Vanriet helps gaming company hit productivity jackpot Vanriet conveyors have played a major role in helping amusement game company Barcrest increase its productivity significantly. Sub-assembly areas and the main production lines operate around conveyor systems that bring workstations to specialist assembly operators as required, instead of having one operator carry out an entire procedure. The new process saves time, provides greater flexibility for Barcrest to respond to sudden changes in demand, and brings greater visibility and management control, together with improved productivity.
Part of International Game Technology, a world leader in gaming products and low payout fruit machines - Barcrest has been established in Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester, for over 30 years.
The company carries out design, development and manufacturing in-house, with major software and electronics assembly suites.
In the international gaming machine market, demand can vary considerably according to the latest fashion and seasons, providing some 3-4 weeks demand visibility at best.
Formerly both the main production line and sub-assembly processes were based on each operator carrying out the total assembly, an inflexible process that required lengthy staff training and gave management little visibility of production status.
The training process also affected the speed with which additional staff could be made available so subcontractors were often employed to meet peaks in demand.
Harnesses and other sub-assemblies, typically five wiring harnesses for each machine, were put together on the first floor.
Operators worked at one of 24 assembly nail boards, carrying out the entire process individually.
The former ground floor assembly operation suffered from the same limitations as the sub-assembly process, with individual operators building an entire machine, placed on a stillage.
At the heart of the redesigned process, developed by Barcrest in conjunction with Vanriet, lay the concept of breaking the entire process down into simple, manageable stages and bringing work to the operator at a fully equipped, dedicated workstation.
Under the new harness and sub-assembly system, each assembly board sits on a pallet and travels round a Vanriet central carousel conveyor until it reaches one of 12 satellite workstations.
The track speed can be set to 10m, 15m or 20m/min, or controlled manually.
Each station has a dedicated operator, trained to carry out a specific part of the assembly process.
The pallet is directed to the appropriate workstation - either a work position or store position - for the next stage to be completed.
It is then returned to the central conveyor until the operator for the next stage is ready.
Testing and finishing procedures are carried out at two dedicated workstations, before the harnesses are send to the main production line.
The Vanriet conveyor system installed to handle machine production carries each casing to 12 workstations in sequence, for each process to be completed by an individual operator, with all the necessary tools and components to hand.
At the first station, a Vanriet-designed lift raises the machine casing so that the operator can fit out the lower part of the machine, but at a comfortable working height.
As space is limited, the conveyor track was built in three looped sections to fit into the available area.
Barcrest has also been able to justify investment in a number of automated processes, such automatic harness tie-wrapping machines, as the new system may only require one or two units.
The company's central management system monitors and controls every stage of the process, with sensors directing and managing the flow of each pallet and machine around the system.
Real-time information provides management with clear visibility of work in progress and any other measure needed to respond to a demanding global market.
New staff can be trained to carry out individual processes in as little as a few days, which provides the company with far more labour flexibility.
Barcrest's Production Team Manager Frank McDonald, who developed the concept in the sub-assembly process, commented; ' Our productivity is up by some 20% - 25% and we have accurate, up-to-date information on every aspect of the process, which has helped us plan the business and respond to changes in demand.' His colleague Malcolm Greenwood echoed his views.
'Before the changes we were building batches of machines rather than controlling the process to match production to demand.
Now we know exactly where we are at any time and can manage the process far more effectively, with final assembly productivity increasing by up to 30%.'