Assembly - November 2008 - (Page 33) the entire entity was assembled. This resulted in a much longer test process, and consequently, the lead time to delivery was often six to eight weeks. “Today, with the fab fulfillment process, we’ve recognized many efficiency gains where we test components and subassemblies far in advance of the eventual allocation and consumption into a configured entity tied to a customer order,” Boldrin points out. “This significantly reduces the lead time from what was months to what is now typically less than five days. “This has resulted in many inherent benefits from a manufacturing perspective,” adds Boldrin. “For instance, fewer people are required to manufacture the product; less inventory is needed; and there has been a reduction in the number of parts required to assemble a high-end server. In addition, there is much less space required to support the manufacturing processes.” The Poughkeepsie fulfillment processes can achieve turnaround times that rival much less complex products, such as low-end servers, storage devices and laptop computers. The plant closely monitors customer demands to ensure that the appropriate level of work-inprocess is prebuilt and stocked in a kanban system in support of anticipated fulfillment demand. “This emphasis on speed has significantly reduced the time required to fulfill an order, allowing the manufacturing team to satisfy a high-end server order within 48 hours from customer order entry to shipment,” says King. “That includes assembly, testing, packaging and putting the order on a truck.” Customers can also order upgrades to their existing servers, which can be assembled and shipped within a Assemblers at IBM Poughkeepsie are responsible for building few hours. the world’s most complex enterprise servers. The Adept Quattro s650 robot is ideal for high-speed packaging, assembly kitting and handling over the whole work envelope. The robot is flexible enough to allow you to proactively meet any market challenge and stay competitive. The Quattro is the latest addition to the Adept robot product suite. o Aut mot ive | Med ical Devi ce | Indus oolin trial T g | Food | Consumer Goods | Consumer Electronics Your Intelligent Robotics partner Adept Technology, Inc. 3011 Triad Drive, Livermore, CA 94551 Tel: 925-245-3400 Fax: 925-960-0452 Email: info@adept.com www.adept.com www.assemblymag.com November 2008 / ASSE M B LY 33 ASB05084Adept.indd 1 4/3/08 1:14:45 PM http://www.adept.com http://www.adept.com http://www.assemblymag.com
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