int jtm casestudy 0

8/6/2019 Int JTM CaseStudy 0

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CASE STUDY

JTM PRODUCTS, INC.


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2www.intelligrated.com

Please note: Intelligrated acquired the North and South

American operations of FKI Logistex

in June 2009.

Dan Schodowski aced a challenge. As president

and CEO o Solon, Ohio-based JTM Products, Inc.,

Schodowski knew the company was ready to grow, and

making the right investment choices would be critical.

Should the company buy an existing acility or build

a new one? What new material handling equipment

would be needed to support the companys growth?

Perhaps best known as the remaining piece o the

original manuacturer o Murphy Oil Soap, which

was sold to the Colgate-Palmolive Company in 1991,

JTM was ounded in1890 as the Phoenix Oil Company,

producing axle greases, belt dressings and lubricants

or the Industrial Revolution. Today, the company

is still privately held by grandsons o the ounder,

Jeremiah Timothy Murphy, whose initials now orm

the companys name. JTMs business centers around

two product lines: Murphys tire mounting and

demounting lubricants; and Phoenix pipe joint

lubricants used in the construction o water and

sewer lines. The company also does private label and

specialty product manuacturing.

For Schodowski, JTMs steady perormance o up to

$10 million in annual sales and an estimated 65 percentmarket share or its two main product lines gave the

company nancial stability on which to grow. But in

the back o his mind, Schodowski knew that i he were

to expand JTM, changes in production techniques

would be inevitable or the 114-year old company, its

employees and its owners.

We were pretty much pigeonholed into an old

building, says Schodowski. We couldnt expand.

Robotic palletizing solution romIntelligrated adds stang andproduction fexibility, avoids workerinjuries, and yields foor-space savings

Robotics Provides 114-Year-OldManuacturer 55 PercentProductivity Gain

Even within the building we could not add a lot o

machinery or equipment. I we wanted to expand our

business, we needed more room.

Once JTM decided on a new site its present location

just outside o Cleveland Schodowskis next

challenge was to meet the material handling demands

o JTMs product range. While the Murphys line o

products is primarily packaged in 25- and 40-poundpails, the Phoenix line is primarily packaged in cases

o either quart or gallon containers. With both sets

o products needing to be palletized beore shipment,

Schodowskis actory sta was let with a lot o slow

and heavy liting.

When we decided to move, we looked at how

we could set up our operations dierently, says

Schodowski. Our layout was ragmented in the

old building, and we could not bring in automated

JTM s Alvey robotic palletizer uses a Motoman articulated-arm and an Alvey vacuum-type end-eector designed and builtin-house at Intelligrated. The vacuum end-eector allows therobot to eciently handle both pails and cartons and thevariety o pallet patterns that JTM employs.


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allow the operator to load any number o pallets at

the start o a run up to 10, providing JTM fexibility

to do shorter runs and vary sizes without having to

manually pull pallets out o the cell.

On the ineed side o the cell, Intelligrated

accumulation conveyors take up the pails rom

the production conveyors and queue them or the

robot on instruction rom the robots control system.

Depending on the product size and stacking pattern

used in the particular palletizing operation, the robots

vacuum tool picks up one or three pails at a time by

attaching to their tops, and then puts them down to

orm the rows and layers o palletized product. When

the pallets are ull, they are shrink-wrapped by an

automatic shrink-wrapper and taken by ork lit to

inventory on the shop foor.

A similar process occurs or the cases o Phoenix pipe

lubricant. The operator sets the system up at the

outset, loads the pallets, and lets the robot pick a

pallet to begin stacking. The cases come into the cell

rom a second ineed line, and the process starts anew.

Design fexibility is built into the Intelligrated system.

While JTM does not currently use the robots ull

capacity to run both lines into the palletizing cell

simultaneously, the robot gives JTM the ability to ramp

up production at any time.

Beyond allowing JTM to run two lines at once, the

Alvey palletizing cell handles a variety o stacking

patterns and pallet sizes in addition to managing

Robotics for Automated PalletizingIncreasing options can blur the decision-making process whenchoosing between conventional and new technologies.

