kardexremstar Intralogistics Automation System User Guide
- June 1, 2024
- Kardexremstar
Table of Contents
kardexremstar Intralogistics Automation System User Guide
Introduction
Smooth-functioning intralogistics processes are essential for efficient and
competitive distribution and fulfillment operations. Automated systems and
technologies, long deployed by manufacturing facilities, are now moving
further into the supply chain to support distribution and fulfillment
operations.
Indeed, as the U.S. Roadmap for Material Handling & Logistics noted: “the
benefits of automation for material handling and logistics applications are
many: Machines are more reliable, do not make routine errors, conveyors move
packages much more quickly than workers could carry them, automated systems
incur lower labor costs; workers are less prone to occupational injuries; and,
in many applications, automation is more cost effective1
Investment in automated technologies shows no signs of slowing. In an
increasingly dynamic market environment, unanticipated faults and downtime
often have serious consequences. The resulting delays in production and
delivery can be very costly.
This report shows the types of maintenance, how to prevent unplanned downtime
and the costs associated as well as a real world example of how proactive
monitoring is the key to a successful operation.
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Reduce downtime
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Increase productivity
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Reduce technician labor costs
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Directly access systems
Types of maintenance
Corrective maintenance
Also known as Breakdown Maintenance, this is the most common type of
maintenance. It’s performed when a piece of equipment experiences a hardware
or software failure. The goal is to get it back to working order as quickly as
possible and minimize unexpected and costly production downtime. The repairs
themselves can be considerably expensive, as they often require expedited
spare parts acquisition and overtime man-hours.
Preventive maintenance
Also known as Planned Maintenance, this involves performing maintenance in an
effort to avoid equipment breakdowns and failures.
Remote maintenance & proactive monitoring
As times are changing, facilities are now highly automated. Therefore,
companies are adopting proactive monitoring systems when operations come to a
halt. Errors can be detected and fixed remotely to reduce the need to wait for
a costly on-site intervention.
Product overview
Kardex’s proactive monitoring system
With a proactive monitoring system in place, Kardex Remstar can receive
symptoms, or warnings, and proactively contact the customer. They can connect
to the machine to anticipate and correct machine and software failures before
they develop
Maximize equipment uptime and reduce service costs
With expanding, multi-million-dollar investments in large-scale automation
systems – conveyors, sorters, palletizers, robotics, case erectors and
sealers, packaging equipment and more – comes substantially greater emphasis
on keeping everything running at peak levels of productivity. Ensuring
automated facilities are properly equipped with routine proactive monitoring
supplies, tools and critical spare parts are essential. But, with continuing
digitization it becomes more and more important to know the true condition of
the equipment to reduce downtime and maintenance costs
Kardex Connect
Remote Support
With Remote Support our expert helpdesk team offers fast and professional
support 24/7.
With our Kardex Connect Platform, we securely connect to your machines to
remotely fix and diagnose your equipment with cutting edge security.
After receiving your service request and permission to connect, we provide a
remote diagnosis, which saves you time and money and avoids the need for a
technician’s visit. If a problem cannot be solved via remote maintenance, an
engineer is immediately informed about the diagnosis and comes optimally
prepared to repair the machine on-site.
This allows us to proactively contact a customer if we see problems occurring
and remotely access the machine to fix errors proactively, before major issues
arrive.
Smart Monitoring
Maximum equipment efficiency is crucial. Early detection of potential downtime
and identification of operational faults are important conditions to optimize
utilization.
Companies today are driven by operational speed, mobility, flexibility, and
individuality. They face challenges like waiting on hold for a helpdesk
representative, long waiting times and using their automated storage and
retrieval systems in different areas of the facility. Various groups of people
need to be informed about the status of these units at the same time, at all
times, and in real time. Services are expected to come digitally,
personalized, and interconnected.
With our Smart Monitoring service the connected equipment automatically sends
a report when an error occurs, guaranteeing fast reaction times and efficient
service processes. All data is analyzed within your network – a connection is
only established in case of an error. Our helpdesk is immediately informed and
contacts you to fix the issue.
Conferencing
With the Kardex Assist & Conferencing App, you easily and securely communicate
by video with the Kardex helpdesk, making Remote Support even more efficient!
