A need to upgrade and expand capacity 
The challenge facing OPSM has been the upgrade, expansion and centralisation of their production capacity.  Firstly, this required combining the existing 16 supply centres throughout Australia and New Zealand, and then redesigning manufacturing systems and procedures to improve efficiency.  

“We needed a system to transport job trays from the warehouse, through the grinding and fitting processes to the dispatch area,” says Roy Johnson, Group Manager for EyeBiz Laboratories.    

“The solution had to accommodate increased volume in the limited space available, with enough flexibility to handle three job types”.  

“Prior to its installation, trays of product were loaded manually onto trolleys and wheeled between workstations, causing frequent bottlenecks and increasing the probability of error,” says Roy Johnson.   

As the laboratory produces each pair of glasses to prescription, the ability to identify and trace the product during the process was also critical.  

Conveyor system buffers 45 minutes of production
Dejan Obradovic, Regional Manager at FlexLink Systems, worked closely with Roy Johnson and his staff during all stages of the project to ensure they received a tailor made solution.  

FlexLink supplied the system as a complete turnkey solution, comprising elevators/lowerators, conveyors, diverters and a control logic system.  

The lowerator uses friction top chain to lower job trays through the ceiling of the grinding room on the first floor.  Trays are then transferred onto four accumulation conveyors, which provide 45 minutes of curing time between the blocker and the generator, allowing the blocker to set between machines.   

Further accumulation is provided between the generator and grinder.  As the two units operate at varying production rates, the buffering capacity absorbs trays without disturbing the grinding process, thereby increasing system uptime.  

In the fitting room, trays are diverted selectively into one of three sections, depending on job type.  FlexLink’s control system interfaces with the existing software program, which allows operators to trace the product throughout the process.  

After exiting from the fitting machines, gravity roller conveyors transfer the trays through the final stages of assembly, eliminating the need for operators to walk between workstations.  

Enhanced productivity and customer satisfaction 
Since production commenced late 2003, the system has doubled capacity to 4,000 lenses a day, while achieving a continuous product flow and virtually eliminating manual handling operations.  

“The production line flows a lot better and it’s easier to walk around without trays everywhere – efficiency has significantly improved,” says Roy Johnson.  

Tracing individual orders
Mr. Johnson says that the system has not only enhanced productivity and output, but also customer satisfaction and value.  

“When a customer enquires about an order, the logic of the system enables us to quickly and accurately trace the product and estimate the delivery time”, he explained.  

“The equipment has also improved product quality by limiting the amount of variance caused by human error”.