Point-of-use storage does more with less
With vertical carousels and vertical lift storage modules, network systems supplier Cabletron stores 30% more parts in less floor space and cuts delivery times to production machines.
By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 11/1/1998
There are plenty of early indicators that a storage system is undersized for the job at hand.In some cases, parts that were never meant to be stored together wind up sharing a storage location. Other times, there just isn't any more open space in the storage system.
At the Cabletron Systems manufacturing facility in Rochester, N.H., manager Ben Taylor had still another indication some distance from the storage area.
"I knew we were running out of room when I saw more and more bins of inventory being left in the aisles. The aisles had, over time, become a true extension of the storage area,'' Taylor explains.
In a way, that development wasn't all that surprising. It took less than 10 years for Cabletron to grow from a startup supplying computer network systems and components to a $1 billion company. Meanwhile, the company's inventory of manufacturing components and testing equipment swelled from 850 stock keeping units (SKUs) to 6,500, exceeding the capacity and capabilities of the steel shelving then in use.
All that has changed. Three vertical carousels now store small manufacturing parts and a vertical lift storage module (VLSM) manages larger inventory such as test equipment. All storage equipment (Remstar International, Westbrook, Maine, 800-639-5805) locates inventory near the point of use. With the elimination of centralized storage, delivery times to production lines have been reduced noticeably.
According to Taylor, total storage capacity increased 30%, making it possible to absorb future growth of manufacturing inventory. In addition, floor space needed to store small parts declined 33% while floor space needed for the larger parts was cut in half.
Matching systems to parts
Inventory needed to support manufacturing at Cabletron breaks into two general categories, explains Taylor.
The smaller parts include integrated circuits, resistors, and other components attached to continuous tapes rolled on plastic reels. When called out of storage, these reels are loaded onto automated production equipment to automatically deliver components onto the circuit boards.
There is also a variety of much larger test and production equipment. Some of these items weigh 150 lbs and require several cubic feet of storage space. In addition, these are expensive items that require secure storage.
Taylor first concentrated on improving storage of the small parts in three vertical carousels. One unit is 16 ft tall and measures 8 ft wide and 5 ft deep. The other two vertical carousels are 9 ft tall, 8 ft wide, and 4 ft deep. Reels of parts are stored on component carriers, each of which can be broken into as many as 30 compartments for different SKUs. Typically, an SKU is assigned to an individual compartment and remains stored there indefinitely.
When a reel is needed in manufacturing, a worker inputs the product code into a terminal mounted on the front of the carousel. The unit then rotates, bringing the carrier with the SKU to the picking window. After the required number of reels is removed and placed on a cart for delivery to manufacturing, the carousel is ready for its next pick or putaway.
The 19 ft tall VLSM operates quite differently from vertical carousels which rotate all storage locations to bring the right carrier to the picking window.
Within the VLSM, there are up to 24 storage locations filled with trays measuring 6 ft by 3 ft. Trays are stacked against the front wall and back wall of the unit. In the vertical space between the front and rear storage locations, an extractor runs up and down a fixed pole. The extractor stops at the requested tray, removes it from its position, and brings it down to the picking window for the operator.
Unlike vertical carousels that assign an SKU to a storage location, a VLSM has the flexibility to store a tray in any open location large enough for the SKU. Six electronic eyes at the pick window size the part on each tray and select a location appropriate for that part. This provides a great deal of flexibility in size of items that can be stored and provides safe, secure storage for all of the test fixtures.
In addition to saving space, Taylor says both the VLSM and the vertical carousels have improved ergonomics and safety in the plant, which was a significant concern with the previous system.
To begin, the pick window for both types of systems is placed at the ideal height for handling parts. This eliminates the need for people to bend and pick up parts as was the case earlier. In addition, all parts are now stored in the units, putting an end to parts carts in aisles.
Taylor explains that Cabletron is now in the process of installing inventory management software tailored to the vertical carousels and VLSM. In addition to tracking inventory and quantities, the package consolidates control of the four storage units at a single terminal. The software will also optimize storage capacity usage by automatically recommending what inventory should be stored in which unit and storage location.
In the coming year, Taylor also expects Cabletron will be installing similar units at other company manufacturing locations.
What Cabletron gained with powered small parts storage
30% more total storage capacity
33% less floor space needed to store small parts
50% less floor space needed to store larger parts
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