When there is a change in any industrial competitions, manufacturers need to be aware of such change in this fierce battle. Besides, suppliers who provide support and service providers who work behind the scene need to adjust their working conditions to fit in this new scenario.
In the past, many manufacturers focused on how to increase their productivity so that they could produce works of high quality with lower cost. Such determination means that they had to cut down raw materials, decrease specifications of their tools or make their tools last longer. They also had to find ways to cut down costs so that they could compete against other companies. Still, these entrepreneurs found that their manufacturing cost was higher, especially when they had to compete against other nations.) When we talk about this, we want to give a clear picture to entrepreneurs and emphasize that in Thailand the major cost is the labor which seems to increase every year. The second main cost is time. If we can reduce these two kinds of cost, we can significantly reduce the manufacturing cost.
In order to reduce these two costs, there are many ways but in this article we will focus on one system called “Tool Management” which many tool suppliers nowadays consider to be important. And they have used this innovation to meet the requirements of their clients successfully.
What is Tool Management?
It is a system which manages tools through collaboration between tool resellers and workpiece manufacturers based on software and automatic cabinet which work together. Service providers will suggest the suitable manufacturing process and the tools for maximum effectiveness. Then, the tools will be put in a stock in the automatic cabinet which will dispense tools directly without a person to dispense such tools. The operator can work with the cabinet directly and the cabinet will make a record of these tools automatically. The result is that the workload decreases and the labor decreases. It also reduces the number of missing tools. It also increases the precision of work. History logs can be viewed in order to find any errors. Many manufacturers have developed automatic cabinets to meet the needs of their customers in a much better way, for example:
Zoller smart cabinet solution.
Nowadays, there are a lot of tools and equipment in the factory and each piece is expensive. Therefore, the dispensation and the management of such tools are important. Zoller, the world’s tool management developer, has provided cabinet solutions and various tools to meet every kind of needs.
- The cabinets can dispense tools and equipment quickly, resulting in management cost reduction.
- They can be installed in the factory near the working site, resulting in flexible dispensation.
- They can control the dispensation system through personal login systems such as barcodes, codes and fingerprints.
- They can reduce the number of missing tools.
- toolOrganizer: The smart tool cabinet for tools and tool components.
- keeper: The tool cabinet with vertical drawers for storing complete tools and tool mounts — available in various sizes.
- twister: The tool dispenser for tool components and accessories — available in various sizes.
- locker: The automated locker for dispensing a wide variety of commodities like protective equipment, measuring materials and power tools.
- autoLock: Storage cabinet for securely storing items like hand tools and lubricants, or measuring and inspection equipment.
In addition to the dispensation of tools for general use, the cabinet can get connected to Tool Presetter and work with Tool Management Solution (TMS) in order to organize tools and equipment in the industrial factory in an integrated manner.
