Robotics Transforming Manufacturing Cells

Robots Interface Into Almost Every Manufacturing Task
Even after you read the title of this article you probably said to yourself, I don’t have an application for a robot here. However for many of Material Handling BIZ’s readers, that may not be an accurate statement. According to the Society of Manufacturing, companies of all sizes are seeing the benefits of robots. Gone are the days when robots are seen as another way to eliminate jobs. As industrial engineers are dissecting their manufacturing processes, almost every company has highly technical, dangerous or repetitive jobs that are best suited for a robot.

If you haven’t seen terms like robot kinematics, robot control, parallel and redundant robots in your research you may be missing potential cost savings for your organization.

According to the Society of Manufacturing a robot is a reprogrammable, automatically-controlled, multi-functional mechanism which can be integrated into a system and interact with its environment by acquiring and processing sensory data to perform various tasks."

Morrison Company has extensive experience helping manufacturing clients with nearly 65% of projects impacting a manufacturing concern. Manufacturing cells of the past - the one that served mainly as a stopover for work-in-process inventory – is quickly being replaced by a very different sort of facility: a high velocity manufacturing center that focuses less on storage then on adding value and moving finished goods through at warp speed.

No matter what stage of evolution your manufacturing operation is in today, Morrison Company is capable of helping you “morph” to a higher level. Some clients discover they require considerable assistance planning where to locate a new facility, how to layout the space to maximize for efficiency and reduce queue times. If that sounds like you Morrison Company can direct you to one of several industrial engineering and facility planning firms who can advise your next move.

If you already have a plan and want an experienced sales engineering firm to review and recommend a set of material handling solutions Morrison Company is that destination. For the past 75 years Morrison Company has led the transformation as the material handling industry has evolved. After hundreds of manufacturing projects, the Morrison Company sales and engineering team is eager to take on your unique challenges. To set up an evaluation of your facility, select facility assessment.

You Do That?

Demag Overhead Cranes and Hoists
Any operation that has a static weight to move is a potential customer for a crane or hoist. Customized load carrying devices, remote control systems and the utilization of adjustable frequency technology allows most companies adapt how equipment is moved.

Demag cranes include single and double girder overhead and under running cranes. Capacities for double girder over running cranes range from up to 700 tons and spans up to 200 feet. Single girder capacities and spans range up to 30 tons and 100 feet. Capacity and span range for single girder under running cranes are up to 15 tons and 80 feet.

Enclosed rail systems also provide customized material handling solutions. From simple cranes and monorails to completely automated systems Morrison Company has the solution. Whether the load requirements are 50 lbs. or 7,000 lbs., five different track sizes are available to exactly match the overhead system requirements.

Lift assists provide the perfect ergonomic solution and greatly reduce the effort required by the worker in today’s manufacturing environment. Less fatigue means higher means higher production, fewer injuries and reduced time loss, while providing safer working conditions.

Hoist units are the key components in many materials handling applications where loads are moved, lifted, transferred or positioned. Hoist units are available in capacities from 1 to 100 tons.

Justifying the investment of a crane or hoist must also be based on maintenance costs. Demag products are extremely reliable and a supported with a quick ship parts program through Morrison Company. Whether your application calls for a manual or robotic directed solution, Morrison Company has extensive experience understanding your manufacturing goals and recommending the components to provide years of trouble-free service. To set up an evaluation of your facility, select facility assessment.

Test Your Knowledge

How Well Do You Understand HIPPA?
Your colleagues have their “war stories” about how HIPAA has impacted how they now have to run their business. Perhaps you have noticed the new signs posted throughout your physician’s office when you visited last. Have you taken the time to assess your organization’s risk assessment regarding HIPAA?

In 1996 the US government dropped a large boulder in the lake. Since then the ripple effect continues to effect businesses. If you have employees, your costs are about to jump as the government begins to roll out the next phase of HIPAA. Are you prepared?

Everything about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) will come down to:

• Risk Assessment


• Interpretation


• Documentation


• Security


• Testing


• Implementation


• More Documentation

Therefore, we urge you to reassess and address the impact of HIPAA on your organization today. The clock of HIPAA implementation is ticking.

HIPAA security provisions will result in significant legal and civil penalties for employers who purposefully, or negligently, allow patient privacy to be violated. In a nutshell, the Chief Executive Officers, Presidents, and Administrators of all organizations will face stiff penalties including fines and imprisonment for failure to comply with HIPAA. Privacy is fast becoming a significant cost for organizations. The threat of a lawsuit looms each day an organization is without a comprehensive plan to implement HIPAA fully within your organization.

Most organizations can’t absorb the cost alone. It is generally understood that HIPAA compliance will cost more that Y2K if it is not managed properly. The cost of implementation is estimated at over $26 billion. The key word here is "properly".

Utilizing the services of a firm focused on HIPAA implementation will help ensure your upper management is spared the embarrassment that the lack of compliance could bring upon your organization.

Are Steel Surcharges Here to Stay?

Reasons Why Steel Will Cost More
Is there a scapegoat to blame for high steel prices? Beginning nearly two years ago prices for steel began its seemingly uninterrupted rise. Although the reasons for higher prices have changed, the outlook for lower prices doesn’t look promising. In a May 2004 article, Material Handling BIZ detailed the history of surcharges. The initial reason cited, China’s insatiable demand for steel, has now been replaced by a weak US dollar.

