ITC Introduces Vend Solution

As one of the UK’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of solid carbide and indexable cutting tools, Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) has now introduced the new SmartDrawer® vending solution.

The new SmartDrawer® vending solution emphasises the Tamworth company’s position as a complete cutting tool supply integrator. For manufacturers unfamiliar with the benefits of installing vending technology on the shop floor, the new SmartDrawer® system has revolutionised inventory management and cut costs on the shop floor. Using smart technology to dispense single or multiple items, the configurable drawer system is the perfect solution to ensure important tools which support production are always available.

The SmartDrawer® from ITC makes secure storage and dispensing simple and whatever your industry demands, this versatile vending solution delivers reliable, accurate and monitored control of your cutting tool inventory. The SmartDrawer® system comprises individually locked compartments that are controlled by an easy-to-use touchscreen interface and operation is fully customisable to provide staff with self-serve access to cutting tools and equipment on demand.

With a high storage capacity and a small footprint, the SmartDrawer makes the most of limited and valuable factory floor space to make storing, tracking and dispensing products quick and easy, without compromising reliability. Some of the key features of the SmartDrawer® include a touchscreen interface for quick product selection, intuitive administration functions for simple stock control, enhanced rapid refill functionality for speedy and accurate restocking, customisable storage configuration for single or multiple items, a range of drawer sizes to fit your stock list and Wi-fi network connection capability. All of this provides manufacturers with complete control and transparency of the supply chain with full audit trails to see which colleague uses what specific cutting tools – providing a complete insight of when, where and why that product was taken from a storage solution that is secured for 24/7 access whenever you need it.

The SmartDrawer® system available from ITC communicates with the cloud-based SupplyPro Intelligent Software solution that can be configured to meet your business demands. Working with ITC and its technical partners at Tooling Intelligence, end users can choose from a range of options to optimise their vending software by adding a VIM (Virtual Inventory Module). This allows inventory to controlled away from the vending machine. These could include fixtures, oils, and basically anything that cannot be stored in the vending machine. A barcode reader can be added to the system, so anything vended can be allocated to a works order. This gives an accurate tooling cost for each works order. A major bonus when quantifying costs of tooling in a production environment.

As a fully reconfigurable system, the SmartDrawer can be adapted over time as the inventory requirements of your business evolve with the facility for auxiliary units to be added to increase the storage capacity. This makes SmartDrawer® the intelligent solution for all your cutting tool inventory management requirements. So, whether you are storing small end mills and turning tools or larger face mills and ancillary equipment, the SmartDrawer® from ITC can improve efficiency and inventory control that will subsequently reduce costs and improve your understanding of where and when your cutting tools are being used on the shop floor. If you want to find out more, please contact Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC).