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Cimcorp customer magazine 2 | 2011
How can the post reinvent itself? Transformation in the postal industry
e-shopping is taking over the stage New eco-label for tires reveals fuel efficiency Cimcorp offers automatic labeling system
In this issue: EDITORIAL | INNOVATIVENESS, A KEY RESOURCE
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Transformation in the postal industry – challenges and opportunities
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MultiPick is the cornerstone of mail sorting in Itella
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HORIZON
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e-xplosion online
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Itella invests in optimized mail sorting
CIMCORP+ test cell accelerates development work 14
COLUMN | PERFECTION
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Total control system increases yield
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OUR EXPERTS OUT IN THE WORLD
From Russia with love PICK OF THE COLLECTORS | HIDDEN TREASURES ARE TRACEABLE
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New robot cell helps test applications and functionalities
22 PHOTO: OTSO LAHTI
PICK OF THE COLLECTORS | ANNE HAKANEN
Hide, seek – and trace!
Pick | Cimcorp customer magazine publisher | Cimcorp Oy, Satakunnantie 5, FI-28400 Ulvila, FINLAND phone +358 2 6775 111, fax +358 2 6775 200,
[email protected], www.cimcorp.com editor | Paula Ovaskainen,
[email protected] translation | Pelc Southbank Languages editing and layout | Zeeland printed by Newprint subscriptions |
[email protected] or phone +358 2 6775 111
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EDITORIAL
Innovativeness, a key resource Maintaining competitiveness requires continuous product development. Product development has to succeed in order to sustain market share, not to mention growing it. Innovativeness is an integral part of this process. Cimcorp has invested heavily in strengthening the product organization. The investments Cimcorp has realized aim at a high level of productization of Cimcorp robots and their dedicated software, and at the improved speed, reliability, and user-friendliness of the equipment. All of this targets the enhancement of our customers’ competitiveness and delivery accuracy, thus maintaining customer satisfaction.
PHOTO: TOMI GLAD
New products and extra features have also been developed continually to respond to the changing and increasing demands of the markets in the tire, food and beverage industries, not forgetting mail sorting. At the same time we have targeted new growing markets such as wholesale order picking and the fast-growing sector of e-tail order picking and distribution. However, behind all this lie innovativeness and the ability to develop, which Cimcorp has always supported and valued. The history and success of our company has always been based on strong engineering knowhow, which in
Kai Tuomisaari Vice President, Sales and Marketing
turn has led to groundbreaking products, ingenious inventions, and numerous patents. We are proud of our achievements and to honor the fact we are launching another revolutionary product in 2012. Nevertheless, it is crystal clear that our customers’ input in our innovations and product development is extremely significant. Without this valuabIe and
RMT Robotics celebrates 30 years of success
mind alert, conversation vibrant, and creates happiness and the joy of insight
Doug Pickard, CEO and one of three founders of RMT Robotics: In the summer of 2010, RMT Robotics was acquired by Cimcorp Oy of Finland. This strategic move allows RMT to remain competitive and continue to ensure that our products are the most cost effective in the market. RMT will continue to grow on a global scale by offering innovative and best-in-class solutions for a targeted set of applications. For RMT this means continuing with the innovation that makes us the leading supplier of robotic material handling solutions to the tire and food and beverage industries.
– hopefully each day.
Read more: page 10
innovative professional assistance it is almost impossible to be bang on target in product development and new innovations. In this context I would like to thank our customers for their support and their continued challenge to do better. We will serve you even better in the future and we hope to create higher value added for you with more efficient systems and products. Creativity and innovativeness are linked to everyday life both at work and during leisure time. It often leads to “light-bulb” ideas and solutions and sometimes also to outstanding results. Above all, however, it keeps the
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AUTHOR Derek Osborn of Whatnext4u is an acknowledged international expert in the postal industry and co-editor of two recently published books on the sector, entitled “The Future is in the Post”. The first volume was on STRATEGIES and the second on TRANFORMATION. • www.libripublishing.co.uk •
[email protected]
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Text: derek osborn PhotoS: derek osborn illustration: Shutterstock
in the Postal Industry Challenges and opportunities The whole world is experiencing a major succession of shocks, real seismic earthquakes and also shocks to the global economy, which are hitting financial markets and currencies, affecting all of us in some way or another. These impact on every sector, but for the postal industry, the global economic challenges are just one more in a long list of factors driving change and leading to major transformation. The quantum shift involved for posts is more significant because most had remained unchanged for generations. Until recently, most posts were public sector mono- poly providers of a traditional range of services
with an impressive legacy and heritage but ill-prepared for the 21st century and often described, quite accurately, as industry dinosaurs. But in the last decade they have been ‘hit’ by a succession of meteoric challenges including: the progressive liberalisation of the market, especially in Europe; increased demands from regulatory authorities and governments; the digital revolution which has transformed channels of communication; customer behaviour which has also changed to reflect the wider use of internet and mobile technology in particular; environmental pressures on the use of non-renewable energy and the produc
tion of harmful emissions, as well as the con- tinued debate about paper and physical media. Posts now face the combined challenges of declining volumes of traditional mail and rising costs, with the additional threat of competition. Meanwhile, new entrants are appearing in the postal market, with innovative products and services and lower, more flexible cost structures. This has raised a lot of very difficult questions for monopoly incumbents who are obliged to service the universal service obligation (USO), burdened in many cases with high levels of fixed costs, strong unions, little Pick | 5
Derek Osborn
New materials handling and automation solutions are extremely important as means of driving down staff costs but still improving efficiency and reliability. So robotic solutions and clever use of technology is increasingly relevant and helping the post to reinvent itself as leading edge.
