Product category:
Tool management systems
News Release from: WNT (UK) | Subject: Tool Service vending system
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 08 November 2007
Tool vending operates automatically
Tool vending service operates without unnecessary manual intervention, ensures the correct tools are in stock at all times, thereby improving productivity.
Tool Service vending unit is a system that can seamlessly manage the tooling requirement of any manufacturing company Whenever a tool is vended the software instantly creates an order for its replacement
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 28 May 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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The result, said WNT (UK) is a system that operates without unnecessary manual intervention, ensures the correct tools are in stock at all times.
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It thereby improves productivity, while at the same time reduces manufacturing costs as only those tools vended are invoiced.
The level of innovation is not specific to the vending units themselves but how they are being combined with hardware and software technology to provide precise control over tool usage and tool monitoring.
Use of the vending machines is restricted on an individual basis.
Each operator having a unique key that allows access to the vending system.
When this key is inserted into the vending unit the operator is recognised; he can then scan the part drawing or job card and request the required tool.
Each transaction is logged in the vending units SAM memory, which in turn is downloaded to create the detailed reports that are proving so valuable to the user.
The Tool Service system allows the user can keep tighter controls over tool budgets and tool usage without having to physically monitor tools, operators or machines.
In one application the reports highlighted an unusually high usage of tooling and prompted an investigation that identified a machine alignment issue.
It would have gone unnoticed for some considerable time without the detailed report provided by Tool Service.
* Bryken High Speed Turnings - Bryken High Speed Turnings in Knowsley, Merseyside, uses WNT (UK)'s Tool Service vending systems.
HThe installation is saving the machining sub-contractor 20% of its GBP 300 000 annual spend on tooling.
Factory manager at Bryken, Andy Glachan, said: "The four Tool Service vending machines supply 60 machine tools, and between them, these units contain 80%, by value, of our tool stock.
We have seen tooling costs reduce by GBP 60,000 per year, allowing us to invest in other areas".
While this level of saving is justification enough for the installation of the Tool Service units, Glachan mentioned other benefits.
"The detailed reporting, which Bryken takes on a daily basis, has been used to good effect, particularly when it highlighted that one operator had a monthly tool usage that was GBP 2,000 more than his nearest colleague doing similar work.
As far as he was concerned there was not a problem, until the facts were put before him and changes were made to how he worked".
Eliminating the tool stores is a major exercise and Bryken was keen to involve all its operators by explaining the reasons for the change.
In the WNT report to manufacturingtalk.com, Glachan said: "We had to educate our people as to why Tool Service was a move in the right direction.
Explaining the costs of tooling and how it impacted on our business and, therefore, why controls had to be put in place did this".
He continued: "During the whole process WNT has played its part, supplying more than just tooling, but a complete service.
Thanks to the combination of the Tool Service and WNT's guaranteed next morning delivery we can reduce the stock levels while remaining confident that we will never run out of tooling.
As a result of Tool Service our efficiency has increased, and in working with WNT we have a supplier that understands the problems, both technical and commercial, that we face".
* Enhancing productivity - productivity is enhanced in two ways when using Tool Service.
In the first instance tools are available around the clock, ensuring that machines are not stood idle due to an out of stock situation or the inability to locate tools due to them being misplaced in the stores or simply that the storeman is unavailable.
Secondly, the installation of Tool Service comes with the high level of technical support provided by WNT (UK).
Regular visits to replenish tool stocks are made by technical sales engineers and, at the same time, advice is offered on specific machining issues with a view to improving machine/tooling performance, thereby reducing cycle times and tooling costs.
Summing up, the advantages are as follows.
* Tool service is suitable for most manufacturing companies, irrespective of size.
* Cost savings and productivity improvements are noticeable immediately.
* Tool Service gives operators 24h, seven day a week access to the tools and supplies that are needed to run a machine tool efficiently.
* The requirement to have a toolstores is eliminated, freeing up valuable space and resources.
* For those using Tool Service its operation is simple and quick.
Each vending machine is supplied with a catalogue of inventory for cross reference, the operator simply keys in the code for the particular tool required and it is delivered to the front of the machine.
The built-in software takes care of everything else in terms of inventory management.
* Misuse, typically the collection of private tool stocks by individual operators, is eliminated, therefore costs and the possibility of obsolete stocks are controlled/eliminated.
* Tool stocks are not limited to those from WNT.
Even with its extensive range WNT accepts that it cannot have a tool for every application.
If the customer can show that a competitor's tool performs better than the WNT alternative, it will be added to the vending machine inventory.
Payback on a Tool Service installation is almost instantaneous, said WNT.
Given the minimal outlay involved on the part of the user in setting up the system, and the cost savings that will be made from day one following installation, Tool Service has an immediate positive impact on the 'bottom line' of any company using cutting tools.
Tool Service is leading the way in the modernising of tool supply to small and medium sized manufacturing companies.
Systems such as this have long been thought of as the domain of large OEM-type businesses.
This is clearly not the case and significant cost savings and productivity improvements are being made across the board by users of Tool Service.
The investment required to install a Tool Service vending machine, including all of the associated hardware for reading barcodes and the software to generate orders and reports is zero for any company that has a spend of GBP 1,000/month on cutting tools and associated equipment.
Additionally, users are not tied in to a long-term agreement with WNT.
The unit can be removed at any point in time if the user is not satisfied with its performance.
To date none of the 150 units installed in the UK have been removed.
The only commitment the user has to make is to determine the initial stocking level, which is usually arrived at by studying existing purchasing patterns.
Even this is at no risk to the user as it is, in effect, a consignment stock from WNT and only those tools vended are paid for.
The cost of installing Tool Service has remained constant and this is due in part to the success of the system.
The demand for Tool Service in the UK, particularly from small to medium sized sub-contract engineering companies is one of the fastest growing segments of WNT (UK)'s business. Request a free brochure from WNT (UK) ...
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