KMWE Precision BV, BIC 1, 5657 BX Eindhoven, Netherlands

The Hänel Lean-Lift® as highly efficient tool depot in high-tech production

Three high-speed Hänel Lean-Lift® systems serve as the central 24x7 tool depot for 60 machining centers in the production area

The KMWE Group is an international supplier and partner in the high-tech mechanical engineering and aerospace sector, offering complete solutions for assembly processes in clean-room environments where precision modules, complex components and machine systems are manufactured. KMWE solutions are available for applications of relevance to semiconductors, aviation and aerospace, medical technology, analytics and 3D printing. The family-owned business maintains a high-tech production facility with ultra-modern manufacturing systems at the Brainport Industries Campus in Eindhoven.

The three high-speed Hänel Lean-Lift® systems function as the central tool depot for the various machining centers nearby. The vertical lifts are more than nine meters in height and fully utilize the height available in the building to provide storage space for more than 50,000 tools and tool holders. Thanks to this efficient vertical storage, the tool maintenance department only needs a small area of valuable floor space in the production facility.

Perfect tool organization with Hänel multifunction containers

High-performance tools in various sizes and shapes are neatly organized on the Hänel multifunction containers. With a load capacity of up to 400 kilograms, the containers ensure safe and ergonomic provisioning of even the largest and heaviest tool holders.

The Hänel storage solution is compelling in terms of outstanding space savings, reliability and ease of use – and thanks to seamless system integration, all of the prerequisites for Industry 4.0 at the KMWE production site are fulfilled.

Direct communication between HänelSoft®-N and the TDM software

Management of the tools stored in the lift systems is based on the intuitive warehouse management solution HänelSoft®-N. All inventory quantities and warehouse operations (put and pick) are recorded and compared with the data residing in the central tool management software.

All tools and holders required for a production process are included in a job order created by the TDM software. These orders are sent to Hänel-Soft®-N – the data is shown on the MP 14 N controller used by employees.

User identity is verified on the controller via RFID chip, and the employee starts the job order with a barcode scanner. All of the lifts then bring containers with the requisite order items to the access point. Hänel Pick-o-Light®-Vario highlights the pick item location on the container when it arrives at the access point for fast and error-free retrieval. The pick quantities and item locations are shown on the controller display.

When the pick is completed and confirmed, the employee moves on to the prepositioned container waiting at the second lift system. The first lift simultaneously brings the next requisite tool to the access point. This process continues back and forth until the entire job order is completed.

The highly efficient warehouse processes, in conjunction with maximum ease of use and a seamless IT linkup, make the Hänel Lean-Lift® solution at KMWE the perfect high-tech tool depot.

"The Hänel Lean-Lift® systems ensure that our tools are available at all times. Thanks to the link between HänelSoft®-N and our tool management system, we have a constantly updated overview of our complete tool inventory."

Robert van der Heijden
Team leader Tool Service Centre