What Can Integrated Storage Do For You?

A modern Smart Storage System should be able to integrate with all your existing systems, from ERP to MES to pick-and-place systems, and more. In this post we'll outline some common integrations that can bring massive benefits to your material handling operations.

At Receiving

The best practice is to start tracking your material the moment it is received. With integrations to smart receiving systems like the MODI Incoming Goods Scanner, you can do just that. 

With MODI you can receive and label a new package, verify and transact receipts to ERP/MRP systems, and send the received parts data to your storage system - all in seconds! With a best-in-class Smart Storage System you can receive a new package and immediately place it into your storage system, eliminating manual data entry and verification scans.

ERP/MRP

Smart storage should integrate with your ERP system to automatically transact parts in and out of stock. Continuing on from the receiving process, the moment a part is put away your smart storage system should notify your ERP system. The moment a package is picked from storage, your ERP should be notified as well. These simple, automatic, transaction help keep your ERP up to date on exactly where material is located and where it has gone to.

ERP systems can send work order details to smart storage in order to indicate what parts and quantities are required for any given pick. True Smart Storage Systems can then select the best packages for that job, honoring FIFO, AVL, customers/projects, and any other picking scheme. When these selected parts are picked, Smart Storage will also notify your ERP system in order to verify exactly what parts, quantities, lots, etc. were picked for any given work order.

MES/Pick-and-Place

Smart Storage can also integrate with manufacturing systems, from MES software to pick-and-place machines. You can pick parts in feeder loading order, track floor stock or mobile carts, and keep your MES system up to date on which parts are in which locations. 

After production, MES and pick-and-place systems can provide your Smart Storage system with remaining quantities on each reel including any machine mispicks. This quantity information can be automatically shared with your ERP in order to maintain a closed loop throughout your process. With this kind of integration you can know the quantity on a package when it was picked, the quantity on a package when it was returned, the number of components placed, and the number of components scrapped. And all this data can be tracked without manual data entry or excessive verification scans.

And More!

At Inovaxe we have implemented the above integrations at countless sites, but this is only scratching the surface of what you can achieve with a Smart Storage System like InoAuto. We frequently integrate with X-Ray counters, homegrown software, and even with supply chain partners like Avnet. 

Stay tuned for our next post which will go into some technical details. And get in touch to learn about the processes outlined here, along with all the other ways we can automate your material handling processes and data.