flexibility and legacy systems, equipment and traditional thinking. How can they suddenly react in an agile way, become more customer oriented and innovative, focusing more on revenue generation and creating value than purely on volumes? However the combination of potential threats has spurred many of the traditional operators into thinking and acting quite different and radically – hence the radical transformation that is taking place across the sector. This is evidence that ‘necessity really is the mother of invention’. Now they are under real financial pressures, the combination of lean programmes, efficiency and cost containment measures and innovative thinking is driving many operators, who were hitherto slow to react, into moving much faster. They are beginning to recognise where value is created, what products and services are profitable and how to use their current technology in the most innovative and effective ways. Importantly, they are also looking for new technology enablers for some widely diversified customer solutions. So large scale equipment that was design ed for volume, clearly has the capacity, but is now being fine-tuned to support value-adding features, such as intelligent forwarding, customer tracking of large mailings, revenue protection, address cleaning and many other applications that can use the range of intelligent data in or around the envelope or parcel. The main trend that all consistently report is a steady increase in 3-dimensional items, packets and parcels, with a fall in the traditional letter format. This poses some 6 | Pick
new operational challenges in the pipeline and logistics but creates as many new opportunities to deliver new last mile solutions and engage with both receiving and sending customers, again by deploying latest technology. New materials handling and automation solutions are extremely important as means of driving down staff costs but still improving efficiency and reliability. So robotic solutions and clever use of technology is increasingly relevant and helping the post to reinvent itself as leading edge. Some postal providers are also diversifying into warehousing and distribution, including pick and pack to complement their long standing expertise and reputation in logistics and delivery. In Europe it is possible to look at the first nine months of a liberalised market and see that it has been the stimulant for a great deal of fresh thinking, fresh approaches to the market and building of new service solutions enabled by existing or developing technolo-
gies. All is not lost and the future is looking more exciting all the time, especially if you factor in the new ideas coming into the market from the ‘non-postal posts’. The opportunities for posts include making a conscious decision to think positively about the future and to continuously innovate in order to re-engage all business customers and consumers with fresh, exciting and different products and services that are relevant to their current needs, so as to re-shape the market and build on their core strengths, such as universal presence, brand awareness, trust and delivery capability. Increasingly, different companies and businesses, including suppliers are using every opportunity to collaborate with each other but also with customers and other stakeholders to explore and develop new approaches and new thinking – in short, to re-invent the post for a new age. Physical mail still has a great future and there are many customers and businesses that have not yet realized or seen what mail can accomplish for them and the value it can bring to their own business aspirations. To think of physical mail as something that can bring and convey value for the sender and recipient is still one of the world’s biggest secrets. The key for the postal industry is to integrate the physical and digital, so that in a multimedia, multi-channel world and with a strong pedigree and legacy in physical delivery, posts can create new customer touch points in the digital world, including social media, to provide new ways to access their wide range of capabilities for a new generation of customers.
MultiPick is the cornerstone of mail sorting A couple of years ago Itella invested in the automation of its sorting centers. New sorting centers were built in Kuopio and Oulu and the Tampere and Helsinki centers were refurbished. Within a few years Cimcorp’s MultiPicks have taken their place as a cornerstone of modern optimized mail sorting. Text: TOTTI TOISKALLIO Photos: SINI PENNANEN
The speed and ease of communica tions via the Internet have brought huge challenges to conventional mail. The quantity of letter post has fallen dramatically and the mailman’s cart also has less bulk mail than before. Newspapers are also switching to online versions. Conventional mail services are living through an unmistakable period of transition. “This is not the death of conventional services though, just a change in delivery ratios,” says Reijo Mononen, development manager at Itella. Since the younger generations have learnt to read their news and mail via the Internet, the focus point of the postal service is gradually shifting towards parcel deliveries. The growth in e-tailing and ordering goods from further afield is increasing the amount of parcels being mailed. At the same time as the Kuopio, Oulu, Tampere, and Helsinki sorting centers invested in general automation, they also procured parcel and bundle sorting equipment.
“We can see clear opportunities for growth in this sector. This year our growth rate for the parcel business has been seven percent,” explains Mononen.
Tougher competition With the investment program focused on the sorting center automation, Itella has prepared itself not only for the increase in electronic communications but also for tougher compe tition. Although mail delivery was opened up to competition at the beginning of 2011, it has not yet had a tangible impact on Itella’s operations, but new players in the sector are expected to emerge in the future. Itella is striving to use its investments to cement its place as the leading player. “The Cimcorp robot system has allowed us to improve our cost efficiency and respond to changes in volumes better. Delivery of letters and parcels account for over half of Itella’s business, and significant improvements have now been achieved with an eye to the future,” says Mononen. Pick | 7
Cimcorp’s solution for tray handling and sorting features robots operating on an overhead gantry to store and sort trays of mail in stacks placed directly on the floor. The gantry is modular in design, allowing the system to operate over large floor areas, and the robotic handling is both very fast and totally accurate. With vast experience in logistics automation, Cimcorp can design, install and support the total solution including robotics, conveyors, material flow control and systems integration.
