Conveyors automate electronics production line

Zirkon purchased two Rommel loaders, two unloaders, an inspection conveyor and an ergonomically designed workstation from Contax.

Contax has supplied contract electronics manufacturer (CEM) Zirkon with a range of Rommel conveyors to automate one of their production lines.

Zirkon purchased two Rommel loaders, two unloaders, an inspection conveyor and an ergonomically designed workstation.

Zirkon's production capacity of the line has now been doubled.

"We have three production lines in all", explained Roy Baxter, Zirkon 's Production Manager.

"Two already use Rommel board handling equipment and the third was manual".

"When demand increased, we needed to upgrade our third line by making it fully automatic".

"We then contacted Contax to order a further set of Rommel equipment".

He continued, "We have always used Rommel and find it very robust and reliable - and that is essential for us".

"Conveyor equipment is something that you take for granted".

"However, although it is only a small part of the line, it is imperative that it functions perfectly".

"If it's not working then it stops a million pound production line from working - you really can't afford to take that sort of risk".

"Rommel is essentially a problem-free conveyoring system, so it was the right choice for us".

"As a CEM we need reliable and flexible equipment", Baxter said.

"Our major driver is the need to respond quickly to customer demand".

"So that we can adapt to customers' changing demands we often have to look at smaller runs so need to be able to handle a variety of boards in a wide range of sizes".

"Flexibility is key in our production, and this, together with fast changeovers and a fast turnaround, have become essential elements to our business", he said.

In order to meet these demands, Zirkon has implemented a policy of uniformity.

According to Roy Baxter, using the same equipment on their lines has ensured that they can move jobs quickly and easily from one line to the next, depending on their capacity.

"This was yet another reason to stay with Rommel equipment" Baxter said.

"By keeping our lines identical, we can maximise our production and turnaround speed and so improve our overall efficiency".

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