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Automated Tool Management
Introducing the ability to undertake volume manufacturing within Bowmill brings several key benefits.
Services
Overview
There is the ability to undertake larger order quantities than previously, as well as ensuring quality levels can be both raised and made more consistent. Plus of course, it can lower costs by improving manufacturing efficiency.
So, when Bowmill’s latest Facility in Tewkesbury was successfully established, a great emphasis was placed on improving efficiency by unlocking the potential of productivity. And a particular focus was placed on reducing overall tooling costs.
The main factor in tooling costs is of course their consumption. But there are also considerable hidden costs. These include the procurement, storage and logistical control of tooling, and any deficits in related management processes and total costs.
Process
As the new facility utilised automated manufacturing technology, Bowmill augmented this with an automated tool management system, which can deliver tangible benefits to manufacturing processes:
- Zero interruption of production due to tool availability
- Reduction in consumable tool expenditure
- Reduced buyer involvement
- Less engineer engagement
- Improved quality due to restricted allocation of tooling
- Improved 5S management
- 300
- pieces of tooling now automated
- 5%
- reduction in tooling costs
- 20
- hours per month reduction in engineer interventions
Result
The latest Guhring TP36 system was introduced to ensure the correct tooling would be available at point of use, enabling zero down time whilst reducing consumable costs.
Bowmill are now able to ‘lock down’ both key and special purpose tooling to individual customer product part number and engineer skill level, significantly improving quality control and availability of long lead time tooling.
Related Work
Defence High Pressure Components Project
Automated Tool Management