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It didn’t take long for the MultiPick system to claim its place in the sorting center. Mononen believes that these days it would be difficult to imagine a sorting center operated completely manually. At the Helsinki branch, which handles over half of the entire letter post in Finland, MultiPick has even been given its own nicknames. “Inside the sorting center all the crates are moved by MultiPick. At the Helsinki center they jokingly call it the amoeba, organism or bedrock, on which everything else is built,” laughs Mononen.
Continued controllability and efficiency The automation of the sorting centers has delivered clear improvements in both the ergonomics of the work and process controllability: employees no longer have to lift crates and the system is always available when it is required. “It is crucial that the reliability and availability of the equipment remains at a high level. We have an agreement with Cimcorp for 24/7 support, and it works extremely well and reliably.” In addition to working conditions, the robot system has also brought about significant changes in maneuverability and monitoring of deliveries. “Our ability to track deliveries has improved dramatically, and thus we can also control the processes better. It is essential for supply chain management that we are able to track deliveries and we know where they are in their
journey at any given time.” Expectations of process speeds have also essentially been met. “As far as throughput times are concerned, we have tough requirements for the whole system. Some of the Helsinki crate flows have not yet been connected to the system, but the tests carried out at the robot commissioning stage met the targets.” The benefits of modular robot systems in the current situation are crystal clear. For example, during maintenance a single robot can be taken to the repair point and the working area of another robot can be extended. So operations can continue without losing a single storage space. “Likewise, if our needs grow in the future new cells can be installed in the robot systems thus increasing capacity,” states Mononen.
Reijo Mononen, development manager, Itella:
The Cimcorp robot system has allowed us to improve our cost efficiency and respond to changes in volumes better.
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TEXTS: TOTTI TOISKALLIO, PAULA OVASKAINEN, lori vaughan PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK ILLUSTRATION: RMT ROBOTICS
Quotes
The RMT Story
Doug Pickard, CEO and one of three founders of RMT Robotics answers questions about the start-up and success of the company.
Tire Technology International, July 2011:
Man or machine? Is the smart tire plant concept of tire production running almost without human intervention a realizable dream, or a very costly venture that is decades ahead of its time? The future is already here. At least that’s how some within the industry view the level of automation now in operation at the most modern tire factories. One of the world leaders in wide-area gantry robot systems is Cimcorp. By Saul Wordsworth Read more: http://viewer.zmags.com/ publication/956f8b78#/956f8b78/42
About.com.
Logistics/ Supply Chain Order picking can be defined as the activity by which a small number of goods are extracted from a warehousing system, to satisfy a number of independent customer orders. Picking processes have become an important part of the supply chain process. It is seen as the most laborintensive and costly activity for almost every warehouse, where the cost of order picking is estimated to be as much as 55% of the total warehouse operating expense. As the order picking process involves significant cost and can affect customer satisfaction levels, there have been increasing numbers of process improvements proposed to help companies with this supply chain issue. By Martin Murray Read more: http://logistics.about.com/od/ operationalsupplychain/a/order_pick.htm
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Celebrating 30 years of success!
What was the driving force behind the launch of RMT?
– The three founding partners of RMT, Richard Bauman, Dave Wilmshurst and I had extensive experience introducing robotics and machine vision into the automotive industry and we felt that other companies and industries could benefit from our experience. What was the state of robotic automation technology in the industry when the company first opened?
– In general, robotics were not well received at the reception desk when we showed up to do our sales job. There was widespread concern that robots would eliminate jobs rather than protect jobs by improving productivity. Additionally, almost all of the robots were limited to the automotive industry. What would you say has been RMT’s greatest engineering accomplishment to date?
– Over the years, RMT has accomplished many incredible achievements. Our greatest engineering accomplishment to date has been the development of large gantries that move at a maximum 3.6 m/s and get to that speed in less than a second. This technology allows customers to sort, store and pick a large number of SKUs at a very high rate, much higher than previously possible.
The implementation of ADAM into industrial environments is also an incredible accomplishment. The ability to navigate autonomously outside of a staged laboratory environment is an amazing feat for the robotics industry. Where do you see RMT in the future and what will RMT do to ensure that it remains competitive?
– RMT will continue to grow on a global scale by offering innovative and best-in-class solutions for a targeted set of applications. For RMT this means continuing with the innovation that makes us the leading supplier of robotic material handling solutions to the tire and food and beverage industries. In addition, ADAM will be available on a global basis. In the summer of 2010, RMT Robotics was acquired by Cimcorp Oy of Finland. This strategic move allows RMT to remain competitive and continue to ensure that our products are the most cost effective in most the market.
