Niebuhr Gears A/S Recruits a New Star Player With the Seco AC300 Tool Management System
The AC300 Tool Management System from Seco Tools gives Niebuhr Gears A/S optimal regrinding, reduces tool loss, and eliminates incorrect tool selection.Shortly after adopting the Seco AC300 for tool use and tool stock management, Niebuhr Gears is already seeing big results. “It's a real Premier League-style début,” says David Reuther-Nielsen, Team Leader. “Within a very short time, the new tool storage system has swiftly optimized our tool stocks and immediately saved us time.”
Located in Ikast, Denmark, Niebuhr Gears produces cogs for innumerable applications and industries across the globe. To accomplish this, the company’s production team uses a large, diverse range of special tools and parts.
“In the past, we found it difficult to ensure that we always had the right tools in stock,” says Stig Brogård Andersen, Product Line Manager at Niebuhr Gears. “Because tool availability is a critical parameter, we generally stocked far too many tools.”
In addition to the cost of overstocking, the company occasionally faced situations where critically important tools went missing, causing delays in production.
To overcome these issues, Niebuhr Gear decided to acquire an efficient tool inventory management system. It found the perfect solution via the combination of Seco Tools’ automatic AC300 Access Control system and compact AC100 module.
“We optimised the entire process at every phase, from the point when the person filling the unit scans the pack and the right drawer in the cabinet automatically opens to retrieving statistical data to consistently track tool use,” explains Brogård Andersen. “The system brings stock control to a whole new level. We have insight into current consumption and can optimize purchasing and stocks.”
The new inventory management system includes three large AC300 Access Control units, two smaller AC100 modules containing drawers, and powerful, intuitive tool management software.
To optimize the implementation process, Niebuhr Gear introduced the system in stages. The rollout began in a contained production area responsible for producing high quantities of five standard parts. This area used a relatively small range of tools, but any interruption to production proved extremely costly. In short, the company piloted the new system in a way that provided substantial benefit while minimizing initial demands in terms of complexity.
Confident from the initial results, the new inventory management system was rolled out in stages throughout the rest of Niebuhr Gear’s operations. By taking a structured, planned approach to implementation, the company was able to reap the benefits of experience and ensure that staff were motivated to use the new system.
“In fact, everyone here said they were looking forward to it,” says Team Leader David Reuther-Nielsen. “It was clear to us that the new system would save us all a great deal of time. Indeed, it already has.”
Although Niebuhr Gears has only used the new access control system for a short period, shop leaders and employees have already provided significant positive feedback, crediting the software and access control units with being simple to operate and easy to get used to. With large display screens and a highly intuitive interface, the system required very little training.
“It’s great. You just scan the barcode on the pack and then you can read all the details on the screen with a picture of the tool itself,” says Reuther-Nielsen.
Reuther-Nielsen credits ongoing support and advice from Seco Tools for the smooth implementation. He states the process was significantly supported by technical advice from Seco Tools’ Sales Representative Dan Højbjerg and the setup and adjustments provided by Henrik Abild.
“It was patently obvious that both men have strong technical backgrounds and understood our challenges and our needs,” says Reuther-Nielsen. “It made the whole process much easier.”
After several months of experience, Niebuhr Gear is confident that the new AC300 Access Control system will meet expectations in terms of time savings, stock level reductions and better all-around tool use, including minimizing regrinding, losses and incorrect tool selection.
Soon, Niebuhr Gears plans to implement automatic reordering of common consumables, another step that is expected to save staff time and effort. Overall, the company expects to see an early return on its investment, achieving a positive ROI in under two years.
Via implementation of the new access control system, Niebuhr Gears has again lived up to its motto: Nothing changes unless it is in motion. In this case, the company’s commitment to constant improvement has boosted efficiency across its logistics and production management, resulting in better performance throughout the whole of its operations.
