Detroit Diesel: Moving parts with tuggers
Detroit Diesel turned to narrow-aisle storage, tuggers and carts to support lean processes on its new manufacturing line.
By Bob Trebilcock, Editor at Large -- Modern Materials Handling, 10/1/2008
Detroit Diesel's materials handling processes for the new heavy-duty diesel engine, the DD15, were designed to reduce the travel distance between the receiving docks and the storage area, minimize the amount of space required for storage, and support production to minimize the amount of non value-added work.
Receiving: When trailers arrive at the new receiving dock, parts and components are unloaded by lift truck onto the receiving area floor. An operator scans a bar code label associated with the material on the shipping container to enter it into Detroit Diesel'smanufacturing resource planning (MRP) system. The facility's warehouse management system (WMS) generates a human readable ticket that is applied to the side of the shipping container. That information will be used for putaway.
Putaway: Once product has been ticketed, it's putaway on pallets into the narrow-aisle storage area in the central warehouse with a narrow-aisle lift truck. Operators scan a bar code label at the storage location to confirm the putaway in the WMS. The inventory is now available for picking.
Detroit Diesel employs two different processes for picking and delivery:
1) Replenishment parts
Picking: Picking for replenishment parts begins when an operator scans a bar code label on a kanban replenishment card. The WMS system identifies the locations in the narrow-aisle storage area where that inventory is available; the operator picks on a first in/first out (FIFO) basis. Pallets are delivered to a rotation cart. The card identifying the location for the material is placed on the cart and a flag on the cart is put down, signaling to the tugger driver that it is ready for delivery.
Shipping/delivery: Once a train of three carts is ready for delivery, a tugger operator hooks up to the train. The operator drops off carts at an empty location at the designated station in the assembly area and picks up any empty carts at those stations.
2) Just-in-time/Just-in-sequence
In addition to delivering replenishment parts to the line, other parts are kitted and delivered just-in-time/just-in-sequence (JIT/JIS). Sequencing requirements are triggered by a manufacturing plan generated when engines are loaded at the line.
Pallets are picked from the central warehouse and delivered to what they call a “supermarket” area where parts will be sequenced for the line. Operators pick parts from the pallets and place them in special carriers that hold between four and eight pieces. Palletized carriers are placed on a gravity conveyor that transfers them onto a cart. The carts are then delivered to the line in the assembly area by a tugger, where the carriers are automatically unloaded onto a line side conveyor. The carriers are then presented in sequence to operators at the line.
System suppliers
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Roll carts: Topper Industrial, 262-886-6931, www.topperindustrial.com
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Tuggers: A&G Mercury, 419-468-7433, www.agmercury.com
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Narrow-aisle lift trucks: Bendi, 785-562-5381, www.bendi.com
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Narrow aisle storage system: SRS, 800-589-7225, www.srs-i.com
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Warehouse management system: Detroit Diesel
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Automatic guided vehicles (Agvs): Bleichert, 586-726-8717, www.bleichert.com
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Bar code scanning: Intermec, 425-348-2600, www.intermec.com
Detroit, Mich.
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Products: Heavy-duty diesel engines
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Square footage: 3.1 million square feet, providing manufacturing space for five lines
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Throughput: 50 engines per day on new heavy-duty engine line, with capacity for up to 300 engines per day.
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Employees: 2,000 across all products
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Shifts: 1 to 3 shifts per day, depending on operations, 5 days per week.
Bar code label printing scale
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