Making every last part count

A new counting system increased accuracy and productivity at Altek, where thousands of parts are counted for each shipment.

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 1/1/2001

When Altek sends out a shipment of parts to a customer, minor errors create major problems for both its customers and itself, making accuracy crucial.

Each month, the Portland, Ore.-based company was shipping about as many as 40,000 plastic parts to Itronix, a manufacturer of industrial laptop computers. And each month, the part counts were off by 0.5%. While the percentage was small, the number of miscounted parts was as high as 200/mo. And that caused troubles on Itronix' manufacturing line. It also increased Altek's accounting costs because the company had to credit Itronix for the missing parts.

Altek needed a system that would keep parts in check while keeping its customer satisfied. The company's new counting system (which was duplicated at Itronix) goes far beyond a counting scale. Beyond a standard count and weigh capability, it includes software for formatting bar coded labels, a printer, and a CCD reader for scanning bar codes on packing and shipping labels.

"The accuracy of parts as a result of the equipment has helped eliminate the credit/debit exchange between the companies, which not only reduces the costs of parts replacement for us but improves the overall efficiency of both companies' accounting operations," says Michael Marzetta, manufacturing manager of injection molding for Altek.

"What's more, our inventory control has improved because the scales reduce errors in shipment," he adds.

The scale allows users to calculate average piece weight at high resolutions. Incremental weights as small as 0.0002% of capacity can be distinguished by the system. It also offers selectable accuracy from 95 to 99.99%, as well as excellent readability and a multi-function keyboard.

The database stores up to 256 identification numbers, their associated average piece weight, and the tare weight of shipping containers. The printer interfaces with formatting software to produce sophisticated bar code labels, which are ultimately used in the parts counting process.

The new-found accuracy and increased productivity has given Altek a competitive edge.

The process is so streamlined and successful that the system is now used for all parts counting, even if the customer does not have a similar method of checking shipments.

"We have to provide excellent service, a fair price and accurate counts. We're always looking to improve all of those elements; with our new counting system, we're confident that we have the accuracy issue well covered," says Marzetta.

Setra Systems, Inc.
800-257-3872
www.setra.com