Productivity Solution: Vertical lift modules

Shuttle VLMs combined with specialty tool management software provide secure, compact and accurate tool handling.


Zoller is a market leader in tool management, presetting and measuring technology solutions for manufacturing processes. In January 2018, Zoller expanded in North America with a new 44,000-square-foot headquarters. At the center is an 8,800-square-foot Industry 4.0 Technology Center, where vertical lift modules (VLMs) demonstrate a complete tool management solution.

Zoller uses three 26-foot shuttle VLMs (Kardex Remstar) in the Tech Center for spare parts handling. The company picks and ships spare parts daily to customers throughout North America. Orders are sent directly from their enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to the VLMs for fulfillment. The VLMs deliver the tray with the correct part to the worker and use a light-directed system to ensure accuracy.

Upon tray delivery, the transaction information center (TIC) located beneath the access opening illuminates to direct the operator to the exact location of the tool required. The TIC can be programmed to display the tool identification number and quantity to pick next to the pick location arrow. This aids the operator in locating the tool faster and picking the correct tool.

“Managing our spare parts inventory with shelving would have required double the floor space,” says Alexander Zoller, president of Zoller. “The VLMs are also much more efficient—workers shouldn’t have to run around looking for parts in shelving.”

Zoller says the VLMs are also the most efficient way to keep parts secure, clean and organized in a compact footprint.

“Year-end inventory is also much easier and more convenient,” he says. Inventory is counted and reconciled twice a year. Upon request, the VLM presents each tray for a physical count and the inventory is easily reconciled in the Zoller software.

“When we built the new facility,” Zoller says, “we organized the Tech Center in such a way that we can simply add more VLMs as our business increases.”


Article Topics

News
Magazine Archive
Other
Productivity Solution
Warehouse
Inventory & Picking
Inventory Management
Kardex Remstar
Productivity Solution
Storage
VLM
   All topics

Inventory & Picking News & Resources

Automate & Accelerate: Replacing Pick-to-Light with the Next Generation of Automation
Leaders Q & A with Bryan Ferguson: Resurgence of RFID technology
Parcel handling on the move
An inside look at picking technologies
Manhattan Associates selects TeamViewer as partner for warehouse vision picking
Consultant and industry leader John M. Hill passes on at age 86
Siemens, Universal Robots, and Zivid partner to unveil smart robotic picking solution
More Inventory & Picking

Latest in Materials Handling

U.S-bound May imports continue to grow, reports S&P Global Market Intelligence
AGILOX North America opens new headquarters, announces new CEO
Auriemma becomes new CEO of Business Unit Software at Körber
Expo Pack México 2024 sets new records
Hai Robotics announces move of its Americas headquarters to Atlanta metro
Glencore improves recycling plant safety with ELOKON’s proximity detection system
National Forklift Safety Day: Yale Reliant operator assistance technology reaches 14 million hours of real-world run time
More Materials Handling

About the Author

Josh Bond
Josh Bond was Senior Editor for Modern through July 2020, and was formerly Modern’s lift truck columnist and associate editor. He has a degree in Journalism from Keene State College and has studied business management at Franklin Pierce University.
Follow Modern Materials Handling on FaceBook

Subscribe to Materials Handling Magazine

Subscribe today!
Not a subscriber? Sign up today!
Subscribe today. It's FREE.
Find out what the world's most innovative companies are doing to improve productivity in their plants and distribution centers.
Start your FREE subscription today.

June 2024 Modern Materials Handling

National Forklift Safety Day comes once a year in June, but various sensor and vision-based, ‘operator-assist’ technologies, as well as telematics, are used daily to enhance the level of operator awareness for manually operated lift truck fleets.

Latest Resources

Empowering Your Workforce: Integration of Wearables and AMRs to Increase Picking Productivity
Join us on June 20 to discover how integrating wearables and AMRs can revolutionize picking productivity and operational efficiency in your warehouse and manufacturing environments.
Packaging Efficiency: The modern way to reduce freight costs
Lift Trucks & Accessories: The Trusted Workhorse Evolves
More resources

Latest Resources

2023 Automation Study: Usage & Implementation of Warehouse/DC Automation Solutions
2023 Automation Study: Usage & Implementation of Warehouse/DC Automation Solutions
This research was conducted by Peerless Research Group on behalf of Modern Materials Handling to assess usage and purchase intentions forautomation systems...
How Your Storage Practices Can Affect Your Pest Control Program
How Your Storage Practices Can Affect Your Pest Control Program
Discover how your storage practices could be affecting your pest control program and how to prevent pest infestations in your business. Join...

Warehousing Outlook 2023
Warehousing Outlook 2023
2023 is here, and so are new warehousing trends.
Extend the Life of Brownfield Warehouses
Extend the Life of Brownfield Warehouses
Today’s robotic and data-driven automation systems can minimize disruptions and improve the life and productivity of warehouse operations.
Power Supply in Overhead Cranes: Energy Chains vs. Festoons
Power Supply in Overhead Cranes: Energy Chains vs. Festoons
Download this white paper to learn more about how both systems compare.