November 21, 2006
The mark of a successful logistics system is that the right goods of the right quality are at the right place at the right time and in the right quantity – and that the price is right, too. Sounds simple, but for the logistics people in plant construction and mechanical engineering it’s a big challenge when the goods are cables and plug connectors. With the Kabelbutler, Murrelektronik presents a system that helps companies to significantly improve their logistics.
A lot can be planned during the design phase of a plant. Materials, for instance, or dimensions or automation solutions. However, the lengths and types of connection for the cables often cannot be ascertained until installation time. By then, it’s too late to order them. This problem is combated by keeping large stocks. This results in high purchasing and storage costs, often for low turnover figures. Even then, 100 percent availability of parts is not assured.
The fitter at the machine also has difficulty in keeping the right cables in readiness. The cables that are likely to be needed are collected on a commissioning trolley, and rolled to the machine. If a cable is missing after all, the fitter has to go back to the store and fetch it. The alternative of cutting a cable with one plug to length and putting a self-connecting plug on the cut end is also time-consuming, and involves the risk of quality issues later on.
One disadvantage of the commissioning trolley is that it is hardly possible to arrange the articles clearly, or to identify them unambiguously. So finding the right cable can take a long time. There is also potential for improvement in purchasing. Cables are often purchased on the basis of use statistics from the past. But often they will not be needed in the future. There is often a time-lag between the “provisional” removal of parts from the store to load the commissioning trolley and the later checking out of the parts that were actually used, so the statistics in the system often do not reflect the real-life situation. This can lead to urgently needed goods being ordered late because the commissioner cannot recognize the need. In the worst case, assembly comes to a halt.
A study by business consultants KPMG has also shown that for each order transaction, independent of the value and choice of the ordered products, costs of around 90 Euros accrue. It is therefore desirable for companies to keep the number of order transactions as low as possible.
The Murrelektronik Kabelbutler helps companies deal with these challenges. This system is a mobile store that provides a standard assortment of Murrelektronik sensor/actuator cables and plug connectors. The Kabelbutler stands in the customers production shop, and like any good butler, offers the cables needed for installation of the machine quickly, reliably, and at the right place.
A simplified order process directly from assembly, carried out with the scanner provided, ensures timely reordering of the used goods, but does not increase the stock permanently.
The Kabelbutler is currently available in Germany. The possibility of offering it in other countries also is under consideration.