Improved Efficiency at Assembly Workstations

Assembly workstations need effective processes to ensure products are built with quality and attention to detail. In a recent call for parts application, the facility manager wanted to upgrade their existing assembly workstation process to reduce downtime. It required pickers to manually identify the correct boxes and place them into the proper location. This took valuable time to replenish the boxes once they became empty. To improve efficiency, the assemblers needed a reliable way to call for parts without leaving their workstations.

PTL110 pick-to-light devices were placed in front of each bin on the workstation to update the existing system. The PTL110 would light up green to indicate which box the picker should pick from. It also displayed a quantity counter so pickers would know how many boxes to take from each bin. Once they picked the correct number of boxes, the picker would then press the green light, which would turn gray.

A TL50 Andon Tower Light was mounted at the top of each workstation for clear status indication. The Andon was used to signal changes in status so others could quickly respond to and identify issues. When the PTL110 turned gray, the TL50 would show red to reflect a change in status, such as a bin needing to be replenished, or that the picked boxes were ready to be transferred to another area. It came pre-assembled with a control box for easy-to-see status. The control box used status LEDs to mimic the tower light status color and animation, so workers didn’t have to stop to look up at the tower light. The system was easy to install, and the parts were quickly connected and programmed to communicate changes in status.