Modula VLM Investment
A look at the parts display once selected from the machine.
Customer Obsession and 80/20 win the day! For the Warren Rupp team, embedding the IDEX Difference into the day-to-day culture has consistently helped the business become one of the top performing business units across IDEX. For a business that is used to seeing 1-3 day lead times, managing through COVID and navigating supply chain disruptions has not been easy over the last 2 years. By focusing on the critical few and deploying technology; the team has been able to keep lead times competitive and meet customer expectations.
The Warren Rupp business, located in Mansfield, OH, designs, builds, and ships air operated double diagram pumps (AODDs). An important component of our business in control of OEM part to service our pumps in operation globally is the Service Parts team. This group includes 14 team members and is led by Steve Dropsey; who personally has over 10 years of service with the company. The Service Parts team builds repair kits, packages spare parts, and ships these components to customers around the world. In 2019, Warren Rupp was recognized by the United States Commerce Secretary as a leading company who has helped the country expand exports. Last year alone the team picked, packed, and shipped over 1.4M individual spare part components; many to international customers.
Historically for the Service Parts operations team, the process to package and ship spare parts is often time consuming and involves team members traveling around the facility to locate and pick components. Before the use of automated technology, it took approximately 1 hour for a team member to find and pick 15 work order line items. In 2020, the team started a ‘lean’ journey to find a way to simplify and speed up the picking process. Through that journey, they have now installed and use a Vertical Lift Machine (VLM). Think of the VLM as an over-sized vending machine that is 18’ tall and houses thousands of components all in 1 location. With the help of Continuous Improvement Manager Tom Bender, Maintenance Manager Dave Marsh, and Operations Supervisor Billy Caudill; the Warren Rupp Service Parts team transformed their department and integrated the VLM technology. Today the VLM operator receives a work order, checks on-hand inventory, and picks components all in 1 location; eliminating time spent searching for parts across the plant! In that same hour, a team member can now double the number of line items they pick.
Warren Rupp selected the VLM technology from a US-based company Modula, as the vendor of choice. Modula has been leading the way in automated storage solutions for more than 30 years and has been a partner with Warren Rupp during the installation phase. The Modula VLM system is made of 23 moving shelves that each have separate bins to store individual components. When a specific component is listed on a work order, the team member enters the request, and the VLM shelving units move within the system to present the correct drawer. From there, a laser points to the specific bin holding the requested component and the operator can easily access the item. To determine which parts would be stored in the system, the working team analyzed 3 years of historical sales data. They used an 80/20 approach to identify 900 part numbers (out of 7,000) that drove most of the sales for Service Parts. From there, these ‘80s’ components were transferred from separate inventory racks across the facility to bin locations in the VLM. The operations team was able to clear four inventory racks from the shop floor and open 200 sq. ft. of floor space.
Through this innovative approach, the Warren Rupp team made a targeted CAPEX investment in the Service Parts department that led to increased throughput and operational productivity. Warren Rupp is excited about the future and the role technology can play in driving innovation for the business. Within the last 6 months, the engineering team has invested in a 3-D printer to shorten the design process, operations has invested in a machine to automatically print QR-code tags for new pump units, and the business is looking to hire a Director of Innovation. Across the business, there are a number of team members engaged in solving problems that will benefit their customers and continuing to use an 80/20 approach will ensure they are focused on the critical few and having a tangible impact.