OHS-compliant materials handling system without lift trucks

Materials handling specialist ICA has manufactured a versatile, easy to handle component and materials handling system for one of Australia's major automotive components manufacturers.

Australian Automotive Air (AAA) required a materials handling system that would enable it to operate without lift trucks and fixed racking while at the same time increasing OHS standards for employees, reducing inventory and maximising open space.

The achievement of these objectives was necessary for AAA to meet the expectations of its Japanese parent of completely visible component and product transfer requiring no heavy handling.

The lightweight and logical system implemented by materials handling company, ICA, removes the dependence on lift trucks as it operates at ground level and requires no racking whatsoever.

Creform is an adaptive materials handling system for improving efficiency and maximising workspace. The technology includes a broad line of plastic-coated steel tubes, fittings and accessories that enable building and modification of versatile materials handling structures that can be changed again and again to match ongoing needs.

It is well suited to production systems where the product is continuously pulled by customer orders. This made it suitable for AAA's KanBan manufacturing philosophy (a manufacturing philosophy originating in Japan).

Creform physically links the company's manufacturing and assembly stations by moving parts and assemblies all the way along the process line.

"ICA has manufactured the Creform system to seamlessly link all parts of our production plant," AAA's TIE Specialist, Andrew Coulson said.

"It is made for complete visibility, so if one of the lines in any of the sections is short of components or parts then we instantly know something needs to be addressed."

The Creform systems have been developed on the principle of moving stock (invisible conveyor) so nothing is stored, because everything is moving.

AAA refers to this as 'one piece flow', as opposed to the more common 'batch manufacturing' where parts would sit in stillages until the rest of the order was complete.

The operator of each section owns the space. Because Creform is completely non-mechanical it gives the operator a better confidence and requires no maintenance.

"We are not a warehouse; we operate a system of shipping and receiving so that it is controlled by the customer through an electronic information stream," Coulson said.

"The whole system is configured so that it is very visible, and we can make targets to reduce the level of stock.

"Rather than hide problems, Creform enables instant and early-stage exposure of potential snags in the rare times we have problems.

"A lot of detail goes into the customisation. Where necessary, our Creform system has been designed so individual containers can be stacked on it but they remain very visible.

"Even the smallest aspects are optimised, such as hinges on the midpoint of shelves so they can be flipped over to make it easier to load as it gives more clearance for the head of the operator. It also makes it easy to see each part of the shelf."

A further benefit achieved by AAA has been operator satisfaction. The visual nature of the workflow has provided a greater sense of ownership within the process. People can identify concerns as they arise and actions can be quickly initiated to resolve the problem before it becomes a major issue.