Mohara Technica Corporation Decreased Material Retrieval Time and Improved Product Quality with AS/RS
Mohara Technica Corporation built a new factory featuring a unit load AS/RS for material storage, which significantly increased efficiency for supplying materials to high-precision processing machines.
Mohara Technica (headquartered in Gunma) has 50 years of experience in mold building, sheet metal processing and machining. With its new high-quality, high-precision processing technology, the company now manufactures a wide variety of parts for semiconductor and LCD production equipment, electronic devices and machine tools.
In January 2011, Mohara Technica expanded its main factory and installed a unit load AS/RS (Automated Storage and Retrieval System) for material storage. The unit load AS/RS significantly reduced the time needed to supply materials to processing machines. Additionally, storing the materials in the AS/RS helped protect the products, improving quality. Finally, the system provided quick delivery and high-quality manufacturing, which led to increased customer satisfaction.
Strategy to achieve quick delivery by stocking raw materials in the factory
In 2000, the main factory started operating with cutting-edge laser machines and three-dimensional image measuring equipment to shift the core business to high-mix, low-volume production. To achieve quick delivery, Mohara Technica stocked a certain amount of materials instead of purchasing them after receiving orders. The materials were stored in piles around processing machines, which made them difficult to find, as well as to transport using forklifts.
The unit load AS/RS increases the number of items handled and supplies materials in just a few minutes
Mohara Technica was able to expand its business through its precision processing products and quick delivery. As the number of customers increased, the processing materials also increased making the size of the storage area insufficient.
Therefore, a new factory was built featuring a unit load AS/RS. The pallet sizes in the AS/RS are 2,600 mm wide by 1,300 mm deep (102.4” by 51.2”), and the storage capacity is 158 pallets. Two shuttle carts move laterally storing and retrieving to ensure a steady supply of materials to the processing machines. With the changes, the time to supply materials to the processing machines was significantly reduced from 15 minutes to just a few minutes.
Mr. Junichi Shigehara, President, said, “The unit load AS/RS requires only one minute to retrieve necessary materials. It is incomparably simpler and quicker than before. The load damage and dirt caused by handling pallets is eliminated, allowing us to focus more on processing. In June 2011, we introduced a laser to provide further value-added products to our customers.”
