February 2021 Volume 3

AUTOMATION

Forging Industry and Automation For forgers, looking for ways to increase output for every labor hour is a constant demand to remain competitive in the industry without cutting the wage rates of existing employees. Specific automation solutions have been targeted by forgers and proven to increase their efficiency. This key component of a manufacturing or a production facility is the lean system by which numerous items and components are fed to other equipment, allowing the manufacturing process to move forward (See Figure 2). Unless your facility is using an inline process from rawmaterial to finishing, there will be buffer inventory between the processes (See Figure 3 for a familiar site among forgers). In each of these inventory locations, the automation of part feeding and loading will dramatically increase the overall throughput of your operation and reduce inventory costs. A constant part feeding system is becoming an integral part of making this automation work and thus increasing productivity. Now more than ever,

organizations looking to take their teams and facilities to the next level must not settle for parts feeding systems that do not support, align with, or enhance their production capabilities and goals. Now is an ideal time for your business to invest in automation to make production more efficient. Businesses worldwide are continuing to emerge from the pandemic shutdown, and with demand beginning to pick back up, investing in automated parts solutions will ensure you are in the best position to maximize revenue — even if business is less than demand levels prior to the shutdown. Just as important, companies need to consider parts feeding solutions designed to operate at peak performance for extended periods of time. Production facilities are now operating 24 hours per day, seven days per week and 365 days a year to keep up with business and consumer demands. Such stringent expectations can take a heavy toll on equipment that is not designed or built to endure the rigors of this environment.

Figure 2: Forging material handling value streammap

Figure 3: Typical buffer inventories in forging facilities

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021 15