EMS Sourcing Figure 2
that drives the consumption of fluids. The manufacturing processes can tell us which materials are being consumed or spoiled. The engineering information is available to help us understand thematerial layout requirements and quantity consumed per product. It already exists; we just need to start using it better.When a system solution ties these elements together—pull signals (demand), product configuration, recipe, and resource assignments—some real progress can bemade.
Putting it all together
Eight essential steps are required tomake intelligent lean happen. These steps ultimately give the buyer the opportunity to reduce stock, improvematerial turnover, and improve successful on-time delivery.
1 Bar-code incomingmaterials First of all,we need to track thematerials, so each key unit ofmaterials, such as a tray or reel,must bemarkedwith a unique license plate. Using this,we can track the specific material in all respects, including attributes thatmay apply only to a specific reel, such as MSD level and status, as shown in Figure 2.
2 Rememberwhere thematerials are It sounds simple, butwe need to remember where thematerials are. It is important to knowwhere the stock is, otherwisewe lose it. The simplest answer is awarehousewith labeled locations such thatwe can recordwhatmaterials are in each location. The warehouse can be arrangedmanyways, but these are not so important. The really important thing is thatwe remember exactly wherewe put inventory sowe can find itwhenwe need it. There may also be requirements for logical locations or separations-based tax status,material owner or consignor, etc. In practice the system needs to provide the flexibility for a stock roomorganisation that meets your production needs.
3 Visibility of demand formaterials The pull signal is the visibility of the demand formaterials. Here, you take data directly fromthemachines and interpret it towork outwhatmaterials have been used and spoiled. Togetherwith the work order information, the engineering information, and simple machine performance information, a pull signal is created. Literally, it can be as simple as feeder position 45 has 100 remaining parts, two are required per board, so 50 boards remaining. Each board is taking 30 seconds, sowe have 25 minutes to get the replenishmentmaterial to themachine. Smart software can easily aggregate and organised this information for thousands of feeders running onmanymachines inmany lines simultaneously.
4 Preparematerials against the demand With the information fromstep three, you are nowin a position of control.We knowwhat is needed andwe knowwhatwe have and where to find it.We can combine the individual pull signals from all of themachines to create tasks formaterial operators, selecting
Figure 3
themost appropriatematerials taking into account such things asMSD,manufacturer consistency, AVL, the age of thematerial and the quantity on the reel compared to what is needed.We can plan our tasks based on available resources smoothing out the peaks and troughs of demand over the look-ahead period,which can be anything up to several hours.
At the core of ‘intelligent lean’materials management is the capture and tracking of trace data, includingMSD level (and real time status) and RoHS compliance status
5 Deliver replenishments Just In Time The result of step four is that replenishments get delivered just in time at themachine where they are needed. If there had been any potential problems, there was an opportunity to solve them hours ago, finding a reel to split, choosing an alternative etc, even changing the schedule if there is amajor supply issue. The line does not stop unexpectedly.
When intelligent lean is implemented as a best practice, the net result is a cycle that continuously improves the agility of themanufacturing operation and drives the inventory levels down
6 Deliver uniquematerials for change-over Formodel changeover, it is the same calculation and delivery process, but of course the pull signal logic nowincludes the fact that at a certain point, some of thematerials in use on themachinewill become unused, and newones unique to the newmodelwill be added. The logic and delivery operation ofmaterials is the same. Nomore kits required.
7 Verification ofmaterials Materials verification on themachines is a long established necessity. Now, with unique bar-codes on the reels, this operation is simplified. The data also is available formaterials usage traceability. Three benefits for the price of one.
8 Return unusedmaterials Managing partially-usedmaterials is essential since these are a fact of life of SMT production. It is no longer necessary to count thematerials though, since the systemhas been tracking the exact usage and spoilage. Once removed fromthemachine at a model change, the partially usedmaterials are ready to be selected for any other usage. It is necessary to continue to manage the location of thesematerials, whether or not it is back into themain warehouse. In practice, the fewer points of storage, the easier thematerials handling becomes.
These eight steps create the intelligent lean engine needed to
create real value, starting with vastly improved inventory accuracy. Thismeans there will not be unexpected stops on the line, so productivity goes up. This systemalso eliminates hoarding materials and reduces or eliminates line-sideWIP storage unless it is defined and controlled as amini stock room, giving the visibility back to purchasing and planning where it is needed. Kits are not pulled based on a goal to supply the whole work order at one time, butmaterial is pulled and delivered as it is needed for change-over and for replenishment. Themotivation to hide parts for that rainy day is eliminated.
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