Solutions
Following thorough research and analysis conducted by TRUMPF, MERZ GmbH made its initial investment in state-of-the-art, fully automated machines. These machines are arranged within the production hall to facilitate their connection to fully automatic STOPA high bay storage racks. The synergy between machines and storage has been a source of inspiration for Tim Ungerer from the very outset: "We had no automation to speak of until then. The high bay storage racks finally provide the flexibility we require," Ungerer confirms. This allows him to halve the workforce needed for loading and unloading machines, reallocating labor resources to other areas. Productivity shows a noticeable increase, and throughput times are reduced. "I wanted to extend the organized and efficient material flows from the high bay storage rack to the entire production area. And that was always going to involve the use of software", explains Ungerer. He has chosen to implement TRUMPF's complete Oseon production control system.
Every process step is controlled by Oseon, from work preparation and production planning to the automated programming of jobs using TruTops Boost and digital notifications when a job is completed. At every workstation, employees record each stage of work from initiation to completion using tablets and a dedicated app. "This mobile access to information streamlines their daily work routines. "And the benefit for me is that I can check the status of an order and its estimated completion time with a simple button press," Ungerer notes happily.
Within a very short time, the automation offered by the high storage racks blends seamlessly with the benefits of floor-level production control. "We have expanded our capacities from the previous three tonnes of thin sheet per day to 10 to 15 tonnes per day," Ungerer explains. "That's a substantial increase," remarks Ungerer. In addition to enhancing processes and transparency, Oseon also unveils opportunities for optimization through comprehensive data capture across all workstations. "The bending stations were a bottleneck in our system," Ungerer reports. "Oseon has enabled us to manage the bending pools." All bending jobs are consolidated there, enabling Ungerer to allocate order queues to each bending machine over a period of several weeks. "As a result, this work step has become far more predictable and efficient," he adds contentedly.
Implementation
"I wanted to introduce the software as quickly as possible," says Tim Ungerer. "It only worked because my team was fully committed to the project right from the start," Ungerer explains. Implementing such a comprehensive transformation required dedication from everyone involved. "It involved changing every single process, and we had to completely rethink everything," Ungerer recalls. "But after six months of gritting our teeth, the rate of success grew exponentially with each passing week. That motivated everyone."
Ungerer acknowledges that the dedication of TRUMPF's software and process specialists played a pivotal role in the project's success: "They stood by us throughout, making adjustments and optimizations until everything was exactly right." Tim Ungerer understands better than anyone that this process is ongoing, with continuous improvements to be made and no true end point. "I still have a parking spot reserved for TRUMPF engineers," he says with a smile. "But at this point, my employees have adapted to the new processes and programs quite effectively. They are delighted that many tasks have become more straightforward and everything is now more manageable."
