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CASE STUDY
JTM PRODUCTS, INC.
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2www.intelligrated.com
Please note: Intelligrated acquired the North and South
American operations of FKI Logistex
in June 2009.
Dan Schodowski aced a challenge. As president
and CEO o Solon, Ohio-based JTM Products, Inc.,
Schodowski knew the company was ready to grow, and
making the right investment choices would be critical.
Should the company buy an existing acility or build
a new one? What new material handling equipment
would be needed to support the companys growth?
Perhaps best known as the remaining piece o the
original manuacturer o Murphy Oil Soap, which
was sold to the Colgate-Palmolive Company in 1991,
JTM was ounded in1890 as the Phoenix Oil Company,
producing axle greases, belt dressings and lubricants
or the Industrial Revolution. Today, the company
is still privately held by grandsons o the ounder,
Jeremiah Timothy Murphy, whose initials now orm
the companys name. JTMs business centers around
two product lines: Murphys tire mounting and
demounting lubricants; and Phoenix pipe joint
lubricants used in the construction o water and
sewer lines. The company also does private label and
specialty product manuacturing.
For Schodowski, JTMs steady perormance o up to
$10 million in annual sales and an estimated 65 percentmarket share or its two main product lines gave the
company nancial stability on which to grow. But in
the back o his mind, Schodowski knew that i he were
to expand JTM, changes in production techniques
would be inevitable or the 114-year old company, its
employees and its owners.
We were pretty much pigeonholed into an old
building, says Schodowski. We couldnt expand.
Robotic palletizing solution romIntelligrated adds stang andproduction fexibility, avoids workerinjuries, and yields foor-space savings
Robotics Provides 114-Year-OldManuacturer 55 PercentProductivity Gain
Even within the building we could not add a lot o
machinery or equipment. I we wanted to expand our
business, we needed more room.
Once JTM decided on a new site its present location
just outside o Cleveland Schodowskis next
challenge was to meet the material handling demands
o JTMs product range. While the Murphys line o
products is primarily packaged in 25- and 40-poundpails, the Phoenix line is primarily packaged in cases
o either quart or gallon containers. With both sets
o products needing to be palletized beore shipment,
Schodowskis actory sta was let with a lot o slow
and heavy liting.
When we decided to move, we looked at how
we could set up our operations dierently, says
Schodowski. Our layout was ragmented in the
old building, and we could not bring in automated
JTM s Alvey robotic palletizer uses a Motoman articulated-arm and an Alvey vacuum-type end-eector designed and builtin-house at Intelligrated. The vacuum end-eector allows therobot to eciently handle both pails and cartons and thevariety o pallet patterns that JTM employs.
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4www.intelligrated.com
allow the operator to load any number o pallets at
the start o a run up to 10, providing JTM fexibility
to do shorter runs and vary sizes without having to
manually pull pallets out o the cell.
On the ineed side o the cell, Intelligrated
accumulation conveyors take up the pails rom
the production conveyors and queue them or the
robot on instruction rom the robots control system.
Depending on the product size and stacking pattern
used in the particular palletizing operation, the robots
vacuum tool picks up one or three pails at a time by
attaching to their tops, and then puts them down to
orm the rows and layers o palletized product. When
the pallets are ull, they are shrink-wrapped by an
automatic shrink-wrapper and taken by ork lit to
inventory on the shop foor.
A similar process occurs or the cases o Phoenix pipe
lubricant. The operator sets the system up at the
outset, loads the pallets, and lets the robot pick a
pallet to begin stacking. The cases come into the cell
rom a second ineed line, and the process starts anew.
Design fexibility is built into the Intelligrated system.
While JTM does not currently use the robots ull
capacity to run both lines into the palletizing cell
simultaneously, the robot gives JTM the ability to ramp
up production at any time.
Beyond allowing JTM to run two lines at once, the
Alvey palletizing cell handles a variety o stacking
patterns and pallet sizes in addition to managing
Robotics for Automated PalletizingIncreasing options can blur the decision-making process whenchoosing between conventional and new technologies.
