STOPA Installation

Alpha Manufacturing have taken another huge step in achieving an ambitious five-year plan to double turnover by the end of 2020. This week saw the company sign off on the £1 million installation of a new fully automated STOPA storage system, which will put the Midlands based manufacturer in an exclusive bracket of only a handful of UK sheet metal manufacturers with this kind of technology. Installation will begin early December 2016 and is expected to take around 5 weeks.

In addition to the STOPA system, Alpha will also be installing a brand new state of the art Trumpf 3030 Fibre laser with loading automation. This machine will replace one of Alpha’s older, existing Bystronic lasers and will be integrated into the STOPA system once installation is complete.

What is the STOPA Storage system?
The STOPA storage system offers fully automated material handling and material flow with full integration into processing machines. Raw material is loaded into the STOPA storage system and is then picked by a longitudinal moving picker crane and delivered to processing machines as required.

This allows for ultimate efficiency in material handling and stock management, as minimum re order levels can be set and materials automatically replenished as required. By drastically reducing the manual labour required for transport and storage of material, so the risk of accident and injury to shop floor operatives is also minimised.

Why is this system important?
The installation of this system is the first stage of a strategic, phased development plan which will eventually see Alpha’s manufacturing facility become completely automated.
As operations Director Paul Clews explains: “This installation is the first stage of an automated system which will eventually run the entire length of our factory. By 2020 the majority of our processing machines will be automatically fed by this system. This will not only include our punch and laser machines, but also all folding and panel bending processing will be fully integrated. This will enable all strategic WIP to be managed by the push of a button, maximising efficiency.

The installation will take us away from the conventional tower system which we currently use, as do many of our competitors, allowing long term full management of sheet metal all the way through to complete manufactured parts.”

This latest acquisition once again re affirms Alpha’s commitment to continued investment and a desire to constantly improve its service offering through innovation. An investment which clearly demonstrates the vision of the company and ambition of the management.