tooling & tool grinding
Stocks and delivery
logistics provide
effective backup to WNT’s
vending systems
‘The vending machine gives us reams of information
that we couldn’t have possibly accumulated before its
arrival,’ says Trelleborg operations manager Gary
Mansfield. ‘It is what we have done with this
information that has really made a difference to our
operation.’
Mansfield says that the Toolvend system has allowed
Trelleborg to remove human error from operations in a
number of ways: ‘Firstly, if an employee was using the
incorrect tooling they would just keep using tens of
inserts. Now we can monitor consumption by
employee, job, machine and shift and this allows us to
educate our staff with regard to correct tooling usage
and better practices. One employee continually burnt
out tens of tips and we found the simple solution was
applying the right tip to the job; We can now determine
how abrasive a job is by its tooling consumption and
this has to be priced accordingly.
‘Quantifying the benefits of the system is difficult as
it has given us so much. We have reduced machine
downtime, reduced tooling consumption and costs,
improved productivity and operator awareness, removed
operator error and above all it gives us confidence that
we always have the correct tooling on site.’
Elsewhere, Newcastle-on-Tyne-based Advanced
Cutting Tools Ltd (ACT) is realising improved
efficiencies and significant savings with the
installation of a SupplyPro tool vending machine from
Tooling Intelligence. Founded in 2006 by tooling and
distribution specialist Michael Richardson and his
father, ACT has quickly established itself as much more
than a competitive source for cutting tools and
industrial supplies.
According to Richardson, dependability is the
system’s principal strength - one reason that several
well-known tooling manufacturers rely on SupplyPro
equipment to service many of their key accounts.
Versatility is another important factor, with the control
module’s intuitive touch screen operation being
complemented by a wide variety of operator
recognition options, including barcode and Radio
Frequency Identification (RFID). Crucially, the system
also enables costs to be reported to an extensive range of
customer specified allocation codes, such as works
order, job number, production batch number, specific
operator, production cell or individual machine tool.
Furthermore, all transactions are time and date
32 MWP january 2009
recorded, enabling comparisons between shifts or
operators to be easily assessed.
‘Unlike most OEM supplied vending machines,
which typically download information at fixed times,
the web-based SupplyPro software provides an up-todate
view of all customer consumables,’ Richardson
explains. ‘The difference is that rather than making
regular visits to customer sites with stock that may or
may not be required, we can access the system remotely
and only take the items needed to replenish the storage
unit, precisely when they’re needed. As a result, we can
both minimise travelling costs and reduce the time
taken on site to service each system. It’s the difference
between a two or three hour ‘just in case’ visit and a
half hour one to restock the system on a ‘just in time’
basis.’
The SupplyPro system also copes very effectively
with sudden peaks in usage. With a less capable system,
a standard report may be produced daily at say 3pm,
indicating that the machine will require refilling
within the next 36 hours. However, a spate of tool
breakages during the subsequent night shift might
actually result in a stock-out situation before the
scheduled replenishment takes place. ‘With the
SupplyPro system, every item is specified with a critical
stock level as well as a regular restock figure, allowing
any abnormal usage to be identified and addressed,’
adds Richardson. ‘The moment the stock falls to the
critical figure, an alert is sent to my Blackberry,
enabling immediate action to be taken.’ With an entrylevel
system representing an investment of around
£8,000, Mike Swaffield, managing director of Tooling
Intelligence maintains that any company spending
more than £50,000 per annum on tooling or other
industrial consumables could expect to achieve payback
in less than 12 months.
There is certainly no shortage of vending systems
available on the market from which to choose, such as
Guhring’s TM tool vending machine. In fact, the
company now has an entry-level variant of this model.
The TM Multi Vend is an electronically locking tool
dispensing system made of robust sheet steel with fully
extractable draws, which with a comprehensive range
of dividers can be adapted to the individual tool stock.
The TM Multi-Vend tool administration applies the
proven Guhring TM software, operated via touchscreen-monitor
and barcode scanner. An onlineconnection
to one or more suppliers enables automatic
ordering via the internet.
Elsewhere, Kennametal’s Tool Boss is attracting
plenty of attention. Tool Boss is an unmanned drawerbased
system for dispensing and replenishing
metalcutting tools at point-of-use. It is possible to
configure ToolBoss with a virtually unlimited array of
drawer sizes, cupboards or lockers to accommodate
various item and packaging dimensions. It can help
establish secure 24-hour inventory control, streamline
tooling purchases, and build the foundation for
seamless migration to an enterprise-wide tool
management system.
www.wnt.com
www.toolvend.co.uk
www.toolingintelligence.co.uk
www.guhring.co.uk
www.kennametal.com
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