While JTMs decision to go with a robotic palletizer insteado a conventional palletizer seemed the logical way to go, thedecision may not be as clear or other companies in a similarsituation.

Until recently, conventional palletizers were the only viabletechnology to use. As a result, over the last several decades,conventional palletizers have become a standard component omodern automated material handling operations.

In the last ve years, though, robotics have entered the picture asan alternative to conventional palletizers, blurring the decision-making process as to which solution is best or a particularapplication. While high-throughput applications have demandeda traditional high-speed palletizer in the past, todays high-speedapplications can be achieved with either robotic or conventionaltechnology.

The lines between the types o solutions tend to blur evenurther when it comes to pattern fexibility. Both robotic andconventional palletizing solutions can be congured or virtuallyany pattern. The trick is determining which solution is the best tto meet the other parameters in an application.

Clearing the Field of ViewOperations and supply chain managers should careullyconsider their options when deciding on the type o systemthey need to automate a palletizing operation. Though not arigid rule, conventional palletizers are more commonly used orapplications requiring higher speeds or involving products withreduced packaging. Reduced packaging is particularly commonin todays high-volume retail environments, and is due in part tothe high cost o corrugate.

Robotic solutions generally t lower-speed lines andsituations where the palletizer needs to handle multiple linessimultaneously. Because o their typically smaller ootprint,robotic solutions are also an option where foor space is at apremium. A variety o actors, including return on investment,require careul consideration when deciding which way to go.

Sharpening the FocusI robotics appears to be the answer, the types o robots andcomponents to be used will also be par t o the decision. Mostmodern robotic palletizers use either gantry robots, knownas square robots, or jointed-arm robots, known as roundrobots. Both are nicknamed or their pattern o motion.

Gantry robots are linear-motion robots, meaning they move up,down and across in a work envelope that can be more than 80eet long. They are typically built to the dimensions o a specicproject and oer more overall fexibility, including the capacityto work with a large number o pick-and-place locations.

Jointed-arm robots are more constrained in the size o their workenvelope but are typically more economical and aster. In atypical palletizing application, a jointed-arm robot can build ourpallet loads within its work cell.

Continued on page 5


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the dierent pail and case sizes. For the 25-pound

Murphys pails, the robot stacks 40 by 48 pallets

with our layers, each containing 12 pails.

The 40-pound Murphys pails are stacked in two

patterns. On 40 by 48 pallets, the pattern is three

layers o 12 pails each. On 48 by 48 pallets, the

pattern is three layers o 16 pails each.

For the Phoenix cases o quart containers, the robot

uses a 40 by 48 pallet to load 10 layers o ve cases

each. For the cases o gallon containers, the robot

stacks a 40 by 48 pallet six on a layer, six layers tall.

Since the case patterns require dierent placement

angles, the robot is able to pick two cases at a time,

put one down, turn the second, and then put it down.

Intelligrated has helped add an additional stacking

pattern since the robot was installed.

JTMs Alvey robotics cell uses a sophisticated control

system that minimizes the amount o operator

interace required, says Tom Simone, engineering

manager, robotic products, Intelligrated. To design

this cell, we had to look at the sizes o the pails and

boxes that would be handled. Since each product has

its own pallet build pattern and production rate,

we had to determine how much o each product wehad to pick at a time, and then go about building

the patterns.

We also decided that since we had to handle pails and

boxes, we would use a vacuum end-eector instead o

a mechanical one, adds Simone. Because we had to

pick up dierent product and dierent quantities, and

because the patterns required us to release product

in a ew variations, the vacuum was the right tool. We

also chose the vacuum because it could pick both types

o product rom the top, which was the most eectiveand ecient method or doing that.

Continued from page 4

Another important decision in a robotics application is whichtype o end-o arm tool, or end-eector, to use. Whilevacuum-type end-eectors have many uses, they are sometimesnot suited or palletizing operations, particularly or items that

are packaged or product display, such as open-top cases andshrinkwrapped trays. In these types o situations, side-clamp orork-and-clamp tools are a better choice.