HORIZON
RMT Layer Picker
Ideal for high volume & high-SKU distribution centers RMT Robotics is pleased to announce a new Layer Picking System using a state-of-the-art, patent pending, Layer Picking tool. Using a combination of vacuum and clamping technology, the new tooling has the capability of picking 95% of consumer products on the market today including corrugated or boxboard cases, shrink wrap products, bottles, tubs, and open trays. Patterns with voids and tier sheets are also handled with ease. By incorporating the new tooling, RMT’s Layer Picking System has the capability of picking multiple layers at once and to pick and place entire pallet loads, allowing for simple and secure inventory replenishment, especially with unstable loads. The new tooling will provide the highest throughput while providing unparalleled space efficiency making it ideal for food, beverage and consumer goods products. As a testament to this, several Layer Picking Tools are currently being supplied as part of the Case &
Layer Picking Project for Brewers Distributor Ltd, the largest Beer Distributor in North America. A Layer Pick tool mounted on a gantry is currently being displayed at RMT Robotics’ Canadian manufacturing facility. Customers are invited to take advantage of a live viewing which demonstrates the wide variety of package types currently being handled, or arrange to have specific products tested.
RMT Layer Picker can pick 95% of consumer products on the market today
Eco-label mandatory for tire markets The European Commission’s Ecolabel program will expand during 2012 to include the tire industry. In practice, at the beginning of November all tires manufactured for normal use should bear markings in accordance with the standards concerning frictional properties (which affect fuel consumption), wet grip (which affects safety), and the external rolling noise of the tire. Even though the regulations do not come into force officially until November 2012, action has to be taken regarding new tires well before that, since the official labeling requirements concern all tires manufactured after the first of July. According to Cimcorp’s Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Kai Tuomisaari, the eco-labeling process is easy to automate. “An automatic labeling system can be installed at the tire plant either as a new, independent cell, or it can be integrated flexibly in the existing automation system. Once installed, the system identifies the tire and attaches the right label to it just before loading onto the delivery vehicle.” Pick | 11
e-xplosion
200
turns the volumes up During the last few years, online shopping has really picked up its pace. More and more shopping is done online, which has resulted in the significant growth of e-commerce. While new Internet retailers pop up almost every day, also traditional shops and businesses are stepping on the e-commerce stage. The nature of trade is changing, and it calls for efficient picking and dispatching. Text: TOTTI TOISKALLIO PhotoS: shutterstock Statistical sources: IMRG, Forrester Research Inc., TNS Gallup, Taloussanomat
Global e-retail sales increased by almost 25% to
68.5 63.7
31.3 30 20
10.1 9.4 8.2
Time is money – also in e-commerce When buying online, customers demand fast deliveries and low prices, challenging the whole supply chain. 12 | Pick
While the brick and mortar businesses
open their doors in the morning and close them in the evening, e-commerce stays online around the clock. Accurate data from the warehouse is needed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
India
Belgium
Russia
Netherlands
Finland
Spain
China
Canada
Brazil
Italy
Australia
Germany
Japan
France
GB
U.S.
4.4 3.1 3.6
1.3 0.3
online sales 2010 (1000 M€)
growth in 2010 (%)
Ukraine
12 12
Czech Rep.
14.4 12.8
€591 billion
According to surveys, nearly 80% of online shoppers demand delivery tracking for the items they have ordered. For the customers too, tracking is vitally important throughout the entire supply chain.
Pick your audience: Estimated global online population in 2014 will be
2.32 billio
Cimcorp´s new goods-to-man solution ideal for e-commerce distribution centers
Germany
France
UK
Italy
Spain
Ukraine
India
The sales were 3,070 M€ while only 7.4% of the population were Internet users. In the USA, sales were 200,000 M€ with 77% of the country’s 308 million citizens using the Internet.
Canada
Australia
Netherlands
Belgium
Czech Rep.
Internet users of the population 2010 (%)
India's e-commerce grew 43 % in 2010.
Yet China's e-commerce grew 57%. What will the numbers be like in 2015?
Finland
U.S.
Brazil
Russia
on
Japan
The solution can be adapted to any application in which a large number of SKUs are handled in plastic crates, totes, or bins. It takes care of a range of operations including the buffer storage of goods arriving from production or goods-in, sorting and order picking of products. This goods-to-man solution is an ideal concept for slow-moving products in retail and wholesale as well as e-commerce distribution centers. It is also beneficial for distribution centres handling parts and components, which face a large product range and very high service-level requirements. Robotic technology can either be applied as part of a fully integrated automated handling system, or as an ‘island’ of automation within a predominantly manual facility. Due to its very short cycle time, the solution offers an extremely high handling and order picking capacity, increasing order-picking efficiency tremendously. The dynamic gantry-robot system also features flexible and efficient use of space. It delivers an unbeatably high level of hygiene thanks to the overhead gantry robot and open floor concept.
In China only about one third of the population was using the Internet in 2010.
China
Cimcorp has developed a new gantry robot concept designed for the order fullfilment of goods stored in plastic crates. The new innovation is a gripper combined with a shuttle device, which can grip a single crate anywhere from the floor storage and take it out of the storage in 10 seconds.
Population 2010 (million)
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Text: TOTTI TOISKALLIO Photo: ESA KYYRÖ, TOMI GLAD
Reliability, safety, usability, energy savings, and the latest technology
Cimcorp+ test cell accelerates development work At the Cimcorp facility, work is underway on a new robot cell that will help test new robot applications and functionalities. Product development director Lasse Salakari says that the test cell will never be completely ready – it will be adapted and developed continuously along with new features and requirements. The number of new technical solutions available is increasing at an accelerated pace - in automation systems the same as other sectors. When the latest technology is applied to robot systems, it also requires precision testing. Previously, automation systems supplied to customers could only be tested close to delivery, but with the new Cimcorp+ test cell, test runs can be performed as early as during the tendering, design, and manufacturing processes.