Have a call session with our experts in your browser, smartphone, or tablet.
By enabling our Life Cycle Service team to put their eyes and ears on-site
during remote maintenance, it’s easier for them to support and solve the
problem. The data-transfer is managed by a TÜV IT certified, secure HTTPS
connection. The application is GDPR compliant.
Analytics
With Kardex Connect, you receive an extensive analysis (e.g., callouts,
utilized capacity per machine, completed cycles):
- Visualization of the machine’s data
- Live machine information (visualized KPIs) any time and from anywhere, allowing you to compare machine statistics and enjoy maximum process reliability
At an early stage, we identify and solve fluctuations in the machine’s capacity and inform you when machine utilization is lower than expected, leading to a higher process reliability and effectiveness
Downtime costs
The shutdown of an automated system, whether scheduled for routine preventive maintenance activities or unexpected due to a faulty or defective component that must be replaced, is costly. The potential costs can be calculated based on three factors: labor costs, lost revenue, and service costs1
Labor costs
Calculate your costs here. Labor costs = P × E × R × H
Lost revenue
Calculate your costs here. Lost revenue = (GR ÷ TH) × I × H
Service costs
Further, and harder to calculate, are service costs. These might include:
- Late delivery surcharges from customers
- Overtime pay required to compensate for productivity losses
- Delayed shipments which result in decreased customer satisfaction or loss of customers
- Rush and overnight shipping costs associated with a needed service part
After adding up those (and other) service costs, divide the total by the
number of hours of system downtime to calculate cost-per-hour.
Careful consideration of these costs and losses from system downtime leads
companies to evaluate alternative solutions to support in-house MRO practices.
The shift to ever more complex automated processes calls for a shift in
maintenance to early detection and preventive action.
Case study
Videoton EAS Ltd. adds automation
Videoton EAS Ltd., one of the largest companies in Hungary in the Electrics &
Electronics industry, decided to move to a new building and modernize their
processes for continued growth. Operators needed to have faster and easier
access to the stored electronic components, increased picking accuracy and
productivity, and most importantly, reduced downtime.
To automate the facility, Videoton EAS Ltd. installed 20 Vertical Lift Modules
(VLMs) Kardex Shuttle 500, connected with conveyors and position indicators,
integrated with Kardex Power Pick System warehouse management software. As
downtime could mean potentially high costs, Videoton EAS Ltd. opted for a
proactive maintenance solution, Remote Support, to ensure maximum equipment
efficiency.
A Remote Support Box (site control) was integrated into the system to allow
service technicians to connect to the VLMs remotely for monitoring and
troubleshooting. When an automatically generated service request arrived from
the site control at Videotron EAS Ltd., which is enabled by the monitoring
features, Kardex Remstar service technicians received the request and called
Videoton EAS Ltd. before they even realized there was a problem.
Videoton EAS Ltd. resolves problems remotely
After approval from a Videoton EAS Ltd. employee, the service technician
connected to the machine, downloaded the logfile and detected the problem. In
cooperation of both the Videoton EAS Ltd. employee and the Kardex Remstar
service technician, the problem was resolved from afar within 20 minutes.
Downtime was kept to a minimum, technician labor costs minimized, and system
productivity maintained.
Benefits overview
With Remote Support, operator and management support ensure exceptional unit efficiency. Downtime is minimized, technician labor cost reduced, and productivity increased. Due to more efficient troubleshooting and repairs by online access, Kardex Remstar machines are immediately operational.
- Downtime costs are kept to a minimum as a priority hotline connects operators directly with experts.
- Higher first-time-fix rate with precise disgnosis before acutally going to the customer service. Technicians are much better prepared.
- Faster reaction times and efficient service processes save valuable time due to condition monitoring and a service request button on the machine.
- Troubleshooting is more efficient as error logs can be viewed by both parties online via a portal.
- Early detection of possible downtime and identification of operational faults, unit status messages can be set to suit individual preferences.
- Higher transparency guarantees process reliability with the help of a live overview of the equipment status.
Learn more about Kardex Connect
Documents / Resources
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kardexremstar Intralogistics Automation
System
[pdf] User Guide
Intralogistics Automation System, Automation System, System
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