San Diego April 30, 2001 SupplyPro, a provider of automated point-of-use inventory systems, today announced four new maintenance, repair and operation (MRO) storage systems due are to be released in the third quarter of the year.
The company's SupplyAgent automated dispensing cabinets, launched in 1999, use a self-reporting system for tracking the use of inventories of MRO supplies. The cabinets automatically notify suppliers to restock items when supplies run low, with the idea of eliminating stock-outs and overstocking. A Web-based interface allows a company to manage its SupplyPro systems and check inventory levels.
The new systems include the SupplyPod, an array of buttons that can be positioned on existing shelving. When users take an item from the shelf, they press the "TAKE" button and the system records that the item has been removed. The SupplyCrib accommodates bulky items that are kept in large, open storage areas such as replacement parts, compressors and large tools. The SupplyCrib system makes use of a touchscreen attached to the outside of the crib to allow users to login, while an array of SupplyPods along the crib's shelving manage the dispensing of supplies.
SupplyPro's security system for variable-sized items, the SupplyLocker, consists of a customizable storage locker unit with secure metal doors. Its single-item access facilitates the dispensing and return of checkout items. The company says that its SupplyDispenser system gives users the highest level of security and control by dispensing supplies one item at a time. This system is intended to distribute small, expensive inventory such as cutting tools.
Monthly pricing for each of the new solutions will range from $400 to $1,000 per system. The new systems are slated for release in Q3 2001.
SupplyPro's CEO, Bill Williams, said the company developed the new systems in response to customer requests for storage systems that could hold products of different sizes and at different security levels.
Read about General Electric's use of SupplyPro's cabinets at its Durham, N.C., jet aircraft engine facility. http://www.isourceonline.com/article.asp?article_id=732
