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Achieving goals with transparency

Jaemin Park had great plans for his job-shop AutoLink. Then the day-to-day business caught up with the South Korean company founder. Now he is taking off again after moving to a new production and a TRUMPF Smart Factory consultation.

AutoLink

www.autolink2000.com

In 2017, Jaemin Park founded his own job-shop in Gyeonggi-do in South Korea, initially supplying customers with laser-cut and bent parts. From the very beginning, he did not scrimp when it came to his machine fleet, starting with an automated TruLaser 5030 with LiftMaster and a TruBend 5130 from TRUMPF. He is now taking strides into an intelligently networked future with TRUMPF as his partner.

Industry
Metal processing / job-shop
Number of employees
20
Site
Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
TRUMPF products
  • TruLaser 5030 fiber
  • TruBend 5130
  • TruBend 5170
  • TruLaser Tube 7000
  • Smart Factory Consulting
  • TruConnect

Challenge

The more orders that came into AutoLink, the more thwarted the job-shop became by its internal processes. A lack of transparency concerning material inventory and machine utilization led to long search and waiting times, restricting productivity. Jaemin Park had an idea what was causing this: "In the beginning, I was entirely focused on developing my machine fleet and gaining new customers. I took my eye off the processes. That's why, when I heard about TRUMPF Smart Factory Consulting, I hoped that a consultation with industry experts would be able to help me focus on my original objectives."

The factory design consultation was a real success. The experience of the Smart Factory consultants in terms of process flow, lean management and automation really inspired us to constantly review our processes in a critical light.

Jaemin Park
Company founder of AutoLink

Solution

In July 2019, the TRUMPF Smart Factory Consultants from Ditzingen and their colleagues from TRUMPF Korea started to carefully examine AutoLink's production. They discovered optimization potential in the production sequences and developed customer-specific recommendations for action for AutoLink. The objective: increase the productivity at AutoLink and improve delivery reliability with transparent and ideally coordinated production processes. To do so, they needed to ensure a precise overview of the machine utilization and the material inventory at all times. Park says, "We tested various machine monitoring solutions with the consultants and decided to introduce the TruTops Monitor. This condition monitoring system records and analyses machine data automatically." This means that every time there is machine downtime, it is possible to analyze if it was caused by a machine fault, or a different reason – for example, a sluggish workflow as material was not in the machine at the right time. 

 

Implementation

When moving into a new production hall, the TRUMPF Smart Factory Consultants supported AutoLink in replanning the production from scratch. A new, process-oriented hall layout was designed to assist the optimized processes from the very beginning. New process standards were created based on lean management method 5S. So-called shop floor markings now indicate zones where staff are not allowed to store materials, among other things. This ensures that the colleagues can reach the machines quickly at all times. As well as the existing machines, the consultants also included the new laser tube-cutting machine TruLaser Tube 7000 in the plans. This machine really distinguishes AutoLink from the competition in South Korea. The KPIs determined by the TruTops Monitor form the basis of the shop floor meetings at AutoLink, which are now held on a daily basis. Park says, "The transparency created by TruTops Monitor and the many small and large solutions, developed in data-based shop floor management, have already increased our productivity by 30 per cent."

Forecast

With the TruBend 5170, Park now has a second bending machine connected to the TruTops Monitor. The introduction of additional software solutions should make further indirect processes more transparent during the next step. He sums it up: "You cannot develop a Smart Factory overnight. You have to be bold, keep trying out new things, and never lose sight of your own goals, even in the day-to-day business. My goal is to build a small but hard-hitting and future-oriented company. The Smart Factory Consultants have given me strategies to to do this. I will therefore continue to rely on their full support."

Find out more about the products

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TruBend Series 5000

The TruBend Series 5000 TRUMPF's most successful bending machine worldwide. Using the press brake, your production will be unmatched – from programming, to setup, to the actual bending.

Group photo of the Smart Factory Consulting Team
Smart Factory Consulting

Where and to what extent does networked production currently benefit you most? Our consulting services start precisely at this point. Our portfolio has the right solution for each step. Together we discover what exactly is most worthwhile for you at the present time.

TruConnect KeyVisual
TruConnect

Whether you are already making great strides into the networked future of your company or are just starting out, the goal is clear: be ready for constantly increasing complexity and decreasing lot sizes in sheet metal processing. You will implement your Smart Factory step by step with our innovative TruConnect range of solutions. No two paths are the same because TruConnect enables individual components to be combined to create customized solutions.