Your Process Partner in any Case

Essegi at Productronica 2023

In recent times, globally significant events have put organizational and process management models to the test on social and economic levels.

Despite the immense challenges, the business system has reacted and demonstrated resilience. This term was commonly used in the past decade, though we couldn’t fully grasp the formula for that magical mix of capabilities that allowed individuals or organizations to remain standing and firmly grounded after the storm.

Today, we may settle for the term “adaptability” to give a more understandable name to the ability to respond to adverse and unexpected events of great magnitude, but above all, to prevent and prepare for future ones.

Just in Case and the increase in complexity

Adaptability is the underlying concept behind warehouse management choices in manufacturing companies, leading to the adoption of an Agile model, commonly and effectively condensed in the formula Just in Case.

This new model of normality has allowed us, and still allows us, to plan for the ever-looming emergencies. However, it is not without its drawbacks, as it brings an increase in complexity that we believed we had learned to manage through the Lean methodology of Just in Time.

A transition period is now emerging, shifting from the acute emergency phase to the ordinary management of emergencies. If we want to identify a post-pandemic scenario, it will likely have to face supply chain disruptions caused by wars, climate change, ecological transitions, and raw material crises, to name just a few of the challenges we see on the horizon.

Lean and Agile Compared

Just in Time and Just in Case compared: Is there a model that combines the best of both Lean and Agile worlds to face the future?

The answer is yes, there is a strategy that allows for predictive activity based on certain data and prevents the effects and costs of extraordinary management.

For Essegi Automation, which has been developing automated storage management systems for electronic assembly companies for over 15 years, the key lies in adaptability and traceability.

In other words, it lies in the integration capacity of an open and flexible hardware and software system, as well as in data management.

These two concepts have always been part of Essegi Automation’s DNA since the design of the first case-based system for the storage of electronic component reels in automated warehouse.

The Key Factors in the New Competitive Phase

Those antistatic cases are now extremely versatile tools capable of storing not only 7″ and 15″ reels in various combinations but also microprocessors and other materials of completely different formats, such as THT components, thanks to the case’s conversion into a box.

The same principle of flexibility characterizes the cabinet configurations, which can adapt to both the company’s size and peculiarities, as well as its growth over time.

Cases and Intelligent warehouses belong to the Hardware environment, perhaps the most recognizable face of Essegi Automation, which includes all the other elements that make up our storage and handling systems: from the Auto Incoming table to the Pick to Light, Case Career, and the Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR).

However, the heart of automation lies undoubtedly in the Software logic, which aims to optimize the recovery and handling processes of components towards SMT assembly lines, with the primary objective of ensuring continuity in the production flow. Therefore, our systems are open to integration, allowing them to communicate with Pick & Place machines and all major management software present within the company.

Integration is the growth and evolution factor of our intelligent storage systems, ISM (Intelligent Storage Management), towards data management, which involves tracking all incoming and outgoing materials and constantly mapping their availability in warehouses to respond to production needs in real-time. This is strategic both in a “Just in Time” logic to address unforeseen programming changes, and in the current scenario of managing excess inventory, resulting from a long and tumultuous post-crisis supply phase.

Productronica 2023 News

Productronica 2023, the highly anticipated international event for electronic production, will be an opportunity to discover the latest developments in our intelligent logistics solutions.

Essegi Automation will be among the major players on the global stage in Munich, in a much larger exhibition area than in previous editions. The new exhibition space will showcase our entire range of hardware products for component storage and handling, including all the latest innovations.

Productronica visitors will have the chance to see the latest hardware and software solutions for intelligent component storage and logistics in action. These solutions have been developed with a focus on full automation and integration, ranging from new autonomous front-loading transport vehicles to conveyors connecting warehouses to production lines, and from THT component storage and management systems to advanced hardware and software solutions that optimize storage management in any production scenario.

Who’s Afraid of Automation?

A significant portion of the exhibition space in Munich will be dedicated to presenting and demonstrating the software integration logic that, through data exchange, achieves advanced automation, resulting in a competitive advantage for our companies.

It is interesting to note how in a productive sector that is destined to be a protagonist in an increasingly technological future, such as electronic assembly, storage follows outdated logic that affects the entire workflow…

Luxury or Ace for Competitiveness?

Our presence at Productronica reveals our attempt to contribute to the debate on the future of electronic production, with the belief that the time is ripe for a paradigm shift.

While it is true that our recipe of integration and data management in intelligent storage management has triggered a virtuous process, which ensures continuity and efficiency in the entire production flow, storage management should rightfully be part of the sphere of most strategic activities for all assembly companies.

Therefore, the introduction of automated integrated logistics systems for storage, and more, is not just a luxury or a moon landing venture, but a necessary choice to stay in the market to face the challenges of competitiveness.