Carton Sealers
Trade News / March 2001MainPackaging Digest / March 2001
Bar code tracks progress A new automated line increases efficiency and improves accuracy in manufacturing and inventory control at computer and server producer Premio. -Assistant Editor Kevin Campbell Until recently, the company's manufacturing and packaging operations had been completely manual. Each computer or server would pass through each stage of assembly, testing and packaging on a roller conveyor, says Kevin Wu, operations director for Premio. The system was inefficient and made it difficult to track and maintain inventory. Beginning in August '99, Premio began working with BestPack Packaging Systems to design an automated system. Because Premio's business is focused mainly on custom-built machines, the system had to be capable of tracking each order from start to finish, ensuring that each machine had the correct components installed. It also had to handle both small and large order sizes, up to as many as 100,000 machines. What they came up with is divided into phases for manufacturing and packaging, and tying it all together is a bar code system. "The bar code part of our system design is the most critical data," says Wu. He explains that each computer is assembled on its own hot-wired platform, which carries it along the assembly line to each station. A bar code identifying the order appears on the platform. As the platform arrives at a station, the bar code is scanned. The terminal at that station then informs the operator what components need to be installed in that particular machine. The bar code allows that computer to be tracked from its manufacture all the way through its packaging. "From the beginning, when the chassis is entered into the line, we establish the bar code relationship," says Wu. The bar code attached to each individual computer also appears on the pallet on which it is eventually stacked, once packaging is complete. Functioning with the bar code is a J.D. Edwards accounting system that works in conjunction with a "shuffle control management system," Wu explains. Orders are processed by the sales team through the J.D. Edwards system, which then communicates with the shuffle control system. The communication between the two systems provides the floor workers with the information for each order, and it allows the sales team to track the progress and status of each order. According to Wu, the first phase of installation dealt with the manufacturing portion of the line. The second phase, which began in November ?00 and is in its final testing stages as of presstime, is the installation of the packaging end. Beginning with two BestPack gantry picking arms, the packaging section of the line includes a custom version of the MQ33-3 case sealer, a live roller conveyor, an accumulating conveyor and a gantry palletizer, says BestPack's David Lim, president for marketing and distribution, North America. After the computers have been assembled and have successfully completed burn-in and quality control inspection, they proceed for packaging and shipping. When a computer arrives for packaging, the gantry picking arm uses a suction cup to lift the machine off of its bar-coded transport platform, says Lim. The arm retracts, positioning the computer above a manually erected corrugated case, and an operator wraps the computer in a polybag. They then place a styrofoam end cap on each end of the computer. At the activation of a switch, the robot lowers the computer into the case. The computer's accessories and manuals are then placed on the top, and the operater closes the case. The next step is case sealing. The operator pushes the case through two MQ33-3 case sealers to seal both the top and the bottom of the case. Also during this procedure, Lim explains, labels identifying the computer are generated and manually applied to the case. According to Lim, after sealing is complete, the case is transported over a live roller conveyor to two accumulating conveyors. Once a pallet-load has been accumulated on one of these conveyors, the system allows the load to proceed to a case orienter. The orienter turns every other case, so that, as they are loaded onto a pallet, the labels always face out for identification. A gantry arm palletizer picks up two boxes at a time, stacking them on a pallet. Each layer is stacked with four computers. Depending on the line program and the size of the cases, one line could be stacked with six layers and the other with eight. Pallets are automatically dispensed from a pallet magazine, Lim says. After each pallet is stacked, it flows directly to an automatic stretch wrapper. Due to the height and instability of the load prior to stretch wrapping, the load is compressed on top with a platen, while the stretch wrapper turns. The film is then cut, and the pallet is rolled out. Completed pallets are taken from the line to a buffer area by forklift, where they remain until shipped, Wu says. The packaging end of the line as it is currently configured allows 240 cph to pass through the packing and sealing process. It will palletize at a rate of 120 cph, with one gantry palletizer in place. A second palletizer may be added at a later date, Lim says. More information is available: Assembly, packaging equipment- BestPack Packaging Systems, 909/987-4258. Write No. 319. Reprinted from PACKAGING DIGEST March 2001 ? 2001 by CAHNERS BUSINESS INFORMATION |
)
)
)
