Gillette ramps up for flow-thru production
In this first-ever inside look at the Mach3 razor factory, Gillette explains how a fleet of AGVs and a 3-aisle AS/RS have shaved materials handling steps.
By David Maloney -- Modern Materials Handling, 7/1/1999
They have names such as Bladerunner and R2-Trac II. No, they are not robotic creatures from Star Wars Episode One, but are instead the names of automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) that are the heart of the new just-in-time system at Gillette's South Boston manufacturing facility.The system provides greater control, takes material handling duties out of human hands, provides quality assurance, and has eliminated 14 handling steps associated with storage in an off-site warehouse.
Use of the AGVs also saves time, money, and labor by delivering raw materials just as they are needed to the many machines assembling the latest in razor blade technology. Once products are assembled, the AGVs directly transport finished goods either to an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) or directly to shipping for delivery to an off-site packaging facility. About half of all goods moving within the facility are currently in a direct-ship mode.
The South Boston facility is a huge, self-contained village according to Michael Miller, Gillette's division manager in charge of planning and logistics at South Boston.
Almost every component needed to manufacture razors and blades is produced within the 1.5 million sq. ft. facility. The plant consists of two sections--a component area, which manufactures the plastic and metal parts used in the products, and an assembly area, which produces finished razors and blades. All materials handling operations (HK Systems) are highly integrated.
The fleet of 18 AGVs ties the two areas together. The goal of the new system is to ensure that the assembly machines never run short of components.
"The amount of material we carry is the minimum we need to assure that we don't have to shut down component or assembly machines," says Miller.
For instance, when a continuous cartridge assembly machine (C-CAM) runs low on materials, it sends an order to the control system running on two, IBM RS-6000 computers. The controller then directs an AGV to retrieve materials either from the plastic molding machines, metal stamping units, or storage.
"It is like a taxi service for materials," explains Miller. "When a location in assembly calls for material, the first thing the materials handling system does is look to see if a vehicle coming from components has that material on it."
If it does, the AGV is diverted to deliver the materials to the appropriate machine. Otherwise, a vehicle is dispatched to either a component production line or to the AS/RS to pick up the needed materials.
Pick-ups and deliveries can be made at any of over 400 possible addresses on the factory floor. Over 8,000 ft of guidepath conveys movement instructions to the vehicles from a centralized control system.
When vehicles are not needed for a run, they are automatically sent to one of six charging stations to have their nickel-cadmium batteries returned to a full charge.
The maximum footprint of totes and pallets that fit on the AGVs is 48 x 40 in. This accommodates the footprints of a standard pallet as well as about 10 different containers. They are used to transport totes of blades and other parts as well as pallets with odd-sized items, including large reels of steel for blade production. Full containers can stack up to 55 in. high on the AGVs. When empty, totes nest so they can be returned for refilling at various machines.
Materials on demand
While the system aims to flow as much as possible directly from components manufacturing to assembly and out to shipping, it's possible only about half the time. Quite simply, not everything coming out of the plastic molding and metal stamping machines can be used immediately by the assembly units.
This is partly due to manufacturing cycles. For instance, it is best for the plastic molding machines to maintain a continuous flow of resins for proper operation. These units therefore run around the clock, seven days a week. The assembly units, however, are limited to a six-day week.
Components that are not needed right away are sent to the AS/RS. The system, along with a building to house it, was constructed to coincide with Gillette's startup of full-scale Mach3 production.
With land and warehouse space at a premium in inner-city Boston, high efficiency and density were necessities. The 90 ft high AS/RS contains 3 aisles running 230 ft. deep. There are 7,020 double-deep storage locations, which are usually 80-85% full.
The AS/RS primarily stores finished components waiting for the assembly operations. Raw steel for blades and materials such as bulk resin for the plastic molding machines are also held there until needed. The length of time a product stays within the storage system depends on the component itself. Some may be in the system for a few hours while others may remain for up to two weeks.
The control system uses first-in/first-out picking as a way of turning over stock. It may even override a direct AGV shipment if it is necessary to remove a component from storage first. The system tracks every action of the AS/RS so that it is able to locate inventory at any point within the process.
Materials must first be placed on 48 x 40 in. pallets in order to enter the AS/RS. Because these are dedicated slave pallets, materials must be removed from them to be transported by the AGVs. A potential bottleneck could occur at this point if it were not for the installation and use of an adequate system of palletizers and depalletizers.
Miller says that this potential problem area was carefully tested to avoid potential bottlenecks. The palletizers are also used to prepare finished products for shipping on pallets. Packaging is done off site at a facility about 30 miles away.
Spotting trouble early
Miller says that Gillette has achieved better product control through the use of the new manufacturing system. "It allows you to find problems before you produce several days of bad components," says Miller.
He explains that before the upgrade, Gillette shipped components manually to its offsite warehouse until they were needed for assembly. Often a problem with a stamping or molding machine could result in the production of thousands of defective parts.
These would all be shipped to storage with the error not detected until days later when they would be retrieved for assembly. With direct shipment, these errors can be discovered almost immediately and appropriate corrections made in a timely manner.
In addition, assembly machine operators no longer have to deal with material handling functions. Automation has freed them to focus entirely on the operations of their assembly units. Also, operators have the chance to visually inspect all inventory coming into and out of their machines.
Overall, the system has been extremely reliable since its installation. Outstanding inventory accuracy is reflected in a 98% cycle count, with most of the past few months reaching 100%.
Miller hopes that eventually more and more of the factory will fall into a direct ship mode.
When just-in-time works at its best, there should be a very close shave between component need and fulfillment.
Gillette's South Boston manufacturing center
Approximate production:
- 10 billion metal parts a year
- 5 billion blades manufactured annually
- 1 million plastic parts per hour
- 10 million extruded plastic parts each day
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