Business and Technical Developments at Super Dry Totech

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Brehler: We always are looking for new ideas, new solutions. MSL components are growing.  Probably already 30% of components are MSL, and every year they will increase – some companies are seeing 20% growth.

Starkey: Jos, now that you have made that explanation about the development of the product range and the future developments that are envisaged, I can see that it’s such a natural thing for you to form a partnership with a group like ASYS that can supply an integrated line into which you can further integrate the component logistics services.

Brehler: That synergy is also clear to ASYS. And the relationship gives us the opportunity to grow our business in the US and in Asia, with the additional benefit of the support of the ASYS service organisation in these areas.

Starkey: Thanks Jos, you have given me a clear view of your business strategy. Could I now turn to Terry to learn more about Dry Tower?

Terry, Jos has given me an insight into how your product range has developed to meet the needs of the industry for managing moisture-sensitive components. The Dry Tower has been a major feature in the story. Could you fill in some of the details?

Super Dry Totech CEO Jos Brehler (right) and Sales Manager Terry Morgan (left).

Terry Morgan: Jos already discussed our relationship with ASYS, and that they are now an investor partner with Totech. And the rationale for that is because we see a big trend in Smart Factory automation. Dry Tower combines our drying technology with a fully automated warehouse for electronic devices. Yes it’s about storage, and storage under the right conditions, but there’s much more than that. At the strategic level, our customers are moving to fully integrated systems. Trends such as Industry 4.0 and connection to MES, PLM and ERP systems – this is very much the way automation is going.

So when we start the conversation with the customer, we don’t just want to talk about the obvious, which is storage, we want to change the mind-set to bring it to a strategic level, and get them to think more in Lean Manufacturing concepts. Lean Manufacturing is all about efficiencies and how to improve material flow, reduce bottlenecks and reduce set-up times – that’s the key to it – and Dry Tower is very much in the middle of that strategy. So that’s where we start the conversation. Because around the capability of the machine you have to think about how the Tower will integrate with the flow of material coming in and how we then connect it to the production lines, and back again on occasion, depending on the requirement of the customer – it’s often the case that reels find themselves back into storage, particularly for MSL control. Moisture Sensitivity Control (MSL) is another critical benefit we deliver. As from the earlier conversation with Jos, you know that MSL control is in our DNA. We have some of the most advanced component drying technology and management software in the industry for full traceability and reset of open times and that is proven and recognized globally.

Starkey: What do you consider to be the major benefits?

Morgan: Dry Tower delivers three primary benefits: it saves time and space and delivers connectivity of the logistics process. The consequences of all that are quite dramatic, since when you do the analysis you find that there are fewer (if any) manual processes and fewer components in your stock, because we’re handling them error free and more efficiently. Some of the space-saving and time-saving ratios we’ve seen can be as high as 70-80%. There are user stories on our website that you can check out.

So, saving time, saving space, means you are eliminating a lot of manual handling and loading functions which are now replaced by a centralised storage system. Also, transport times: people are not walking materials around the shop floor – all of this is automated by transport lines or by cobots or by guided vehicles – automation technologies.

Starkey: How close does the Dry Tower need to be to the line, with transportation logistics in mind?

Morgan: In an ideal world, it would be next door to it, but that’s not always the case. So that’s why we have developed other solutions for connecting physical flows of materials, such as AGV and Trolley systems for loading the Dry Tower and unloading to the SMT lines and feeder kitting areas. So although there may be distance, it doesn’t have to be a manual operation.

Starkey: Thanks Terry. That detail explanation ties in nicely with what I talked about with Jos. Is there anything you would like to add?

Morgan: Yes, another important point to mention is the scope for connectivity to the customer’s enterprise systems: ERP, PLM, MES for example. This is critical to how the machine will operate with the customer’s systems for full traceability. And that’s something we help our customers with – it’s all part of the project planning and project management service. We have our own software engineers of course, but now with ASYS and their experience and know-how, and their additional capacity, it makes us even stronger.

Starkey: Jos, Terry, thanks you both for a most interesting and enlightening discussion. I wish you every success.

• < Previous Page