Automate Inventory Management with SCM Flexstore

SCM Flexstore automated inventory system

As a woodworking business owner, you're constantly seeking ways to improve efficiency. Maximizing productivity while minimizing waste and downtime is crucial to staying competitive. One key area for improvement often lies in the way you handle and store your sheet materials.

Traditional storage methods like racking can be inefficient, occupying valuable space and requiring manual labor for material handling. This can slow down production, lead to errors, and even compromise workplace safety. Providing a solution is SCM Group, a top company in woodworking technology. Offering the Flexstore ELR and Flexstore HP automated inventory systems.

Flexstore: The Heart of Your Automated Workflow

Picture a system that works smoothly with your CNC machines and other equipment on the shop floor. It provides the exact sheet materials you require, right on time. That's the power of the SCM Flexstore. More than storage; this is part of your automated workflow to increase productivity and efficiency.

Flexstore ELR: The Space-Saver

Engineers designed the Flexstore ELR for maximum space utilization. "It's all about optimization of the space," explains Jimmie Hall, Product Manager at SCM North America. "The highly modular design of the storage, along with the maximum height of the stack in the storage area, ensures that the space available in the production site is used as effectively as possible."

This efficient design helps woodworking businesses organize their workshops better and create more space for other activities. The ELR has a strong steel frame made to last and perform well, even with heavy and large parts.

SCM Flexstore drawing

Flexstore HP: Expanding Your Inventory

For woodworkers with larger inventory needs, the Flexstore HP model offers enhanced capacity. The HP model can handle large sheets and stack them up to 2.5 meters high.

According to the SCM Flexstore technical specifications, the maximum length allowed is 60 meters. The maximum width allowed is 16 meters, and the maximum stack height is 2,500 millimeters.

The Flexstore HP offers additional storage space. This makes it easier for businesses to handle bigger projects. It also helps them meet a variety of client needs.

Beyond Storage: Flexstore's Impact on Efficiency and Productivity

The Flexstore's benefits go beyond simply storing your materials. The system is designed to easily work with your CNC machines. "It can retrieve sheets while it provides panels to a current job for the CNC machine," says Hall.

This integration creates a dynamic, continuous workflow, keeping your CNC machines running without interruption, maximizing output and minimizing downtime. The Flexstore's quick cycle time, measured in seconds, keeps materials flowing smoothly to your CNC machines.

Key Benefits for Your Woodworking Business

Investing in the SCM Flexstore can unlock significant advantages for your woodworking operation:

  • Unleash Throughput Potential: Flexstore's quick retrieval speed helps increase production output, keeping you on track and meeting rising demand.
  • Optimize Labor Costs: Automating material handling helps workers do more important tasks, saving money and making work faster. "By virtue of automation, we're going to be safer because of it. It also gives your existing labor force more capacity to do other things," Hall highlights.
  • Minimize Errors and Maximize Accuracy: Automating material handling significantly reduces the possibility of human error, leading to greater accuracy and consistency in your production.
  • Create a Safer Working Environment: The Flexstore makes work easier by eliminating heavy lifting and manual transport, ensuring a safer and more efficient workflow.

SCM Flexstore automated inventory system in action

Tailored Solutions for Your Needs

SCM recognizes that every woodworking business has its own set of requirements and challenges. Flexstore models provide many customizable options to meet the unique needs of each business.

If you need more space in your workshop or want to make more products, SCM can help you find a solution. Choose from a variety of features and configurations with Flexstore models to create a storage system that fits your business's needs.

From adjustable shelving to automated retrieval systems, SCM's Flexstore models offer flexibility and efficiency to help you streamline your woodworking operations and maximize productivity.

SCM's Commitment to Integration and Scalability

The Flexstore's integration capabilities extend beyond just CNC machines. "To my knowledge, every other system, even the ones that were built in-house," says Hall, "rely on a middleware where you have to export your job from a third-party CAD/CAM. This then becomes an import into some other software that's basically a patch between the two systems."

The Flexstore system is designed to easily integrate with other CAD/CAM software. This means you won't need any additional middleware to ensure a smooth workflow. This comprehensive integration fosters a more efficient and streamlined approach to production.

Flexstore: A Cornerstone for Growth

The SCM Flexstore is more than just storage - it's an investment that helps your woodworking business grow and succeed. "If you're talking about an automation roadmap, then I think Flexstore is an essential part of it. You can also build on to it to further automate and further reduce the labor per part coming out of that system," emphasizes Hall.

The Flexstore is an important tool for automation. It helps you work faster, save money on labor, and increase your production capacity. A must-have for woodworking businesses aiming to grow.