While JTMs decision to go with a robotic palletizer insteado a conventional palletizer seemed the logical way to go, thedecision may not be as clear or other companies in a similarsituation.
Until recently, conventional palletizers were the only viabletechnology to use. As a result, over the last several decades,conventional palletizers have become a standard component omodern automated material handling operations.
In the last ve years, though, robotics have entered the picture asan alternative to conventional palletizers, blurring the decision-making process as to which solution is best or a particularapplication. While high-throughput applications have demandeda traditional high-speed palletizer in the past, todays high-speedapplications can be achieved with either robotic or conventionaltechnology.
The lines between the types o solutions tend to blur evenurther when it comes to pattern fexibility. Both robotic andconventional palletizing solutions can be congured or virtuallyany pattern. The trick is determining which solution is the best tto meet the other parameters in an application.
Clearing the Field of ViewOperations and supply chain managers should careullyconsider their options when deciding on the type o systemthey need to automate a palletizing operation. Though not arigid rule, conventional palletizers are more commonly used orapplications requiring higher speeds or involving products withreduced packaging. Reduced packaging is particularly commonin todays high-volume retail environments, and is due in part tothe high cost o corrugate.
Robotic solutions generally t lower-speed lines andsituations where the palletizer needs to handle multiple linessimultaneously. Because o their typically smaller ootprint,robotic solutions are also an option where foor space is at apremium. A variety o actors, including return on investment,require careul consideration when deciding which way to go.
Sharpening the FocusI robotics appears to be the answer, the types o robots andcomponents to be used will also be par t o the decision. Mostmodern robotic palletizers use either gantry robots, knownas square robots, or jointed-arm robots, known as roundrobots. Both are nicknamed or their pattern o motion.
Gantry robots are linear-motion robots, meaning they move up,down and across in a work envelope that can be more than 80eet long. They are typically built to the dimensions o a specicproject and oer more overall fexibility, including the capacityto work with a large number o pick-and-place locations.
Jointed-arm robots are more constrained in the size o their workenvelope but are typically more economical and aster. In atypical palletizing application, a jointed-arm robot can build ourpallet loads within its work cell.
Continued on page 5
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5www.intelligrated.com
the dierent pail and case sizes. For the 25-pound
Murphys pails, the robot stacks 40 by 48 pallets
with our layers, each containing 12 pails.
The 40-pound Murphys pails are stacked in two
patterns. On 40 by 48 pallets, the pattern is three
layers o 12 pails each. On 48 by 48 pallets, the
pattern is three layers o 16 pails each.
For the Phoenix cases o quart containers, the robot
uses a 40 by 48 pallet to load 10 layers o ve cases
each. For the cases o gallon containers, the robot
stacks a 40 by 48 pallet six on a layer, six layers tall.
Since the case patterns require dierent placement
angles, the robot is able to pick two cases at a time,
put one down, turn the second, and then put it down.
Intelligrated has helped add an additional stacking
pattern since the robot was installed.
JTMs Alvey robotics cell uses a sophisticated control
system that minimizes the amount o operator
interace required, says Tom Simone, engineering
manager, robotic products, Intelligrated. To design
this cell, we had to look at the sizes o the pails and
boxes that would be handled. Since each product has
its own pallet build pattern and production rate,
we had to determine how much o each product wehad to pick at a time, and then go about building
the patterns.
We also decided that since we had to handle pails and
boxes, we would use a vacuum end-eector instead o
a mechanical one, adds Simone. Because we had to
pick up dierent product and dierent quantities, and
because the patterns required us to release product
in a ew variations, the vacuum was the right tool. We
also chose the vacuum because it could pick both types
o product rom the top, which was the most eectiveand ecient method or doing that.
Continued from page 4
Another important decision in a robotics application is whichtype o end-o arm tool, or end-eector, to use. Whilevacuum-type end-eectors have many uses, they are sometimesnot suited or palletizing operations, particularly or items that
are packaged or product display, such as open-top cases andshrinkwrapped trays. In these types o situations, side-clamp orork-and-clamp tools are a better choice.
