage and picking.

If the wrong product is sent to the assembly line or final production area, the very minimum would be a waste of time causing delays in the manufacturing process. In some cases, it could even result in damage to the equipment or worse.

Size of the Product: 

The Stoecklin project for BLG, a Tier 2 automotive supplier for Mercedes, managed and moved a very large, heavy, and unwieldy product that was challenging to handle conventionally. This issue is not that unusual in the case of a B2B manufacturing environment. 

The traditional way to move a product in a DC or warehouse is a conveyor, forklift, and jack. But if the product is too heavy for an operator to move it manually or if the forklifts that needed is three times as expensive as most, then AS/RS becomes the more cost-effective solution.  At BLG, the AS/RS is used to pick and ultimately deliver the product to a station with a lift assist device to do the job.

Work In Process/Equipment Storage:

As manufacturing changes or expands, storage needs for work in process (WIP), tools and dies change and expand. The most efficient area for this additional space is close to the manufacturing zone, pushing storage out or up. 

Another factor that must be considered is when an overhead crane is required to move heavy tools and dies. An AS/RS with a smaller footprint means that the crane is not traversing over or blocks storage areas.

Interested in seeing if an AS/RS solution is right for your manufacturing environment? Reach out and let’s get a conversation started.

ASRS Manufacturing environment