Vanamatic is a global supplier of precision machined components to the data-center cooling, aerospace, automotive, fluid power and general fittings industries, and a member of the Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA). The company expanded its large automatic screw machining operation and manufacturing space and is forecasting continued growth.
Challenges and Objectives
Vanamatic was storing their cutting fluid in eight 330-gallon totes. Their regular bulk orders were less than half a truckload, which extended delivery lead times up to three weeks compared to a full 8,000-gallon truckload. Filling the totes required three people to operate the truck shutoff, secure the fill hose and move the totes.
Due to unpredictable ordering and delivery lead times, Vanamatic was struggling to maintain enough lubricant to keep their machines operational. The company was vulnerable to unscheduled downtime while waiting for used oil to be filtered or new oil to be delivered. Their goals included ensuring consistent and adequate lubricant handling and optimizing freight costs.
Recommended Solution
After consulting with the Vanamatic team, AMSOIL Industrial Application Engineers recommended installing an 8,000-gallon bulk tank with remote inventory monitoring and on-demand replenishment to ensure the entire Vanamatic manufacturing facility never runs out of AMSOIL Industrial MULTI PLUS 32.
“The bulk tank is the gift that keeps giving, accumulating savings in freight, time and peace of mind. Why didn’t we do this 10 years ago?” – Director of Operations, Vanamatic
Value-Oriented Results
Optimizing delivery logistics with full 8,000-gallon truckloads was expected to reduce delivery lead times and labor needs. After implementing the AMSOIL predictive inventory-management solutions, Vanamatic began receiving on-demand delivery of full-truckload orders, reducing order lead time by three weeks. The combination of bulk storage, remote tank-level monitoring and automatic replenishment ensures lubricant availability and reduces the risk of unscheduled downtime. The entire lubricant management process can now be handled by a single employee, which also saves the company considerable labor costs.
-
Eliminated vulnerability to production disruption caused by lubricant shortages.
-
Reduced inventory management labor by 66%.
-
Reduced lead time by 66%.
Additional benefits included operational efficiency improvements from consolidation of the entire central cutting fluid system. Watch the video below for more insights straight from Vanamatic.