Factory Material Manager from ASMPT

“A modern SMT factory can have up to 100,000 component packages in the warehouse and on the shop floor,” says Rob Raine, Senior Product Manager for Automation Solutions at ASMPT. “Factory Material Manager is aware of each of them and knows its location at all times.”

Where is which component reel located? Which materials are needed for the next production run? Was the expiration date taken into account during picking? By having the answers to questions like these with reliable real-time data, the Factory Material Manager relieves valuable operators of time-consuming routine tasks such as manual data entries or inventory checks. This leads to a considerable gain in efficiency, especially in modern high-mix/low-volume productions that must deal with a wide range of production orders, a broad spectrum of components, and storage locations that are often spread over the entire plant.

Up-to-date inventory data – from receiving to production

As soon as goods are received, each package or reel gets a label with a unique user ID (UID), The UID is linked to data on the manufacturer, batch number, delivery date, and special features such as MSD (moisture-sensitive device) or the expiration date.

Whenever a component package changes its location, its ID gets scanned and logged in the system. As a result, Factory Material Manager always works with current real-time data. Based on all this information, the software generates path-optimized pick lists, supports setup procedures, and ensures seamless material tracking along the entire production cycle.

Factory Material Manager also communicates with automatic storage systems, including those made by third parties. Operating on a strict first in, first out basis protects against losses due to expired materials, and a tracking system that’s always up to date prevents inventory shortfalls and line stops resulting from material shortages. This kind of permanent and fully automated inventory monitoring does not only improve your process stability and efficiency, it also reduces your costs because it cuts down on your need for emergency stocks. According to findings made by SMT manufacturers, material inventories can be reduced by 5 percent.

A powerful pair for the Intelligent Factory

“Factory Material Manager implements the Intelligent Factory principle in a consistent manner,” says Raine. “It collects data from a broad spectrum of sources ranging from the shop floor to the enterprise level, processes it, and uses it to make your processes more efficient.”

In combination with WORKS Logistics, which is ASMPT’s application for optimizing the material flows on the shop floor, Factory Material Manager optimizes and automates material flows throughout the entire production. The two connected applications from ASMPT ensure the demand-oriented supply of materials, reduce transportation and setup costs, trigger operators and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), and even support automatic program changeovers on the line. With this software combination, electronics manufacturers can maximize their ROI and gain a clear competitive advantage.