Kloten/Switzerland. Security is of utmost importance in the entire supply chain! Reliable processes play a significant role, especially in times of capacity and supply bottlenecks as well as rising transport and energy costs. At its Kloten site, WISAR, Wyser + Anliker AG relies on the intelligent supply solutions of Würth Industrie Service GmbH & Co. KG to perfectly connect all processes. The scale system iSCALE has been successfully deployed since August 2022 for digital storage management and uninterrupted replenishment within the production supply. Measuring the weight, the system notifies the requirements of production materials and other small parts digitally - from the customer’s point of use directly to the ERP system of Würth Industrie Service and, thus ensures exact replenishment. With the system being transferred from pilot phase to regular operation, WISAR now secures an almost independent logistical storage management for C-Parts.
WISAR – pioneer in housing technology
WISAR, Wyser + Anliker AG was founded in 1961 by Cäsar Wyser and Claire Anliker in Zurich Seebach. With around 60 employees, the family business is in its third generation and has established itself as a pioneer in the field of housing technology at its Zurich-Kloten site. The wide product range is aimed at customers in the fields of installation and building services, industry/mechanical engineering as well as telecommunications and transport technology. Whether aluminium switch cabinets ALS, various aluminium or chrome steel housings for indoor and outdoor use, switch cabinet accessories or innovative products of WISAR 19-inch technology: with high-quality products “made in Switzerland”, the company has established itself with more than 60 years of experience.
Initial situation:
High process and procurement costs** While the main objective of the industry is to increase productivity and reduce process costs, it should also focus on improving quality and increasing flexibility. Even though C-Parts represent a small proportion of the purchase volume of the company, the procurement efforts involved here are high. Hence, the potential for saving lies in optimising the processes. This is exactly where the supply solutions for the automated production supply of Würth Industrie Service at WISAR come into picture. The housing technology specialist had already relied on a scale system for storage management. It is the flexible and self-sufficient use of the sensor-controlled scale iSCALE that led the company to rely on the innovative system portfolio of Würth Industrie Service.
The solution: iSCALE
Secure in material supply, cost-efficient in handling. iSCALE is a sensor-controlled scale, which is directly connected with the Kanban bin and is independently movable. As a result, it can be used flexibly in the industrial environment: be it at the assembly line, material storage, Kanban storage location or directly at the workplace. iSCALE handles the logistical storage management of C-Parts almost on its own. Würth Industrie Service offers sensor-controlled weighing technology for the traditional Kanban material storage as well as for seamless supply to the exact place of requirement in the line and directly to the individual assembly stations. This flexible and independent application in the actual place of use is only possible because the system is operated without power and is controlled via new radio technology (NB-IOT). The Kanban bin W-KLT®2.0 (Würth small load carrier 2.0) is equipped with a sensor-controlled scale, which continuously checks the weight inside the bin directly at the customer’s location and transfers it via an encrypted interface to the ERP system of the C-Parts provider. Once the weight goes below a defined value, a notification is sent automatically to Würth Industrie Service, whereby the scale system automatically determines the optimal time for an order according to the requirement. Once an order is triggered, a subsequent delivery is initiated – the entire process is seamless. The scale system is designed for all the bin sizes of Würth Industrie Service following the VDA norm (2115, 4115, 4315, 4315). Roman Anliker, General Manager at WISAR, Wyser + Anliker AG, highlights the advantages that WISAR expects from the digital storage management system: “A fully-automated logistical stock management replaces the cumbersome stock-takings, re-orders and interim storage. As the inventory is continuously audited, any fluctuations and peaks can be identified in time, and thus the supply security can be maximised.” The storage locations were adapted within two days by a team of three employees of Würth Industrie Service. Over 100 sensor-controlled scales were implemented in different bin sizes 2115, 4115 and 4315 at the Kloten site. At WISAR, the storage management is carried out through the traditional Kanban material storage. A centralised storage location with three Kanban racks ensures that the required fasteners are stored securely as per the requirements and, reordered accordingly in the production of the housing technology expert.
WISAR relies on the scale system iSCALE of Würth Industrie Service for reporting and reordering the requirements of production materials and other small parts based on weight.
In doing so, WISAR benefits from the process being economised significantly by reducing the tied-up capital, since high inventory levels can be reduced at customer’s location, and thereby, areas for storage spaces. With iSCALE, it is possible to deliver to the centralised storage locations as well as seamlessly supply to the exact place of requirement and the individual assembly station. In this way, the C-Parts management partner offers an additional solution within the production and operating materials supply, using which the users can further digitalise their entire delivery chain and make it more transparent.
Innovative scale system iSCALE of Würth Industrie Service for digital storage management.
Author: Pia Schmitt
Press and Public Relation