Letting the Right Partner Guide YouJust as choosing the right type o robot or end-eector or apalletizing project is key, so too is choosing the right partnerto build the solution. Since core knowledge o palletizingengineering is required to adequately spec this kind o solution,it is important to choose a business partner who has experiencewith these types o operations.
Many companies looking or a robotic solution oten head to ageneral robotics company, but this can be a mistake. Palletizingprojects require proven material handling integration experience
in order to determine whether a robotics solution is appropriate,or whether a mix o robotics and other technologies is required.
Another mistake can be turning to a robotics company thatoutsources the components o a robotics solution rather thanusing a single-source provider who designs, manuactures, andsupports their solution. A solution rom a single-source providerrequently oers better control o the project rom the start,better quality o the components, and a quicker commissioningschedule. Single-source providers also bring lower risk and ahigher level o sales, service and maintenance support.
Whatever the solution robotic or conventional atrusted partner who can identiy and recommend a solutionor a complex production requirement is an invaluable resource,especially when that partner is able to integrate a palletizingsystem into a companys wider material handling system
and controls.
Installing the small ootprint Alvey robotic palletizer in JTM s70,000-square oot acility saves valuable foor space that can beused to store inventory o the companys products. The companykeeps on hand an average o two weeks o inventory supply.
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JTMs Alvey robotic palletizer has lived up to
Schodowskis and Wilsons expectations. While JTMonly uses the system at 65 percent o capacity, leaving
the extra capacity or continued growth, Wilson
estimates that the cell now handles 75 percent o JTMs
annual business volume.
That volume translates into an impressive perormance
o more than 200,000 pails and 150,000 cases per year,
with 75 percent o the pails being the 25-pound size
and 75 percent o the cases holding quart containers.
In a typical day o palletizing, Wilson says the cell
handles either 60 pallets o 25-pound pails, 20 palletso the 40-pound pails, 40 pallets o the quart cases, or
25 pallets o the gallon cases. The JTM actory currently
runs one 7.25-hour shit ve days a week with a
actory crew o eight, but does not palletize every day.
JTM employs 20 people overall.
On a heavy day, the robot palletizes as many as 70
pallets o 25-pound pails, up to 3,300 pails total. An
average day sees 2,800 pails palletized compared with
the 1,800 pails that could be hand-stacked in a day
at the old acility, generating a 55 percent productivitygain that has enabled moderate sales growth since
the robot was installed. The robots addition to
capacity has also reed the crew to work on other
tasks in the actory.
In the old acility without the robot, I would have
had to add two people to get up to this volume,
says Wilson.
Beyond adding capacity, the decision to install a robot
was due in large part to the ounding amilys valuesand to the saety and ergonomic issues surrounding
a loyal, but aging, actory crew. With the robot,
some o the crews most labor-intensive work has
been eliminated.
A Heavyweight Perormer It was the right thing to do, says Wilson. The
Murphys have a good relationship with everybody
who works or them, and theres a mutual respect
between everyone at JTM. A testament to the warm
eelings between the employees and the Murphys
is a plaque on the actorys conerence room wall,
dating to 1918. The plaque, signed by all o the
companys employees, proclaims their dedication
to the Murphy amily.
The ergonomics actored into our decision, adds
Wilson. We have an older workorce. Since weve
moved here, weve retired three people. We had
people picking up 1,800 or 1,900 pails a day. Thats a
long day.
Not everything is based on hard economics, even
though we thought there was a pretty good payback
on the project, says Schodowski. We could be saving
JTM s director o operations, Larry Wilson (let), and presidentand CEO , Dan Schodowski (right), next to the Alvey roboticpalletizer. The robotic cell enables JTM to palletize multipleproduction lines and packaging types through the same system.
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When the robot rst arrived, Wilson says his crew
was a bit skeptical and a bit concerned. But over time,
those eelings turned into appreciation. Ater a coupleo months, says Wilson, his crew started to say, Wow,
we havent picked up any cases or pails or a long time.