Since the beginning of 2004, the supply of US steel has caught up with demand. Consolidation within steel producing sector has resulted in a lean and more efficient supply of hot rolled steel. Good news, right?

Raging global demand for steel from the construction industries in the U.S. and China throughout most of 2004 pushed the prices of scrap metal and steel plate, as well as the prices of prominent steel companies' stocks, to boom levels.

With robust demand and record-high prices, along with shortages of some steel products, there is only one conclusion to be reached about the U.S. steel market: Imports will increase even more in coming months," says the American Institute for International Steel, which represents importers and exporters in Washington. Exports have drastically fallen off due to the weak US dollar.

Chinese steel traders currently are cautious about buying from overseas suppliers because international prices are well above those in the Chinese market.

One suggestion might be for the US to import more Chinese steel. After all, the trade deficit with China is already at records levels and the Bush administration dropped its import tariffs. Is this the solution to increase demand?

The reasons given by US steel consumers for not importing significant amounts of Chinese steel are twofold: poor quality and inconsistent deliveries. Whether real or perceived, the economic equilibrium has not changed. Supply and demand effect pricing. For a myriad of reason the worldwide supply of steel can’t keep up with demand, so prices will continue to rise.

If you are contemplating a material handling renovation or expansion, waiting to complete it will only mean higher prices since much of the components used are fabricated out of steel. For more information on steel surcharges select steel surcharge news.

Case Study – Automatic Storage and Retrieval Systems

Morrison Keeps Client From Being in the Dark
Remember back to the year 2000, prior to the Enron debacle when the electric power industry was struggling to maintain capacity. In this industry, market share is extremely important. The slightest dip in share can mean many hundreds of millions in lost revenue. Morrison Company’s client is a manufacturer of blades & vanes used on turbines for electric power generation.

This leading manufacturer had two opposing issues. Their largest client, General Electric, had informed them that to maintain market share they would need a constant supply of blades. The client’s problems were two fold: an inefficient material handling system and limited space to store work-in-process inventories.

The client’s management assembled a manufacturing project team of internal and external industrial engineers to devise a storage and retrieval solution. The solution originally conceived was a series of overhead conveyor storage loops. This solution, however, was soon scrapped because it took too much room in an already confined space. Morrison Company was asked to analyze the problem and devised a solution that was automated, took up little space, was highly accurate and could be justified within a two-year ROI.

Working to assemble a team of component suppliers, Morrison Company devised a totally custom application of standard automation components. The genius surrounding this project was threefold: the unique design enabling an operator to enter the molds to be retrieved into a touch-screen control panel, the engineering behind the stacker crane, and the communication protocol devised allowing the controls to interpret commands and direct the retrieval of the molds.

Morrison Company led the effort to design and install an integrated storage and retrieval solution that included 6,000 pallet positions, 9,000 shelving units, a three level pick module that accommodated 480 pallets, and decked rack supporting 7,800 deck levels.

The critical component of the ROI justification was the savings in payroll costs. Prior to this project, in order to maintain work-in-process inventories a three-shift, seven day a week operation was needed. By creating a more efficient model, this operation was reduced to a five day a week, three-shift process. Additionally the more efficient storage and retrieval process made die handling easier resulting in decreased scrap. A copy of the complete case study can be obtained at retreival system success.

Benefits of a Preventive Maintenance Program - A Primer for Any Operation

The following article is submitted by Sedlak—providing independent, client-focused supply chain consulting services. Find out more at www.jasedlak.com.
As Dan walked through the DC one recent morning, he noticed a few creases in columns of racks holding heavy auto parts. Immediately, Dan removed product and called the company, which provided the rack. The next day, the provider replaced the columns. Replacement costs were substantial, but not as much as having to replace damaged auto parts or pay a worker’s hospital bills (or worse) if the rack had collapsed.

Saving money is only one of the benefits of a preventive maintenance program. Here are others:

• Longer, trouble-free equipment life


• Higher operating efficiency and labor productivity


• Quieter operations


• Increased safety level


• Minimized downtime


• No unexpected loss of productivity


• Spare parts in stock, ready when they’re needed


• Equipment warranties remain in force


• Written history of problems and repairs


• No merchandise damage due to equipment failure

Weekly visual inspection of conveyor is recommended, but daily is better. If conveyor is belted, look for fraying belts not tracking, irregular belt lacing condition, and lacing pins out of place. Drive motors and reducers should never overheat. Watch rollers. They should all be moving at the same time and at the same speed. Build-up of tape on the roller surface will cause speed changes, affecting carton tracking.

Listen. Equipment that does not sound normal is probably ready to fail. Look. Black or metallic dust on the floor can indicate unusual belt wear, or misaligned sprockets and chain. Any of these conditions requires immediate attention.

A sorter not diverting product properly is probably an indication of needing controls or mechanical adjustments.

Ask your mobile equipment drivers if they prefer one vehicle over another because of its speed. If their answers are yes, the slower vehicles need maintenance.

Lesson - If you find something amiss with any equipment, react immediately to avoid un-necessary down time, or worse, personal injuries. Remember, you don’t want to be responsible for personal injuries resulting from off-warranty or quick fixes. Contact the equipment vendor for maintenance or replacements for problems your maintenance department cannot address.