To ensure reliability the latest technology is tested with Cimcorp+ test cell before implementation.
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Lasse Salakari, Product development director, Cimcorp:
The most powerful means of improving efficiency and reliability is through investment in up-to-date materials handling and automation technology.
“Now we are able to test the systems as realistically as possible, in conditions equival ent to the end use situations. The cell will enable the quality of our development work to improve even further and our customers will receive the latest technology after careful testing,” says Salakari. The new test cell has been tried out in practice too, in connection with robot systems supplied to clients. The results have been positive: new functions have been created and peripherals implemented thanks to the cell. To mention a few examples designed for the tire industry, a new type of servogripper, a stack height measuring system, and a new cell controller have all been developed using the new test cell. The test cell also ensures the suit- ability of the systems for the customers’ needs. “In addition to developing and testing new features, the cell helps us to improve and update equipment and systems that we have already supplied. At the same time, the cell enables us to present the right kind of working configuration to the customers before they make their decision to procure,” says Salakari.
Safe, user-friendly solutions According to Salakari, the test cell project has four clear objectives: reliability, safety, usability, and the utilization of the latest technology to enhance energy savings etc. The test cell can also be used in training, for Cimcorp personnel as well as the customer’s employees. “We paid particular attention in the test cell to making the robots and peripherals safe. Ease of use was another of the major focal points, and we are always trying to find even more user-friendly solutions in the areas of software, electrical and control technology as well as mechanics,” explains Sarakari.
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40%
lower energy consumption and 30% higher performance are some of the benefits of the smart energy miracle Cimcorp+ robot.
The peripherals that Salakari mentioned in particular were conveyors. In addition to conveyors, the cell will be used for developing and testing destackers, scales, barcode readers, wireless data transmission systems, and vision systems - plus numerous other functions related to robotic systems in accordance with the current projects.
“The amount and proportion of conveyors in system deliveries is still on the increase. Therefore it is of vital importance to test them thoroughly. We use the cell to test for instance the functioning of different kinds of tire, stack and pallet conveyors, and their intersections. We are also going to invest in the drives and control systems of the conveyors,” Salakari continues. Additionally, if there are any malfunctions it will be possible to troubleshoot them more efficiently than before. “For instance, in the case of a more infrequent malfunction we can fix cameras to monitor the robot’s performance, and we can examine the situation later from the recording.” Even though the aim of the test cell is to implement ready and effective solutions, Salakari does not think the cell itself will ever be completely finished. “Continuous modifications will be made as needs arise. It will act as a framework within which we can simulate the functions that we need, regardless of the construction stage of the system on order.”
Benefits of Cimcorp+ test cell in a nutshell • Thorough testing of new technical solutions before delivery (mechanical features, electrical and control technology, software) • Presentation of an authentic, functioning system before the procurement decision • Testing of the applicability of the equipment for the customers’ own products • Testing of reported faults and malfunctions on the Cimcorp premises • Training for customer and Cimcorp personnel
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COLUMN TONI LEHTO
Perfection After much consideration, I have come to the conclusion that human beings are not perfect. The part that took such a long time was admitting the fact. I wish I were an enviable elite individual, whose every thought and deed would shine brightly, and well, perfectly. But just striving for perfection required so much mental and physical energy that I have given up hope of even trying. Luckily, I am not alone in this; I believe that nobody is perfect. Human beings, homo sapiens, are not perfect as a species. But there is one way that people can get close to perfection. Namely outsourcing. People have outsourced their aspirations to perfection onto objects, goods and systems. To be accurate, outsourcing has not happened completely willingly, but by creating the market economy, people have to try to manufacture the most perfect goods possible. Competition is too hard to settle for laziness, incompleteness, standing still. Competition allows only momentary self-congratulation, a brief moment of feeling good, after which you have to take a deep breath and start to perfect the product that you thought was already absolutely complete. In the Christian faith, it is claimed that God created Man in his own image, but in the marketing faith Man has not created goods as a copy of himself. If a robot were made by duplicating my traits and characteristics, the end result would be tragicomic. An order picking robot that slumped in the middle of the working day to ponder the iniquities of the world and how he was losing his hair would be a strange sight in a factory hall. A robot that started to snap at his work environment, due to temporarily running out of steam or getting bored, would immediately be attacked by an army of engineers trying to locate the fault. Nobody would quietly mutter that he just woke up on the wrong side of the bed; he’ll get over it. After all, it is enormous luck that human beings are allowed to be imperfect, sometimes even total failures. This leniency towards failure has even gone so far that Facebook has a Failure Day. I think that’s crazy. I don’t need a Failure Day, because I fail daily at something, usually small harmless things, fortunately. Like this column.
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TEXT: HEIDI SCOTT PHOTOS: CIMCORP, shutterstock
Entire data
Total control system increases yield – dramatically Cimcorp has been gradually extending the scope of its control systems for the tire industry. With its latest module able to control production machines in the raw materials and components area, Cimcorp now provides end-to-end solutions for tire manufacturing plants.
