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46 SMT Magazine • March 2016 juggle the vanishing cash flow because of the increase in inventory, and process more invoic- es. Not to mention, the line has been sitting idle waiting for the parts to arrive. The robotic storage system can provide a good solution for the part return process, as long as travel time and size is not important. The InoAuto smart cart is an extremely effective tool for this process as well. Returning parts to bins takes less than three seconds and, in many cases, part counts can be adjusted automatically by the machine software. Now let's look at the spaghetti chart of the material process before automation and stream- lining. Figure 5 is a typical presentation of the material flow through a SMT factory. One can get dizzy looking at this chart! The irony is when you create the spaghetti chart with the effect of the material flow throughout the other factory operations; program manage- ment, purchasing, production, test, etc. doesn't look very messy and actually looks very stream- lined. The other irony is that we are paying every day for all of that busy, inefficient work. We deal with simple big-box store shelving and metro carts, and will not even think to budget for complete automation of this mess and bring all of that wasted cash to the bottom line. One way to help bring those wasted dollars to the bottom line is to use 21st century equipment to streamline the process. Figure 6 is one representation of a mate- rial spaghetti chart with substantially fewer noodles. In the new process map your reels are stored at the point of use in a smart cart line InoAuto, next to the SMT line. Upload a pick list or a BOM to the smart cart computer and it will light up the location of each part in your kit and now you can get them in seconds versus hours. You can receive the parts in picking order by locating the parts one at a time, as the LED will blink one at a time, indicating one loca- tion for each one of the feeders. After the job is done, remove the reel from the feeder, scan the part number, and place it in any empty location on the cart. It is as easy as that, and as it looks in the chart above. Let those wasted dollars be invested into your growth, your customers' and employees' satisfaction, and your shareholders' delight. conclusion Managing your material is one of the most important parts of running a manufacturing operation. The human error mistakes, mate- rial bottlenecks, and inventory inaccuracies Figure 4: Flowchart showing reels returned to stock after a kit has passed through the SMT line. a PraCtICal guIdE to ManagIng MatErIal CoSt IMPaCt