Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1541670
16 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2025 there. They're storing thousands and thousands of reels. Some customers have as many as half a million reels in stock at any given time, stored in a metal bin within their vast facility. Based on our case studies, it takes an average of two to five min- utes per reel to locate, which is a relatively gener- ous estimate, given that it can actually take up to 10 minutes to find a single reel, only to realize the reel is completely gone. So, that's the current situation. At Inovaxe, we are automating not only the physical side of mate- rial handling, but also the software side. We're inte- grating our equipment with MES, MRP, and ERP systems, and automating the transactional data. It is still the case, however, that most custom- ers are not doing a whole lot of automation. We see the lowest-hanging fruit is in the automatable transactional data processes. As an example, what is the current process for receiving and can it be automated? Currently, it involves a person reading barcodes, examining labels, and comparing them to the pur- chase order. You pick up the reel, examine it, and then refer to the purchase order. You're using your eyes. We have a table with a camera in it. You tap a button, and the camera takes a picture of the reel. We are already providing physical traceability by capturing an image of what is being received. We take that image and process it through our soft- ware, which utilizes image and pattern recognition. We can read all the barcodes and texts, and identify a supplier —all within one and a half seconds. We are already exchang- ing information with the ERP system: This is what's on the PO that you've received, the manufactur- ing part numbers, your ABL, and your quantity and date codes. Then we print an internal label and automate the receiving process into the ERP system. We send a message to the ERP with the UID and the serial number generated for this reel. The ERP can automatically move that quantity from one location to another. Usually, that's a several- minute process prone to human errors, and we've just completed it in a couple of seconds. That must make such a difference. How are you seeing customers implement it? Some customers have taken it a step further by applying AGVs and cobot arms. They're placing reels on the table, then picking them up and put- ting them on a stacker. When the stacker is full, it moves to the warehouse. Once it reaches the warehouse, a combination of AGVs may be used to pull the reels physically. You might have a con- veyor that delivers material from the warehouse to a staging and kitting area, or an offline feeder setup area, for example. Even more, we have cus- tomers picking up the remainder of the material on a smart rack, fixed on an AGV, and dropping it off at multiple lines. On the production floor, we are automating that communication with the pick-and-place machines. Each manufacturer's proprietary communication format is integrated into the MES systems used to both control the line and communicate with external systems. You don't want feeders to run out completely; that stops the line. Once that happens, an operator is running around looking for a reel to get the machine back up and running, decreasing your OEE. To optimize that process and increase your throughput, you must automate and antici- pate when a reel might be needed to keep the machine running. We have customers who are virtually running at 100% uptime (aside from main- tenance), cleaning, change- overs, and other similar tasks, because they are intelligently controlling the demand for parts on the machine. That is the lowest-hanging fruit in material handling and has been neglected for 30 to 40 years.