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PRODUCTION LINE FEEDING
The necessary parts must be supplied appropriately and in a suitable area in a coordinated and fast-paced production line operation. The necessity for effective material handling is exceptionally high in automotive assembly due to the significant customization of products and inadequate capacity to maintain all of the critical components of the assembly line. The two most frequent techniques of material distribution are kitting and line-stocking.
LINE STOCKING
- Components are delivered to assembly workstations in packing containers containing several occurrences of the same item in line-stocking (typically boxes, pallets, or containers).
- To maximize efficiency, parts are delivered to the line in their original packaging. As a result, full containers are stored at the border of the line.
- Only one unit package may be handled at a time when the packing container is a unit-load (e.g., a pallet or a particular container), and forklifts are required to transport the package to the border of the line.
- Unit loads will usually be stored in a single bin at the BoL, with replenishment handled by a reorder-point inventory system.
- Internal transportation is typically provided by a tugger train that regularly makes a milk run tour when the original item is a small box rather than a unit load.
- A tugger train is a vehicle that pulls numerous unpowered trailers along a route with multiple stops.
- Boxes will be stored two to a part at the border of the line, with replenishment managed by a two-bin inventory system.
KITTING
- Kitting is the process of delivering predetermined quantities of specific sets of components and subassemblies to the shop floor, where each kit is assembled, transported, and stored in its container.
- A kit is a set of components and subassemblies that operate together to allow one or more assembly techniques for a single finished product.
- Fixed and travel equipment are the two categories of equipment. A stationary kit is delivered to a workplace and remains there until depleted.
- Before running out, a portable kit goes with the final product and feeds many workstations.
- Each vehicle leaves the assembly line with the exact model of the different pieces that the buyer has chosen; each kit is unique. As a result, kits are supplied to the bar.
- Sequential kits are the same kit type since they allow for the same assembly procedures for succeeding vehicles.
- The maximum weight and capacity of a kit limit its content.
- Kit containers hold many comparable kits and are transported to workstations and stored at the line’s edge.
KITTING VERSUS LINE STOCKING
Kitting has several advantages over line stocking, but it comes at a higher price.Â
Advantages of kitting include
- Kits specific to vehicles reduce the time spent searching for the correct part or sub-assembly.
- Because kits are used in synchrony with the takt time, kit replenishments are more accessible to schedule than bulk replenishments.
- Material handling efficiency is improved.
Apart from the above-mentioned quantifiable advantages, there are other more qualitative advantages
Employees may find that kitting improves their working environment. Assembly workers can reach components more ergonomically and effectively if the kits’ racks or bins are well-designed. According to a 2011 study by Finnsgard et al., to compare the ergonomic conditions for assembly operators working with components exposed in wooden pallets versus smaller bins), it was found that the ergonomic conditions improved significantly, with a 92 per cent reduction in potentially harmful picking activities, effectively eliminating potentially dangerous body movements.
Disadvantage
The expense of assembling the kits, which demands more component handling, is a downside of kitting, and lower handling expenses inside the production workstations may offset this higher cost. When the sequencing point moves further away from the manufacturing line, kitting gives less flexibility in the event of a defect or sequence modification.