Get me to the Line on Time

Date: 31.03.20
Get me to the Line on Time
Will Bacon, ServicePLUS Segment Manager, explains how Trelleborg Sealing Solutions is supporting its customers in optimizing their inventory management and production efficiency.- John. N. Frank

IN SHORT

  • Just-in-time inventory management and lean manufacturing help minimize inventory costs
  • Trelleborg's new IntelliStok® Advanced Delivery System improves on the SealScan system with further automation
  • Thousands in labor costs can be saved per year by eliminating manual scanning and checking of inventory

THE CONCEPTS OF JUST-IN-TIME INVENTORY MANAGEMENT AND LEAN MANUFACTURING 

can be traced back to Japan in the 1940s, when the shipyards had very few financial resources and so sought ways to minimize their inventory costs. The practice later became popularized worldwide by automaker Toyota.

While techniques have changed, the basic concept remains the same: have just enough inventory on hand to keep your assembly lines humming, but not so much that you are needlessly using funds that could be more efficiently put to work elsewhere. That requires efficient monitoring of inventory levels and fast ways to order more before a plant runs out of the parts it needs to operate.


Advanced delivery

 The latest Trelleborg Sealing Solutions service innovation –IntelliStok® Advanced Delivery System– advances the quest for optimum inventory management.

IntelliStok®, scheduled to debut in the first half of 2020, is a vendor-managed inventory solution and enhancement to Trelleborg's ServicePLUS program. It essentially eliminates the need for manufacturers to have someone walking around a manufacturing facility scanning bar codes on parts bins to find out which parts are running low and need to be reordered.

The system is based on the already established SealScan, a scanning system that allows facility employees to use their iPhone or iPad to scan those bin barcodes. But IntelliStok® takes that a step further.

For IntelliStok®, we’ve developed a pressure-based sensor pad, which sits in the bottom of a parts bin. Using its own microcontroller and Wi-Fi technology, it automatically creates an order when the bin needs to be replenished with more parts. The device turns on periodically throughout the day to keep an eye on parts inventory.

“I think it’s pretty exciting and will contribute to our growth strategy over the coming years.”

WILL BACON, ServicePLUS Segment Manager
Eliminating manual work

Unlike other advanced delivery options, the IntelliStok® solution is designed to fit existing rack and bin systems without modifications. It eliminates the need to manually check or scan inventory and so has the potential to save thousands of dollars in labor costs each year.

The unique IntelliStok® system fits nicely into the Trelleborg Sealing Solutions service model, ServicePLUS, and it will contribute to our growth strategy over the coming years.

By providing services such as this, we can help customers focus on their core competencies. Offering more services can mean doing some sub-assembly work, such as inserting a seal into a piece of metal that goes on to be combined into a larger part, or it can mean streamlining a customer’s internal operations to reduce costs and increase efficiencies, as IntelliStok® does.

Left: Will Bacon with Bill Shirk, ServicePLUS Center Lead and IntelliStok®, a pressure-based sensor pad which sits in the bottom of a parts bin.

ABOUT WILL BACON

Title: ServicePLUS Segment Manager Education: Master of Business Administration, Thunderbird School of Global Management
Family: Married with 6 children
Lives: Vancouver, Washington, US
Interests: Cycling and running Completed the Seattle To Portland one day ride twice.
Favorite Innovation: IntelliStok®, followed by developing SealScan.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about Advanced Delivery and ServicePLUS, visit the website:
www.tss.trelleborg.com/serviceplus/

ABOUT ServicePLUS

ServicePLUS aims to unite various enhanced solutions across the entire value chain, simplifying the processes of engineering, logistics, manufacturing and aftermarket for the customer. Beside Advanced Delivery, the components below are part of the ServicePLUS concept:

  • Special Handling: Refers to the numerous individual packaging solutions on offer, as well as additional surface treatment or marking options. This not only includes special protective packaging or replacement part kits, but also streamlining measures, such as vendor reduction or reducing warehouse stock.
  • QuickSeal: Covers short-notice needs for seals; depending on material, these can be manufactured in one day of order.
  • Assembly: Trelleborg is willing and able to offer pre-assembled parts put together by specially trained staff, delivered directly to the customer.
  • Digital Tools: Online resources and apps developed to make an engineer’s life easier.
  • Engineering Support Services: World-class engineering solutions and supporting services – from extensive design and compound competence, to ample product testing, Trelleborg provides expert support for your engineering needs