40 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk August/September 2023 Special Focus Sustainability & Net Zero Sustainability doesn’t have to come at a cost, in fact many companies are finding that their initiatives are saving them money. Turck Banner has identified three broad areas where they can assist companies in saving costs, as well as becoming more sustainable. These are production efficiency, energy management and supply chain management. Turck Banner illustrated to PWE three different applications in the supply chain management category; Returnable Transport Items (RTI), Returnable Transport Items At a distribution centre, maintaining the control of Returnable Transport Items (RTI) was extremely challenging as different suppliers use different RTI. Once the RTI has been emptied it has to be stored before being returned to the supplier. The distribution centre was upgrading its inventory control by using Turck Banner’s RFID system, which can read hundreds of tags almost simultaneously as they pass through a gate. In addition to the products having an RFID tag, a tag was added to the RTI. The task of checking-in product inventory was greatly speeded up and product traceability enhanced, which were the primary objectives of the upgrade. The simple addition of tags to the RTI facilitated the emptied RTI to be identified and directed to the allocated storage area, based upon the type of RTI and the supplier. Damaged RTI were also recorded by their tag enabling the supplier to easily identify, repair or remove them. Although RTI are designed to protect the product that they contain during transport, a damaged RTI can often be the cause of the product being damaged. The distribution centre achieved their primary objectives of making themselves more efficient and saving costs. Whilst using RTI is in the majority of cases far more sustainable than using single use packaging they were able to enhance their sustainability by greatly reducing product damage and waste from damaged RTI. Streamlining product supply to assembly stations While supply chain management is often thought of as only involving external companies, improvements can often be made in the movement of products around your own premises. Turck Banner was recently approached by a prestigious motor manufacturer to supply a simple light and a switch. When it asked about the application and business objectives driving the request, it became obvious that, working in partnership with each other, Turck Banner could make huge improvements in the process of moving product from the main warehouse all the way to the assembly station. As a result of implementing the changes, the takt time (time to produce a finished product) was reduced, allowing them to increase production, which in turn paid for the changes. The customer also reduced their internal transport and maintenance costs, thus improving their sustainability. UV Barcoding for invisible traceability Even in industries where traceability is not a legal requirement, it is often becoming a business requirement, in order to generate the data required for improving processes and driving efficiency. Barcoding is often a cheap and reliable method of marking a product for tracking and traceability. The barcode can be made in a number of ways ranging from Direct Product Marks (DPM) that are etched or stamped into the product, to adhesive labels attached to the product. The majority of these barcodes are visible to the naked eye and consume space on the product. Ultraviolet ink is only visible when illuminated with a blacklight. By using a filter that blocks visible light but allows UV light to pass, it is possible to print a UV barcode on top of a product that already contains printing or decoration. This facilitates tracking and traceability with all the associated sustainability advantages, without spoiling the aesthetics of a product or requiring a larger product and packaging to accommodate the barcode. These are just three examples where careful investment in the right products can have a significant impact on both short- and long-term savings, at the same time making the product or process more sustainable. For further information please visit: www.turckbanner.co.uk Sustainability through supply chain management
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