Access your crane usage data, maintenance data and asset details on yourKONECRANES.com. Our cloud-based customer portal gives you a transparent view of service events and activities over any selected time period.
A personalized experience to discover what Konecranes has to offer. You can even design your own terminal concepts and products and when you are ready to talk, Konecranes experts are at your service.
Optimized for container handling industry, MHC and LT products
Juustoportti must quickly process milk delivered from dairy farms to prevent spoilage. In this critical environment, machinery operates around the clock, and the team ensures spare parts are always readily available. The Agilon material handling system consolidated spare parts in a single location introduced digitalization to the maintenance warehouse and enhanced the availability of production machines. The automated warehouse management system also allows employees to focus on more productive tasks, creating space for increased production capacity.
Juustoportti Ltd. is a Finnish family-owned company that has grown from a small dairy farm into a thriving business over the past 50+ years. They produce and offer many high-quality products, including dairy, cheese, and gluten-free oat drinks. Abroad, Juustoportti is better known for the export brand Friendly Viking's.
The company has proliferated and invested in new production machinery. While the investment rate has been high considering the company's size, maintenance resources have grown more slowly. Maintenance employs about 13 people. Before the automated warehouse Agilon, spare parts for production equipment were in small storerooms here and there around the company. "Some spare parts were catalogued in an Excel file, some in notebooks, and some purely in certain employees' memories," says production director Janne Vilén. The operating environment of the dairy is crucial because incoming milk needs to be processed quickly into products. Extended stoppages due to machine failures are unacceptable, which places significant pressure on maintenance and repair activities. Now, spare parts are easily accessible anytime, ensuring quick resolution of issues and minimizing downtime.
Before implementing Agilon, managing spare parts was a significant challenge for us. We struggled to keep them in one place and find them quickly, resulting in weekly parts shortages for the maintenance unit. We spent too much time searching for spare parts by calling suppliers and assigning couriers for rapid delivery. The process was both frustrating and time-consuming.
Agilon securely stores all spare parts in a central automated warehouse
The Agilon warehouse automation solution effectively resolved our challenges. We ordered and implemented a 30-meter-long, 6-meter-tall unit at Juustoportti's maintenance facilities, enabling centralized inventory management of essential spare parts. We have since expanded the system twice with increased production volume to meet growing demands.
No extended stoppages due to machine failures can be afforded, which puts maintenance and repair activities under pressure in terms of competence and the easy availability of spare parts.
"Konecranes provided excellent support during the project's specification phase and continues to assist us during operations. All we needed to do was define the available space, the sizes of the boxes, and the volume of the parts we would place in Agilon. Konecranes handled all the dimensioning and capacity calculations. The entire project was incredibly smooth and straightforward. We only required an Internet connection and a standard industrial socket. The system was delivered and installed on schedule, and after a brief training session provided by Konecranes, we could start using it immediately," recalls Vilén.
We built excitement for Agilon’s development by repeatedly reviewing the system with mechanics and supervisors and watching its operation videos. We also visited the Agilon production plant in Tampere, Finland, to see how the system's critical parts are developed and maintained. Beyond Juustoportti’s maintenance team, subcontractors actively use the system, accessing spare parts or supplies with their unique identifiers. Today, the system supports approximately 60 users.
Agilon enhanced production line reliability
Agilon has implemented digitalization in warehouse management at Juustoportti. Spare parts balances are now monitored automatically, with alerts sent directly to the responsible person’s inbox for spare parts orders. We no longer say, "We don't have it" or "I can't find it," because our balances are always accurate.
The Agilon system can be configured to send orders to suppliers automatically and can be integrated with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
Agilon is easy to use. Spare parts are available 24/7 to maintenance workers.
Agilon: Reducing stoppages and optimizing spare parts management
We immediately reduced production stoppages caused by missing parts by over 50% and improved the reliability of production lines with readily available spare parts. Teams now find spare parts quickly, and inventory balances stay accurate, minimizing the duration of production interruptions. Additionally, Agilon streamlines the process of picking spare parts packages for preventive maintenance, saving time and enhancing productivity in several ways," says Vilén.
Agilon saves significant floor space, boosting production capacity. The production manager also emphasizes the system's ability to monitor spare parts transactions and usage, with every pick-up, drop-off, and timestamp recorded in the system's memory. On average, Agilon processes 650 transactions each week.
The search function stands out. Mechanics add nicknames for spare parts in the additional information fields, making it easier and quicker to find the necessary components. The user interface is straightforward and user-friendly. "I can't think of anything more we could ask for; the system meets all our needs," says Vilén. Plus, there are still many features we haven't explored yet."
Top tips for boosting warehouse efficiency and productivity with automation
Gain 24/7 accessibility to all parts for uninterrupted operations.
Ensure 100% picking accuracy, enhancing precision and reliability.
Eliminate manual stock takes, saving time and minimizing errors.
Reduce downtime with fast, automated part retrieval, improving productivity.
For more information, please contact Jarkko Hemmi, Agilon Sales Manager, Finland.
Reliable 24/7 machine operation is essential in the demanding dairy industry. Agilon enhances maintenance by centralising spare parts and integrating digital tools in the warehouse, ensuring quick access to key components. Watch our 2021 webinar recording to discover how Agilon optimises operations.
Webinar recorded 4.2.2021
Language: Finnish
Duration: 47:55
Interested in how Agilon could benefit your business?
Konecranes provides service, equipment and parts in a wide variety of industries around the world.
Don't see your country listed here? Find a location near you or contact us for availability.