Production and assembly line automation | Preventing stoppages and improving operational efficiency with optimal buffer design
Preventing chain reactions of line stoppages with optimal buffer design. Absorbing variations in takt time to stabilize production.
We solve the challenges of "when a specific process stops, the entire line stops" and "the cycle time is unstable, leading to low operating rates." We provide automation solutions that maximize the productivity of the entire line by optimally designing and placing the "buffer (temporary storage area)" between processes, not just focusing on the performance of individual equipment. - We want to optimize the retention (buffer) during inter-process transportation. - We want to prevent the impact of a single process stoppage from affecting the entire line. - We want to stabilize productivity by reducing variations in cycle time. - We want to calculate the capacity to maximize operating rates without increasing inventory. - We want to automate and reduce manpower in the production line to address labor shortages. 【Benefits of Implementation】 We minimize the impact of processes with high stoppage risks, such as inspections and manual work, while maintaining high operating rates even in labor-saving lines. We achieve a manufacturing line with stable quality and production speed while keeping excess inventory in check. Please feel free to consult us from the conceptual stage regarding optimal line configurations and buffer capacity calculations.
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【Specific Functions and Features】 - Optimal buffers are placed before and after bottleneck processes to prevent stoppages in upstream and downstream processes. - Calculation of appropriate capacity that avoids excess inventory, based on the "desired absorption time" for stoppages. - Selection of methods tailored to line characteristics (synchronous or asynchronous) from conveyors, shuttles, and automated warehouses. - Pre-validation at an operational level linked to the transport process through 3D simulation. 1. Design capability to optimize "flow" rather than "points" In addition to the "integrated system" of Tsukuba Engineering, our unique buffer placement logic minimizes the impact between processes, ensuring that stoppages in specific processes do not lead to "cascading stoppages" throughout the entire system. 2. Time-reverse risk design By calculating the necessary capacity from the "anticipated stoppage time" of high-risk inspection and manual processes, we eliminate failures such as having too little capacity to be effective or too much capacity that compresses space, achieving appropriate capital investment. 3. "Completion-type" support that does not abandon until mass production is stable We do not consider the project complete once the equipment is delivered; we thoroughly support on-site fine-tuning of actual work and optimization of transport control until our customers' mass production stabilizes, ensuring project completion.
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- Applicable industries: Automotive and transportation equipment, electrical and electronic, industrial machinery, building materials, food machinery - Implementation purposes: Establishing new manufacturing lines, modifying existing assembly lines, optimizing inter-process transportation - Customization availability: Fully customizable (individual design based on work shape and stop risk) - Supported processes: Conceptual design, buffer design, equipment manufacturing, construction, mass production startup support
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We, Thermix, a top-tier production line builder with proven expertise, handles automation and line construction for production equipment across diverse fields including automobiles and automotive parts, aircraft bodies, and industrial machinery. We provide full turnkey solutions from concept and specification review through design, manufacturing, installation, commissioning, and maintenance, ensuring reliable mass production launch. Leveraging our production technology expertise, we organize and visualize the current state, including process feasibility, integration with existing equipment, and safety. Utilizing industrial robots, image processing, conveyance/inter-process transfer, and material handling, we propose realistic automation roadmaps without unnecessary strain. We address challenges like “We want to reduce staffing on lines that can't be stopped” or “Equipment investment decisions are difficult,” accompanying you from small-scale PoCs to full-scale deployment with our project management expertise. Leveraging our domestic and international launch experience, we collaborate to create the optimal production line.