Cimcorp has supplied over 500 gantry and linear robots to clients in the tire industry, which between them handle some 1.5 million tires a day at 40 plants worldwide. In fact, seven of the world’s top ten tire manufacturers are Cimcorp customers. They benefit from Cimcorp’s ‘Dream Factory’ automation solutions that optimize material flows, make dynamic use of available space, minimize buffer stocks and feature advanced control systems for precise tracking and full traceability. Industry know-how Since turning its attention to the tire sector some twenty years ago, Cimcorp has gradually applied its technology to each step of the tire production process, with control systems always an integral part of its solutions. Explains Kai Tuomisaari, the company’s Vice President, Sales and Marketing, “Control has always been an area of strength for us. During the past couple of decades, we have gathered a huge amount of experience and know-how in the tire industry. We soon realized that there was a need for better, more industry-specific control systems in tire plants and we’ve been responding to that demand ever since.”
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Client demand Now Cimcorp is turning its attention beyond the scope of its own materials handling automation technologies – gantry robots, automated guided vehicles, electric monorail systems, conveyors and automated storage systems – in order to provide control for production machinery in the raw materials and components area of tire plants. Says Kai Tuomisaari, “We realise it’s a bold step, but we’re actually only responding to the demands of our clients. Originally our control systems were developed purely to run the equipment that we supplied but very often we have found that clients want us to help them to control their production machines in terms of recipe management and InProcess Verification. As a result,” continues Kai Tuomisaari, “we’ve developed a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) module within our controls platform. By extending our control solution into this initial production stage, we enable complete traceability for tires from raw materials right through to the shipping dock, providing manufacturers with a wealth of relevant information about every single tire.”
Complete traceability So what does Cimcorp’s MES module do? In the raw materials and component processing area, as in all areas of a tire-manufacturing plant, control of the material flow is key. The MES is designed to provide full control through recipe management – including recipe creation, amendment, uploading, archiving and validation – workstation management, material movement management and production simulation. By logging material batches, operators and processing times, the MES provides complete com-
ponent data management for the tire-building process. It also ensures integration of the process machines with the host system, such as SAP, and In-Process Verification (IPV) to check that the right raw materials, components or products arrive at each processing station. Through realtime inventories, reports and alerts, the MES ensures complete traceability of raw materials and components. With rapid and efficient handling of raw materials and 100% component availability, manufacturers benefit from higher throughput to the tire-building machines. “What’s more,” adds Kai Tuomisaari, “the enhanced information on raw material requirements and processing allows manufacturers to keep lower stock levels, which in turn require less space and free up capital for other uses. Plus, of course, the MES adds more vital data to the information profile of each individual tire, providing comprehensive tracking and tracing information.”
Less scrap, better yield The MES works alongside other modules in the Cimcorp controls platform to ensure that all logistics processes in a tire factory are optimized. These other modules include the WMS
(Warehouse Management System), MFC (Material Flow Control), VIS (Visualization) and TRAC (Data Tracking). Together, the modules control all automated equipment and take care of key functions such as receiving product from upstream processes, routing of tires, sorting of tires by SKU (Stock-Keeping Unit), palletization, storage and order picking. The overall effect of this continuous process optimization is evident in the factory’s output. Explains Kai Tuomisaari, “Better control of the whole process means that more high-quality tires are produced. Tracing, combined with smaller buffers and 100% availability of components at all process machines, increases the yield dramatically.”
Kai Tuomisaari, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Cimcorp
Tracing, combined with smaller buffers and 100% availability of components at all process machines, increases the yield.
User-friendly interfaces Throughout the plant, easy-to-use graphical user interfaces assist operators by showing the real-time status of the system, including inventory visibility, giving full control over WIP (Work In Process). Simple error messages allow staff to identify the source of any problem quickly and the software’s diagnostic functionality aids recovery after a failure, with automatic completion of outstanding tasks on system re-start.
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OUR EXPERTS OUT IN THE WORLD Th is one is m y favo ur ite! Ea st an d wes t, old an d ne w – m ak es me sm ile !
lly is specia The bear ori P agues in mascot for colle t also he is r a e b (the ri!) ity of Po of the C
Jukka Kim has been working for five weeks as head of installation at a chemical facility in Yaroslavl. This is far from being Jukka’s first time on Russian soil, since studies and work have taken him to Russia and the former Soviet Union on several occasions. TeXT: johanna vuori PHOTOS: jukka kiM, shutterstock
Installation manager’s tasks in a nutshell: Job description includes human resource management, liaison with the customer, main contractor, and subcontractors. The work also includes making work plans and reporting back to Finland. The days are quite varied, but each working day includes different kinds of interaction with other workers.
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From Russia with love Jukka says he enjoys being in Russia even more than in Finland. His love of the Russian language and culture is shown in both his everyday work and his leisure time. In what way exactly will become clear as we follow Jukka in an ordinary working day.
06:30
The alarm clock goes off in an ordinary Russian apartment block. Jukka makes himself some oatmeal and coffee and gets ready for work.
