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TECH MANUFACTURER ACCOMMODATES RAPID GROWTH WITH NEW ASSEMBLY LINE
Lucent
Technologies, through its acquisition of Ascend Communications
in 1999, is one of the leading manufacturers of internet related
products such as bridges, routers and hubs. In an explosive growth of
orders, Ascend relied on FloStor to design and install a system
which would allow for their 100% growth per year and minimize hiring of
production staff.
Chassis are circulated on this line and are transported
automatically to the appropriate workstation based on the next
component required in the assembly and testing process.
Once the chassis is transferred off the main line via a polyurethane
belt transfer, the pop up pneumatic balls allow the operator to
manipulate this heavy equipment with ease. All equipment, tools and
testing equipment are ergonomically integrated into the work bench.
Once the final product is cased, it is conveyed to a vertical lift to elevated
conveyors which conserve floor space. Vertical lifts are
useful when you want to keep the product level, or when available floor
space is at a premium.
The product is then conveyed to a semiautomatic manifesting and
shipping system. Combining conveyors, inline scales, transfers and
software systems provides a seamless shipping system maximizing
productivity.
The FloStor-designed Ascend system is featured as Manufacturer of the Year on the cover of
December 1998 Modern Materials Handling, and is the winner of
its Ninth
Annual Productivity Awards for 2000. For a comprehensive review of
this project as published in Modern Material Handling, contact
FloStor for a reprint of the article.
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