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Requirements for a manufacturer are becoming more stringent than ever as companies are demanding quicker turnaround times on parts and components and implementing Lean Manufacturing processes in their plants. In addition, the Just-in-Time and Just-in-Sequence philosophies that were originally embraced by the automotive and aerospace industries are spreading quickly to other vertical markets such as high-tech electronics, consumer goods, and general discrete manufacturers. The material handling process used to be simply moving materials through a production process within a facility. In a lean production system, material handling and material movement can be leveraged to improve efficiency of production personnel as well as a reduction in line side inventory. A lean manufacturing facility eliminates the wasteful activities such as waiting for parts, restocking unused parts based on work flow changes, and reducing “dead” time for material handlers. There are 3 main functions that most material handlers are responsible for: Monitoring the line, Picking the product or parts, and Delivering the parts to the line. The most time consuming function is the Monitoring activity, especially in a large facility.
InterLink Logistics Technologies has addressed the issue of Lean Manufacturing , Just-in-Time and Just-in-Sequence with our TigerLink Wireless Call Button. The TigerLink Call Button is an 802.11b wireless device that is designed to automate the material replenishment process, taking waste out of the equation. The TigerLink solution provides 2-way communication so that the requestor at the line side has a visual status of the request for parts. There are multiple ways to update the requestor including a 4-line X 20-character display, a lamp with various flash intervals, and an I/O port to trigger a stack light if required. In addition, the TigerLink solution has an available RS-232 port for attaching a bar code scanner in order to address multiple parts per TigerLink Call Button. The TigerLink solution interfaces with multiple host systems and can be implemented into existing 802.11b facilities using the existing wireless infrastructure.
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