Case Studies

 

Customer Case Study: Rail Industry (Anonymous)

Overview

The rail industry is among the key markets that Anixter Adhesives currently supplies products and services into. This case study outlines one particular instance in which Anixter Adhesives provided significant savings to a major customer within that industry, providing savings through innovation in products and services.

The Anixter Adhesives Solution

Prior to working with Anixter Adhesives, the customer used 200ml cartridges that technicians applied through manual and pneumatic applicators.

Although this method worked in principal, it often resulted in high levels of wastage, limited discount options on stock and a more labour intensive production process. With increased production rates, it was apparent that the current process did not provide the desired levels of efficiency, and thus a more effective solution was required. After evaluating a number of options, the Anixter Adhesives technical support team identified that the process could be improved through the use of a bulk, air powered system with numerous applicator points on the one cylinder. This new system meant that a number of technicians could work from the same cylinder rather, than applying the adhesive by cartridge. Benefits

Through the introduction of a bulk application system in place of 200ml cartridges, Anixter Adhesives was able to offer significant benefits to the customer, including:

• Commercial Advantage – Cost savings have been generated through the bulk purchasing of adhesive product, as this reduces the packaging cost associated with 200ml cartridges. The cost savings on purchasing the adhesive alone should repay the initial investment for the application system within 16 months
• Reduced wastage – The previous cartridge application method resulted in up to 30ml of wastage on average per 200ml cartridge. This wastage is minimised by the continual refilling of high capacity cylinder, as old adhesives at the bottom of the cylinder is still pushed through the system. In addition to this, wastage is also minimised by the use of air-powered guns that apply more pressure during application
• Process and production savings – Use of a bulk system drastically reduces production time, as users are only required to refill the cylinder once in comparison to changing cartridges approximately five times with the previous method. This allows the user to spend more time applying the adhesive and less time refilling the applicator