08:00
Jukka’s place of work is a typical giant Russian factory, employing around 4 000 people. At eight o’clock the factory minibus comes to pick him up from the door and takes him to the site, about 2.5 kilometers away. This time there is a group of Finnish colleagues with him, but often there are also Slovaks, Chinese and German workmates. The first job of the day is writing a letter in Russian to the customer. “I studied in the Soviet Union. I know Russian very well,” says Jukka.
09:00
After writing the letter, it’s time to set off on a tour of the site, where Jukka meets the main contractor and the supervisor. They go over the plans for the day together. Then Jukka heads for another work area to oversee one work step and also do a little interpreting. “Russian is the working language here, very few people speak English.”
12:00
He has lunch in a typical Russian factory cafeteria at a neighboring company. “The lunch break is between 12 and 13. This is set in stone in Russia.” Today borscht and meat soup with millet groats are on the menu. “I really like borscht soup a lot. In Russia soup is always an essential part of a meal. Here people are surprised if someone doesn’t eat soup.”
13:00
After eating, it’s back to the site, where Jukka supervises the installation of the legs of a new system robot. The erection of the robot is connected to the new production line and refurbishment project. “Nothing like this has ever been done before at this plant and in fact this is the first major refurbishment. It will improve product traceability and cut throughput time.” Because of the refurbishment, Jukka also has to have the necessary computer connections. He also has to take care that the network for the other workers is ready for use. Jukka jokingly says that IT nerds are experts, who speak a completely separate language. “It’s quite remarkable that an ordinary Finn and Russian don’t understand each other, but when it’s Finnish and Russian IT guys, they are speaking the same language within ten minutes. That’s the way it is these days.” Current technology also facilitates daily life. “As far as technology is concerned, everything is easier and for example with Skype I am able to keep in touch with my Finnish colleagues and people back home.”
15:30
It’s time for coffee. Coffee in Russia? “Well, actually instant coffee. We don’t have filter coffee or a coffeemaker here, so we have to make do with instant. My Finnish colleagues wanted filter coffee and I told them to go ahead and buy a coffeemaker, but then you have to get the coffee and filters too. That’s as far as that project went. In a culture with a strong tradition of tea drinking, filter coffee is difficult to find. It’s a question of adapting. A lot of things are different to back home in Finland.” Russian working culture has its characteristic features too: including for example quick meetings and snap agreements. Plans and work arrangements change quickly. The benefit of this is that things also get handled
rapidly this way. “When agreements are like this, you have to have a good memory so you know what has been agreed. Fast meetings also require good language skills.”
16:30
The rest of the day is spent touring the site and Jukka checks out the place where assembly of the conveyor will begin on the following day. During site tours a lot of collabora tion is done with other workers. Potential problems are mostly related to work schedules and various opinions about them. However, it is great to work with such skilled workers. “The educational level of the workforce in the Russia of today is high. During Soviet times, there was an attempt to bring the working class to the fore, but nowadays education is valued. The fact that a person has spent five to six years studying at a university is something they are prepared to pay for.”
18:00
Jukka’s ten-hour day is coming to an end. Today he plans to go shopping. “I’m going to buy Lokomotiv (the ice hockey team that was lost in a plane crash in September) scarves as a souvenir for two colleagues.”
20:00
In the evening Jukka uses Skype to talk to his wife back in Finland. He has no other plans for the evening this time. Not that there isn’t plenty to do in Yaroslavl in the evenings. “I’m interested in the surroundings and the city. I’ve also been to the theater and I intend to go again. There’s an excellent jazz club in Yaroslavl I’m going to next Friday.” Russians also enjoy spending their free time with colleagues. “Supervisors and installation engineers are part of the same gang and if possible they have their summer cottages near each other too,” laughs Jukka.
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PICK OF THE COLLECTORS
Geocachers
leave no stone unturned in the search for treasure Geocaching is a hobby where the desire to be outdoors is combined with a certain kind of collector mentality. Our geocaching collector also pursues her hobby abroad. TEXT: JOHANNA VUORI PHOTOS: OTSO LAHTI
Geocaching is a worldwide outdoor activity, in which you look for containers called geocaches using satellite positioning. The Internet is also an integral part of the hobby, because the caches found are posted on your own profile page on a geocache website. Special needs teacher Anne Hakanen became interested in geocaching when she read about it in a hiking magazine. She found her first cache easily on the shores of the Aura River that flows through Turku. The hobby had a technology element too, because Anne had just bought a phone with a navigator. “I had used GPS before when boating, so it was a familiar device. My cell phone brought GPS into my everyday life, since I always have it with me,” says Anne. The cache coordinates are found on an Internet geocaching website. Certain clues are also given about the cache to make it easier to look for. The website also provides different kinds of information about the surroundings of the cache and how challenging the location is. In a country of snow and ice like Finland, it is essential to know whether it is a year-
round cache. If it is, at least you know that the cache isn’t located in the ground. The coordinates are entered into the GPS receiver, helping you to get close to the cache but not right next to it. “The hobby demands a good eye, but as you get more experience your searching skills also grow. The basic cache is a container, inside which there is a logbook where every cache-finder enters their details. There are different sizes of containers from fingertip size up to large buckets.” Each geocacher can set up their own cache. The one who hides the cache is responsible for looking after it and changing the logbooks. “At the beginning I had the idea of setting up a series of caches. There are lots of these around. The idea of a cache series is to plan a special series around a theme. The caches are numbered and in numerical order the caches always lead you to the next cache. When you have collected all these, you get an additional bonus task.” To date, Anne has found 103 caches, although she knows that in geocaching circles that number is nothing to brag about. The most
An EarthCache is a cache, where you have to visit a geographically interesting site pinpointed by the coordinates in order to find it. The visit is verified by performing a task given in the cache description, for instance by taking a photo and sending it to the cache Internet log. A Wherigo cache is one of the latest cache types. Using a program uploaded onto the GPS device, at a certain point you will receive the coordinates of the next point. Occasionally you also get a puzzle that you have to solve in order to receive the real coordinates. An Event cache is a meeting of geocachers, where cachers gather at a pre-announced time at a certain place, often indicated by headline coordinates.
