The Next System™ is an innovative design solution for automated equipment that allows you to more efficiently utilize your investment in capital equipment. With conventional automation equipment, the capital equipment and tooling equipment are combined in a single self-contained unit. While this may be common, it puts you at a competitive disadvantage. The Next System™ finally solves this problem and allows the user to recapture 90% of the reusable capital associated with Special Machines.
Why Conventional Equipment Limits Your Flexibility
When capital equipment is combined with tooling equipment in a single unit, the capital equipment sits idle most of the time, is prematurely retired when the tooling equipment is retired, and is nearly impossible to salvage, due in part to the ambiguity of ownership of the capital equipment. If the tooling equipment is owned by the customer, then it can be difficult to maintain ownership of the capital equipment that is attached to the unit. This requires that you continuously repurchase the capital equipment each time tooling equipment is purchased. This unnecessary waste increases your operating costs and impacts your competitiveness. If you absorb the overhead costs, your profit margins are lower, and if you pass them on to your customer, you risk losing your customers to lower cost competitors.
With conventional equipment:
- your capital equipment sits idle up to 90% of the time
- it is not clear whether you or your customer owns the capital equipment
- you cannot dynamically adjust to specific plant needs
- you are not positioned to adapt new enterprise-wide requirements
- your entire capital equipment investment is lost if you need to retool
How the Next System™ Provides
a Competitive Advantage
The Next System™ divides the capital equipment and the tooling equipment into two separate units. By using one capital unit for multiple tooling units, you keep your capital equipment operating in continuous cycle and maintain full ownership of it. Furthermore, it is standardized and recyclable so that you can easily retool, adapt new requirements, and dynamically adjust to specific plant needs without needing to purchase new capital equipment.
The modular design of the Next System™ ensures easy setup and change-over that can be completed by one person in three minutes. The light curtains and palm buttons are designed to easily slide on and off while remaining securely attached during operation. The pneumatic and electrical are connected through plug-in connections for flexibility and durability. Attach the light curtains, palm buttons and pneumatic and electrical plugs, and you’re ready to begin operation!
With Next System™ equipment, you will:
- maximize your capital equipment investment
- easily adapt to new requirements
- lower your operating costs
- pass cost savings on to your customer without reducing profit margins
- gain a competitive advantage
To get more details about the Next System™, please click here.
