The goal

The goal of the project is to create an automated ordering system to fill the empty spots of the shelf in an industrial assembly line without human intervention.

The purpose is that the employees of the assembly line don't need to make requests when the shelf boxes are running out of parts. Otherwise human error could cause unnecessary work or idle waiting following with production delays on the assembly line.

The result

We created a two-part system including a shelf-unit and a management application.

The shelf unit makes part delivery requests to a shelf on the assembly line. The shelf unit includes a device that is installed on a shelf to monitor how many parts there are on the shelf. Since parts are delivered in boxes the device tracks individual boxes with sensors.

Management application keeps track of boxes, shelves and stations. Assembly line parts can be identified for each shelf. Application keeps record of sent refill orders to give opportunity to analyze material flow to the assembly line.

Smart shelf ensures a smoother workflow which leads to a time-efficient assembly line. Employees don't need to worry about empty shelves or refill orders but rather they can focus on their essential work.