Pump Production at Hermetic with RFID E-Kanban
In the course of a factory redesign, Hermetic-Pumpen was looking for an E-Kanban solution to digitize and thus optimize the replenishment control at the flow production.
On the basis of RFID, Hermetic is now able to determine requirements in real time.
The Hermetic Group manufactures pumps for applications in the chemical, oil and gas, refrigeration and energy sectors in more than 40 countries. The standard pumps are produced in a flow production. The production of customer-specific designed pumps in batch size 1 is possible.
Process Requirements
Objective
- Implementation of an RFID E-Kanban solution
- Digital recording of all KLTs used in production
- Integration of materials and semi-finished products into the Kanban solution that cannot be provided in containers
Solution
The solution was rolled out within a week while the production process was running. All KLTs used were marked with a label and serialized via a GRAI-96. The Kanban racks were equipped with reader and antenna technology in order to digitally link the inserted containers with the rack.
On the basis of RFID-tagged containers, registration hardware on the shelves of the assembly stations as well as visualization, including prioritization in the software, Hermetic now determines requirements in real time. If a logistics employee removes a part from a magazine shelf, a plausibility check is carried out with the requested requirement. If a container is on the verge of running out, the respective KLT must be placed in front of an antenna on the shelf.
The management software stores how many containers must be kept as target stock in a Kanban line. Large monitors have been installed in the assembly line and the magazine, on which every requirement is displayed on a dashboard. The requirements reported in the system automatically receive a time stamp.
The reorder, target and zero stock levels - if material is completely out of stock - are transparent. By linking this information, priorities are assigned in the E-Kanban Manager. On the basis of this information, the logistics employees receive a prioritization of which stocks are to be replenished next.
Technology Partner
Hardware & Software
- Kathrein Solotions – UHF RFID Readers and Antennas
- Zebra Technologies – RFID Printers
Advantages
- Throughput time in order-related production reduced from three to two
- Near real-time data collection Complete avoidance of data loss creates a new dimension of transparency
- Errors in commissioning could almost completely be excluded
- The trouble shooting was massively reduced
- Deviations are directly visible, replenishment processes are immediately triggered
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