Scales Monitor Vendor Managed Inventory System

Thousands of different kinds of parts are needed to assemble finished manufactured systems. Some of them may be a variety of different hardware items, such as bolts of different threads, types and sizes, nuts, washers, rivets, and screws. There are plastic parts, panels, and attachments. Electronic items may include resistors, capacitors, transistors, inductors, integrated circuits and diodes. There may be connectors, fittings, pins, switches, plugs and sockets, and just about anything else. If any individual part is depleted from stock, the manufacturing process might have to be halted. The production floor may have to contact inventory control who may need to communicate with purchasing who would contact the part vendor to place an order. Of course, there are different systems in place with many manufacturers to avoid this disruption. They may rely on keeping excess inventory on hand. Or trying to keep strict control of items going into, and pulled from inventory. Or making an educated guess on the next requirement based on historical usage patterns. Mid size and larger manufacturing organizations often out-source their inventory control, purchasing and delivering to a distributor. The distributor now has the responsibility of monitoring parts bins for low stock conditions, and then replenishing those parts. The distributor likely has a number of manufacturing sites for which they are responsible. This often leads to a situation where the distributor must dedicate staff to be at their clients’ site, or to travel regularly to that site for inventory control. Furthermore, it may be difficult for the distributor staff to properly determine how many items are remaining in a parts bin. Industrial scale systems may be used to address this problem. The inventory of small parts are generally kept in plastic bins which are stored on shelving racks. A Vendor Managed Inventory System, such as that offered by Arlyn Scales, provides a scale platform to be placed underneath each parts bin that requires monitoring. The electronic scale platform has the same footprint as the parts bin. A single digital scale controller can accept input from a number of scale platforms. For ease of use, this is often limited to about 4 bins. A display screen on the scale controller allows staff to read the weight on each scale platform. These units are configured as parts counting scales. The individual piece weight of the part stored in the specific bin is input into the scale controller. The controller can then determine the weight on the scale platform, subtract the weight of the empty parts bin, and then divide the remaining weight by the individual piece weight. The result is the number of parts remaining in the bin. The controller collects this information from all of the scale platforms that it is connected to. In order to monitor all of the required parts bins, any scale controllers can be networked together. Arlyn Scales utilizes the industry standard RS-485 serial communication protocol for this purpose. The controllers are wired together to a Master Unit, which can receive all of the data from each of the parts counting scales. The Master also includes an Ethernet port. This must be connected to an Internet connected local area network, or connected directly into an Internet portal. The parts data from every scale will now get reported back, using a protected, secure method, to an Internet Server. The user may define how often the data will be sent. Usually, it will be once a day, or a few times each day. A database application runs on this server. The number of parts remaining in each bin is available from this database, along with historical data which will show the usage of that part. There are pre-programmed alarm values for each part, so that it is easy to see which parts are approaching, or have arrived at a value that requires replenishing. This parts database may be accessed by the distributor by using a web browser from any internet connected device. Generally, the home office will monitor it regularly, and send refilling information to the appropriate personnel. But a traveling employee may also have access to this information through their laptop computer, or even their internet connected cell phone. This will save significant amounts of time when servicing their clients. The industrial scales used to weigh the bins are constructed using rugged components, so that untrained personnel can fill the bins without concern about damaging the scales. Most importantly, the load sensors in the electronic scales are constructed from stainless steel. This type will be less prone to damage from abuse, shock load and overload.