This is really nice.
In act, Wilson adds, the trepidation also turned
to inspiration, as his crew took it upon themselves
one day to recongure one o their heavily manual
secondary lines to also run through the robot. They
took the line, reversed all the conveyors, and ran it
through the palletizer, he says. All they have to
do now is pack the boxes and the robot gets them
all stacked.
JTMs Alvey robotic palletizer, rated or a liespan o
up to 20 years, has perormed reliably since it was
installed. JTM, which retains its equipment or a long
time, expects its new robot to be a dependable part o
its operation or years.
I you walk around out there on the shop foor,
we have one particular machine that I think the
Flintstones are still running, jokes Schodowski. I we
maintain the equipment, we expect it to last as long as
we need it.
Wilson, the projects chie architect along with
Schodowski, worked hard at getting the companys
ownership and employees onboard with the decision
to implement a robot. He credits Intelligrated with the
design, integration and support o a system that has
met and exceeded all o the companys goals.
Intelligrated goes the whole nine yards, says
Wilson. They bring the engineering, the stang,
the integration, the whole package rom start to
nish. They start with a piece o a paper and end up
on the foor producing what they need to produce.
I I was going to buy again, I would buy again romIntelligrated no matter what the application.
For the dedicated employees, managers and owners o
JTM Products, that same tradition o loyalty looks like
the ormula or another 114 years o success.
On the Shop Floor
Installing the small ootprint Alvey robotic palletizer in JTM s70,000-squareoot acility saves valuable foor space that canbe used to store inventory o the companys products.The company keeps on hand an average o two weeks oinventory supply.
someones back, which could be a workers comp
claim somewhere down the road. Those can be very
expensive. When you actor in all o those types o
costs, you can say the payback is denitely worth it.
Even though hard gures were not Schodowskis chie
concern in implementing the project, he believes JTM
is seeing a quick return on its investment in the robot.
I calculated it as at least one persons salary and
benets, so my payback could be as little as our years,
he adds. I think the payback could be even quicker
because as we grow, we wont have to add additional
personnel. Our original plan was to keep to a crew o
eight, which is where we are today.
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Systems Integration
Sortation Systems
Conveyor Systems
Palletizing Solutions
Software & Controls
Order Fulllment Systems
24x7 Technical Support
Design & Build
Intelligrated Productsand Services
Intelligrated Service & Support
The in-house Customer Service and Support (CSS) program
oered by Intelligrated backs all o our products. Services
available include:
IN-24x7 technical support hotline
Spare parts logistics
Field service
Equipment and system audits
Upgrades and modications
Full service and maintenance contracts
Preventive maintenance
Customer training
CSS is available 24x7 to provide all o the services needed
to keep your equipment running at peak eciency.
Whether its on-site support or troubleshooting via
our hotline, Intelligrated has the most comprehensive
customer support program in the industry.
Service and Parts Hotline
Phone + 1 877.315.3400
www.ontimeparts.com
CSJTM01 12.09 2010 Intelligrated. All rights reserved. Alvey is a Registered trademark o Intelligrated Inc.
7901 Innovation Way, Mason, Ohio 45040 + 1 866.936.7300
[email protected] www.intelligrated.com
For more information, contact:
Headquarters in Mason, Ohio
About Intelligrated
Intelligrated is a leading American-owned, single-point
provider o automated material handling solutions with
operations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Headquartered
in Cincinnati, Intelligrated designs, manuactures and
installs complete material handling automation solutions,
including IntelliSort line sortation systems, Crisplant
tilt-tray and cross-belt sortation systems, conveyor systems,
Alvey palletizers and robotics, Real Time Solutions
order ulllment systems, warehouse control sotware
and advanced machine controlsall supported by 24x7
Customer Service and Support.
Serving the warehousing, distribution, consumer productmanuacturing, postal and parcel markets, Intelligrated
collaborates closely with its clients to develop productivity
solutions and responds to their needs throughout the lie
o their material handling systems.