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How the system works
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At receiving, incoming
assemblies or wafers are logged into the computer system and
placed in tote trays.
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Incoming assemblies and wafers are logged into the system at
receiving. They are removed from their shipping containers, placed
in totes (Molded Fiber Glass Tray Co.) and then temporarily stored
as work-in-progress (WIP) in the carousel system (Diamond Phoenix).
To minimize lifting in receiving, two conveyor lifts were
installed on the first floor. A specially designed dolly enables
material handlers to move cartons with little effort. Tote boxes are
automatically stored in the carousel by robotic
inserters/extractors.
Production test calls out the totes by part number and delivers them
to the test floor by conveyor (Interlake). When the assembly or
wafers pass test, they are released and returned to the carousel or
to an off-carousel location. Once back from the test, the assembly
or wafer awaits a trip to the packaging area for order or stock
processing.
Cirrus Logic's parts move in and out of the carousels a minimum
of four times while they are being processed at the Freemont
distribution center. Approximately 4 million integrated circuits are
processed through the system monthly.
"There are nine separate PLCs operating simultaneously," said Ernie
Ereno, president of Warehouse Engineering. "Six control the
carousels and robotic inserters/extractors, another controls the
conveyor system. There's one on each lift and a master system
controller PLC on top of the mezzanine."
Material management system
Throughout the entire process, inventory is tracked by lot number,
part number and customer manufacturing code. Everything is bar coded
for accuracy.
"The beauty of this system is that we know exactly where a part is
at any time," said Streeter. "We know when it arrives, when it's
being tested and when it's ready for packaging."
Perhaps the biggest single challenge was interfacing all the
components of the automated system. System control software (Minerva
Associates) is the glue that holds everything together.
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The custom mezzanine is
designed to meet UBS 91 Seismic Zone 4 code requirements, in
addition to other state codes.
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Product selected for shipping is conveyed to conveyor lifts that
transport the material to conveyor lifts that transport the material
to a mezzanine (Cubic Designs).
"We're in earthquake country here, so the mezzanine had to be
built to meet UBC 91 Seismic Zone 4 code requirements, in addition
to the other state codes," Ereno noted. "It had to be safe for the
people, and the floor surface had to be conductive. A custom
mezzanine was the only solution."
On top of the mezzanine is the system computer center, 10 packing
stations, supervisors' offices, as well as part of the conveyor
system. Each packing station is equipped with a computer, bar code
scanner and printer, packing supplies, strapper and vacuum sealer.
Even the packing workstations were ergonomically designed to
simplify handling of totes and shipping materials. All work surfaces
are covered with a high-impact plastic that makes it easy for the
operator to slide the totes from the conveyor and back again.
"In the old facility, my packing area was approximately 200 feet
from the receiving/shipping area," said Streeter. "Everything had to
be trucked by hand form one room to another."
As an operator signs on to process orders, the next order in the
queue is assigned to him. The system pulls the correct totes for the
order from the carousel and delivers them to the operator's
workstation. The totes are scanned (Allen-Bradley) by the operator.
The computer monitor at his workstation displays the totes for the
order and provides further instructions.
The operator interacts with the instructions and places the totes
(remaining parts and packaged orders) on the conveyor. The system
delivers the totes to the right place (shipping or back to the
carousel).
Extra Benefits
The new system has enabled Cirrus to consolidate all its warehousing
operation under one roof. At one time, the company had warehouses in
Foster City, Milpitas and Fremont.
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The system's computer center is
located on the mezzanine, along with 10 packing stations and all
the supervisor's offices.
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"We were so fragmented before we consolidated here," said Streeter.
"We had several different warehouse spaces and we were moving
everything by hand. Now, it's all in a linear flow under one roof,
and we operate out of one facility instead of three different
locations. We maintain 98.6% uptime, operating 24 hours a day, 7
days a week.
"At the old facility, it took about 22 minutes to locate the part
and move it to the pack area," said Streeter. "Now it takes only 3
minutes to get a product to a processing station."
The time saving and efficiency of the automated system enabled
Cirrus to keep pace with its growth without adding new employees.
"If we were still operating under the old system, we would have
needed to add another 29 people," said Streeter. "At the time that
we got the system approved, I had 43 people. Today I have 43 people.
And our stock and order processing have increased by 50 percent."
Based on an article by David Omastiak, Omastiak & Associates. MHE
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