Remmert SUCCESS
The company‘s success stories
Fully integrated sheet metal production
Example 2Cut GmbH
A job shop which processes about 1,700 tons of sheet metal per year and stores all of its raw material in conventional steel storage racking, wastes production space, machine time and personnel. When subcontractor 2Cut GmbH came to this conclusion, it made the decision to invest in a fully automated sheet metal storage and processing centre from Friedrich Remmert GmbH.
The Remmert storage system feeds sheet metal blanks to the two TruLaser series 5030 laser machines and the TruMatic TC 7000 combined punchlaser forming machine for fully automatic processing. This ensures that there is a continuous supply of material and has significantly improved the machine running times. Explaining one of the many benefits of their investment, 2Cut GmbH managing partner Mario Heinzig said ”We now operate with 24 staff in three shifts - the night shift requires no staff at all“. Without automation, the company would have needed at least three extra staff.
Objective
“Equipment performance, quality and service were not the only criteria which had a major influence on our choice of storage system supplier. Our supplier also had to know about interfacing in order to link the machine to the storage system both physically and electronically for data transmission,“ said Mario Heinzig, adding ”Remmert carried out this work to a remarkably high standard. We had nothing to do with the machine integration, which is what we were looking for, so we were able to rely 100% on our experts.“
Solution
2Cut used the new sheet metal store to provide space-optimised storage for raw materials and semi-finished goods. The company now has 431 pallets available on a storage area of 390 m2 for this purpose. The raw materials are fed to the system by the job shop staff and transported via the storage and retrieval machine to a free pallet location. The PRO WMS Enterprise warehouse management system automatically assigns the storage locations according to the chaotic storage principle. In addition to the storage locations, the software also manages the associated item descriptions, item numbers and material quantities, thus allowing the subcontractor to have an accurate overview of the current stocks at all times and ensuring maximum transparency in the store. The software also has several optimisation strategies to define parameters such as, which machine must start with which preference. The warehouse management system passes all the relevant inventory data to the Infor ERP system and also communicates with the three Trumpf machines which order the required materials from the store via a data interface.
Outcome
By using the new sheet metal cell, 2Cut has saved around 60% of the time required for material handling. This is particularly noticeable with the many small batch orders from the job shop. ”On the previous premises, it was often impossible to avoid long transport routes from the store to the machines,“ said Mario Heinzig. ”Today, we use optimised material and data streams and have reduced the idle times of our CNC machines by at least 40%.“ The new sheet metal store also reduces the storage area needed by more than 60% in comparison to the previous solution and releases three warehouse staff to work in the production department. The PRO WMS warehouse management system ensures instant stock management for the job shop and ongoing stock control. The sheet metal cell is set up for new machines and can be easily expanded, both in terms of processing and information technology.
With CNC laser cutting, punching and bending, 2Cut GmbH specialises in high-precision sheet metal work for its customers as an extended workbench. With its fully automated manufacturing processes and specialist staff, the company now ensures that orders are processed accurately, rapidly and cost-effectively. The company head office is located in Diepenau- Lavelsloh near Hanover. www.2cut.de
Results at a Glance:
Storage area reduced by at least 50 percent |
Time taken for material handling reduced by 60 percent |
Machine idle times reduced by around 40 percent |
Warehouse staff reduced by three people |
Instant stock management and constant stock control |
Sheet metal cell is prepared for connection to additional machines and technologies |
Technical specifications:
Warehouse size: 63.7 m x 6.1 m x 7.2 m (L x W x H) |
Storage capacity: 431 pallets with 3 tonnes payload, including 12 buffer locations at goods out to the laser machines |
1 high-performance storage and retrieval machine with electro-mechanical weighing device – travel speed: 150 m/min |
5 retrieval stations |
Full integration of both Trumpf laser machines and Trumpf combination machine TruMatic TC 7000 |
Remmert PRO WMS Enterprise warehouse software |