| What are you people using to store component reels and tubes in? I am looking for a cabinet with slots or something to store reels and tubes. We keep our components on the production floor near the machines. The cabinets we are using now are very tall and create an unsightly "wall" in the middle of the floor. I don't have wall space to place the cabinets against. Anybody know a source for low (~4 ft. high) cabinets designed for component storage? | | Thanks, | | Bob | Bob: "Distributed stock rooms" sited near where work takes place makes at lot of sense for many companies aiming to lower costs and reduce their product cycle times.
1 Stockroom overhead increases cost, adds limited value, reduces flexibility, and decreases response time. 2 "A" items can be controlled, in response to the need for financial controls. 3 Items requiring incoming inspection can be handled routinely before stocking.
Many companies implementing this approach simply split-up and move their stockroom to their production floor. This approach:
1 Has poor aesthetics (as you pointed-out) 2 Is a poor use of production floor space, because of the aisles between shelves 3 Collects dust on shelves 4 Limits production�s ability to reconfigure its space
We use "wire shelf carts" for stocking materials. The carts:
1 Shelves are 2� by 6� 2 Height is 5� at the top of the highest shelf 3 Move by way of wheels in each corner
We separate parts on carts by use.
1 Process requirements of the parts is the first cut. So, autoinsertion PTH and SMT parts are sited near those machines. 2 Similarly, bare boards hare sited at the first point in their production processing. 3 Floor stock has one site � as a kanban 4 Parts that are not process parts or floor stock are stocked at the inventory location for the product that created the demand for the part. If multiple products created the demand, the product with the greatest demand receives the part. Other products "can see" the receipt and can draw from that kanban, based on their demand. I think operators often split multi-use part receipts between products on receipt so they will not have to deal with future demands on "their inventory" from other products.
We site the carts:
1 Near the primary work area 2 Any place we can find a spot 3 In tightly packed "cubes" with no inner aisles. 4 When kitting or filling shortages, we "explode" the packed cubes into aisles and all required space and then pack the carts when finished kitting. It�s a little like the filing that your dentist uses for your records � there is only one aisle and all shelves move (and so does the aisle).
Some carts pose challenges to an ESD protection system, but then again most other shelves do also. Depending of the manufacturer, carts can have:
1 Lacquer coating on metal surfaces. 2 Plastic "wedges" to support shelves on the vertical supports. 3 Wheels made of an insulator that contact the floor.
Distributed stocking requires:
1 Discipline 2 Training
Carts are:
1 Expensive ($200 to 300 each) 2 Sometimes down-right difficult to reconfigure shelves. Wire frame cart suppliers are:
InterMerto 800.433.2232 ted thorsen 800.233.8358 technibuilt 800.823.3972 fax 800.968.8934 gillis 888.541.6500 fax 847.541.0858 protecta-pack systems 800.722.1442 C&H 800.231.1343 fax 800.336.1331 www.chdist.com Eagle MHC 800.637.5100 ISS 800.722.1442
Dave F
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