Productivity boost for KMF sheet metal

KMF's assembly and despatch department has introduced a work management system which monitors individual parts through manufacture and automatically generates an assembly plan.

Sheet metal components moving from production and awaiting assembly can now be stored and managed in a temporary holding consolidation area, to improve the effectiveness and speed of our metal manufacturing service.

The project, which also included the installation of a curtain system to segregate the area from the rest of the manufacturing facility, arose when a commercial decision was made to raise the visual and operational standard of KMF's assembly and despatch department.

The decision was in line with efficiency improvements and investment at earlier stages of the fabrication process.

Our new system improves the productivity of assembly tasks by providing improved visibility of part completion, notifying team leaders when a project is ready for build and using a barcode system to identify the exact location of all parts within a racking structure.

Multi-part assemblies are now less labour intensive, elements are stored more securely and located more efficiently, and the production line benefits from increased working space and improved organisation and safety conditions.

The innovation is automated within our ERP system and keeps in line with our principles to streamline the flow of material through our sheet metal facility, allowing our customers to benefit from competitive lead times.

Michael Barker, Assembly & Despatch team leader at KMF Precision Sheet Metal commented: "This new system provides me with much-improved visibility and a clear indication of the different completion dates of components for multi-level assemblies."

"The automated tracking of each component throughout manufacture saves my staff so much time in chasing parts and awaiting components for part-built assemblies. A clear notification of when we can begin to build has significantly improved the efficiency of my department and staff."

To find out more about KMF's complete sheet metal manufacturing and CNC machining service, please email info@kmf.co.uk or call 01782 569060.