Letting the Right Partner Guide YouJust as choosing the right type o robot or end-eector or apalletizing project is key, so too is choosing the right partnerto build the solution. Since core knowledge o palletizingengineering is required to adequately spec this kind o solution,it is important to choose a business partner who has experiencewith these types o operations.

Many companies looking or a robotic solution oten head to ageneral robotics company, but this can be a mistake. Palletizingprojects require proven material handling integration experience

in order to determine whether a robotics solution is appropriate,or whether a mix o robotics and other technologies is required.

Another mistake can be turning to a robotics company thatoutsources the components o a robotics solution rather thanusing a single-source provider who designs, manuactures, andsupports their solution. A solution rom a single-source providerrequently oers better control o the project rom the start,better quality o the components, and a quicker commissioningschedule. Single-source providers also bring lower risk and ahigher level o sales, service and maintenance support.

Whatever the solution robotic or conventional atrusted partner who can identiy and recommend a solutionor a complex production requirement is an invaluable resource,especially when that partner is able to integrate a palletizingsystem into a companys wider material handling system

and controls.

Installing the small ootprint Alvey robotic palletizer in JTM s70,000-square oot acility saves valuable foor space that can beused to store inventory o the companys products. The companykeeps on hand an average o two weeks o inventory supply.


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JTMs Alvey robotic palletizer has lived up to

Schodowskis and Wilsons expectations. While JTMonly uses the system at 65 percent o capacity, leaving

the extra capacity or continued growth, Wilson

estimates that the cell now handles 75 percent o JTMs

annual business volume.

That volume translates into an impressive perormance

o more than 200,000 pails and 150,000 cases per year,

with 75 percent o the pails being the 25-pound size

and 75 percent o the cases holding quart containers.

In a typical day o palletizing, Wilson says the cell

handles either 60 pallets o 25-pound pails, 20 palletso the 40-pound pails, 40 pallets o the quart cases, or

25 pallets o the gallon cases. The JTM actory currently

runs one 7.25-hour shit ve days a week with a

actory crew o eight, but does not palletize every day.

JTM employs 20 people overall.

On a heavy day, the robot palletizes as many as 70

pallets o 25-pound pails, up to 3,300 pails total. An

average day sees 2,800 pails palletized compared with

the 1,800 pails that could be hand-stacked in a day

at the old acility, generating a 55 percent productivitygain that has enabled moderate sales growth since

the robot was installed. The robots addition to

capacity has also reed the crew to work on other

tasks in the actory.

In the old acility without the robot, I would have

had to add two people to get up to this volume,

says Wilson.

Beyond adding capacity, the decision to install a robot

was due in large part to the ounding amilys valuesand to the saety and ergonomic issues surrounding

a loyal, but aging, actory crew. With the robot,

some o the crews most labor-intensive work has

been eliminated.

A Heavyweight Perormer It was the right thing to do, says Wilson. The

Murphys have a good relationship with everybody

who works or them, and theres a mutual respect

between everyone at JTM. A testament to the warm

eelings between the employees and the Murphys

is a plaque on the actorys conerence room wall,

dating to 1918. The plaque, signed by all o the

companys employees, proclaims their dedication

to the Murphy amily.

The ergonomics actored into our decision, adds

Wilson. We have an older workorce. Since weve

moved here, weve retired three people. We had

people picking up 1,800 or 1,900 pails a day. Thats a

long day.

Not everything is based on hard economics, even

though we thought there was a pretty good payback

on the project, says Schodowski. We could be saving

JTM s director o operations, Larry Wilson (let), and presidentand CEO , Dan Schodowski (right), next to the Alvey roboticpalletizer. The robotic cell enables JTM to palletize multipleproduction lines and packaging types through the same system.


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When the robot rst arrived, Wilson says his crew

was a bit skeptical and a bit concerned. But over time,

those eelings turned into appreciation. Ater a coupleo months, says Wilson, his crew started to say, Wow,

we havent picked up any cases or pails or a long time.