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Teacher Anne Hakanen has found the educational side of her hobby, “It’s a way to get young people who live online to be more active. Put on your rubber boots 1and a jacket and get outside and to look for caches.”
important thing is to be the first finder. “Top geocachers are the ones who have set an alarm in their cell phone which advises them that there is a new cache. During the first few days, there can be quite a buzz around new caches.”
Traveling geocachers and moving caches meet abroad The hobby also follows Anne around the world. “There is no corner of the world where there couldn’t be a cache,” muses Anne. When she travels in a bigger group, she usually only searches for caches that happen to be in the right place, because despite her best efforts, she hasn’t managed to get her friends and family members hooked on geocaching yet. When traveling, the good caches do not involve containers at all. For example, you can find coordinates of some popular destinations that involve a task. In addition, you can add your own photo of the spot to the Internet page. Often, there is also some additional interesting information about the site on the Internet. Such was the case with the Sacré Coeur cache in Paris, when Anne took a photo of herself with the girls during a trip to Paris. Sometimes you can also find a “hitchhiker” in a container or cache. “I have found one hitchhiker in Finland. Mutley was a great toy dog, and it said he liked airports and wanted to travel to as many places as possible. So I left Mutley in Croatia. You can use Google Earth to see all the places Mutley has been.” Recently he has been traveling around the Czech Republic and Anne thinks it is high time for Mutley to go abroad again. The hobby unites geocachers around the world and Anne speaks of funny encounters that have happened abroad when meeting other geocachers sniffing out the terrain and guessing that each had the same quest - finding a container.
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See you at the expos! Tire Technology Expo 14.–16.2. Cologne, Germany Visit Cimcorp's stand to find out how our Dream Factory solutions can help you to achieve the maximum possible throughput of high-quality tires. • www.tiretechnology-expo.com
Logistics Link South 21.2.–22.2. Esher, Surrey, UK • www.logisticslink.co.uk
LogiMAT 13.–15.3 Stuttgart, Germany • www.logimat-messe.de
Foodex 25.3.–27.3. Birmingham, UK • www.foodex.co.uk
Rubbertech Nov 2012, Shanghai, China • www.rubbertech.com.cn
Post-Expo 18.9.–20.9. Brussels, Belgium We will be presenting how our innovative tray handling and sorting solution enhances process control, efficiency and ease of operation in mail processing and distribution. • www.postexpo.com
CIMCORP IN A NUTSHELL Automation technology company Cimcorp supplies robotic solutions for managing material flows in production and distribution environments. Cimcorp’s purpose-built systems, software and services improve the profitability and competitiveness of its customers’ businesses. The Cimcorp group – which consists of Cimcorp Oy in Finland and RMT Robotics Ltd in Canada – has become a leading supplier worldwide to the tire industry, and is also strong as a supplier to the food & beverage and postal services sectors. The group has 230 employees and has delivered almost 2.000 robotic systems across five continents.
CIMCORP OY
Satakunnantie 5, FI-28400 Ulvila, FINLAND phone +358 2 6775 111, fax +358 2 6775 200
[email protected], www.cimcorp.com North America RMT Robotics Ltd. (a Cimcorp Oy company) 635 South Service Road, Grimsby, Ontario, Canada L3M 4E8 phone +1 905.643.9700,
[email protected] www.rmtrobotics.com Brazil, Parana M2 Concepts Solucoes Empresariais LTDA phone + 55 41 32052937,
[email protected] China, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, Matromatic Technologies (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. phone +86 512 67533255, www.mae.cn India, Chennai Larsen & Toubro Limited, LTM Business Unit phone +91 44 2249 1932, www.larsentoubro.com Japan, Tokyo Itochu Machine-Technos Corporation phone +81 3 3506 3528, www.itcmt.co.jp Russia, Moscow LLC International Representative House, First Link phone +7 495 223 6839,
[email protected], www.1-link.eu Scandinavian countries, Gothenburg, Sweden KAP Management phone +46 3126 2512, www.kapmanagement.se South Korea, Seoul EKL Korea Corporation phone +82 2 2242 2963,
[email protected] www.ekl.co.kr Taiwan R.O.C., San Chung City, Taipei Hsien Song Rock Exim Industrial Group tel. +886 2 2999 4647,
[email protected] United Kingdom, Devizes Logistics Planning Ltd phone + 44 (0)5601 482815,
[email protected] www.logisticsplanning.co.uk