This is really nice.

In act, Wilson adds, the trepidation also turned

to inspiration, as his crew took it upon themselves

one day to recongure one o their heavily manual

secondary lines to also run through the robot. They

took the line, reversed all the conveyors, and ran it

through the palletizer, he says. All they have to

do now is pack the boxes and the robot gets them

all stacked.

JTMs Alvey robotic palletizer, rated or a liespan o

up to 20 years, has perormed reliably since it was

installed. JTM, which retains its equipment or a long

time, expects its new robot to be a dependable part o

its operation or years.

I you walk around out there on the shop foor,

we have one particular machine that I think the

Flintstones are still running, jokes Schodowski. I we

maintain the equipment, we expect it to last as long as

we need it.

Wilson, the projects chie architect along with

Schodowski, worked hard at getting the companys

ownership and employees onboard with the decision

to implement a robot. He credits Intelligrated with the

design, integration and support o a system that has

met and exceeded all o the companys goals.

Intelligrated goes the whole nine yards, says

Wilson. They bring the engineering, the stang,

the integration, the whole package rom start to

nish. They start with a piece o a paper and end up

on the foor producing what they need to produce.

I I was going to buy again, I would buy again romIntelligrated no matter what the application.

For the dedicated employees, managers and owners o

JTM Products, that same tradition o loyalty looks like

the ormula or another 114 years o success.

On the Shop Floor

Installing the small ootprint Alvey robotic palletizer in JTM s70,000-squareoot acility saves valuable foor space that canbe used to store inventory o the companys products.The company keeps on hand an average o two weeks oinventory supply.

someones back, which could be a workers comp

claim somewhere down the road. Those can be very

expensive. When you actor in all o those types o

costs, you can say the payback is denitely worth it.

Even though hard gures were not Schodowskis chie

concern in implementing the project, he believes JTM

is seeing a quick return on its investment in the robot.

I calculated it as at least one persons salary and

benets, so my payback could be as little as our years,

he adds. I think the payback could be even quicker

because as we grow, we wont have to add additional

personnel. Our original plan was to keep to a crew o

eight, which is where we are today.


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Systems Integration

Sortation Systems

Conveyor Systems

Palletizing Solutions

Software & Controls

Order Fulllment Systems

24x7 Technical Support

Design & Build

Intelligrated Productsand Services

Intelligrated Service & Support

The in-house Customer Service and Support (CSS) program

oered by Intelligrated backs all o our products. Services

available include:

IN-24x7 technical support hotline

Spare parts logistics

Field service

Equipment and system audits

Upgrades and modications

Full service and maintenance contracts

Preventive maintenance

Customer training

CSS is available 24x7 to provide all o the services needed

to keep your equipment running at peak eciency.

Whether its on-site support or troubleshooting via

our hotline, Intelligrated has the most comprehensive

customer support program in the industry.

Service and Parts Hotline

Phone + 1 877.315.3400

www.ontimeparts.com

CSJTM01 12.09 2010 Intelligrated. All rights reserved. Alvey is a Registered trademark o Intelligrated Inc.

7901 Innovation Way, Mason, Ohio 45040 + 1 866.936.7300

[email protected] www.intelligrated.com

For more information, contact:

Headquarters in Mason, Ohio

About Intelligrated

Intelligrated is a leading American-owned, single-point

provider o automated material handling solutions with

operations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Headquartered

in Cincinnati, Intelligrated designs, manuactures and

installs complete material handling automation solutions,

including IntelliSort line sortation systems, Crisplant

tilt-tray and cross-belt sortation systems, conveyor systems,

Alvey palletizers and robotics, Real Time Solutions

order ulllment systems, warehouse control sotware

and advanced machine controlsall supported by 24x7

Customer Service and Support.

Serving the warehousing, distribution, consumer productmanuacturing, postal and parcel markets, Intelligrated

collaborates closely with its clients to develop productivity

solutions and responds to their needs throughout the lie

o their material handling systems.

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