System and method for manufacturing products according to customer orders

• US 20010041947A1
• Filed: 03/05/2001
• Published: 11/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, Mark D., Sanders, John H., Patil, Satish Y., Graham, Michael T., Cunningham, C. M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,892,104 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/216
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/00 Programme-control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/44 pneumatic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53022 with means to test work or product

Abstract

A build cell for manufacturing products according to customer orders includes a build station at which components are assembled according to a customer order to form an assembled product. The build cell also includes a burn station at which the assembled product is configured and tested to form a configured product. In addition, the build cell includes a finishing station at which the configured product is inspected to produce a finished product. A transportation device transports the finished product from the build cell to a transportation system for delivery to a boxing facility, such that the product is assembled, configured, tested, and inspected in the build cell and packaged at the boxing facility. In an illustrative embodiment, the product is a computer, the components include hardware components, which are assembled at the build station, and software is installed at the burn station.

Claims

1. A build cell for manufacturing products according to customer orders, the build cell comprising:

a first side, a second side adjacent to the first side, and a third side adjacent to the second side;

a build station at which components are assembled according to a customer order to form an assembled product, the build station being situated at the first side;

a burn station at which the assembled product is configured according to the customer order and tested to form a configured product, the burn station being situated at the second side;

a finishing station at which the configured product is inspected to produce a finished product, the finishing station being situated at the third side; and

an open area of floor between the first and third sides, the open area dimensioned to accommodate at least one human operator.

2. The build cell of

claim 1

, further comprising:

a fourth side adjacent to the third side; and

a printer at the fourth side for printing identifying information for the product on an asset tag to be applied to the configured product according to the customer order.

3. The build cell of

claim 1

, wherein:

the components comprise hardware that was specified by the customer order.

the configured product includes software that was specified by the customer order; and

the finished product comprises an operational computer.

4. A build cell in a manufacturing facility that manufactures products according to customer orders, the manufacturing facility having a boxing facility at which a finished product is packaged, the build cell comprising:

a build station at which components are assembled according to a customer order to form an assembled product;

a burn station at which the assembled product is configured and tested to form a configured product;

a finishing station at which the configured product is inspected to produce a finished product; and

a transportation device that transports the finished product from the build cell to a transportation system for delivery to the boxing facility whereby the finished product is packaged.

5. The build cell of

claim 4

, further comprising sufficient floor space to accommodate at least four human operators.

6. The build cell of

claim 4

, wherein the transportation device is located below a transportation system that includes an incoming conveyor and an outgoing conveyor that are aligned generally vertically to conserve space within the manufacturing facility.

7. The build cell of

claim 4

, wherein the finishing station further comprises:

a finishing shelf;

a finishing conveyor that transports the configured product to the finishing shelf; and

an exit conveyor that transports the finished product from the finishing shelf to a staging area for removal from the build cell.

8. The build cell of

claim 7

, wherein the finishing conveyor and the exit conveyor are aligned generally vertically to conserve space within the manufacturing facility.

9. A build cell for manufacturing products according to customer orders, the build cell comprising:

a build station at which components are assembled to form an assembled product;

a burn station at which the assembled product is configured according to the customer order and tested to form a configured product, the burn station being generally aligned with a corresponding burn station in a first adjacent build cell; and

a transportation device that transports the assembled product to the burn station, the transportation device being situated between the build cell and the first adjacent build cell to also service the corresponding burn station in the first adjacent build cell.

10. The build cell of

claim 9

, further comprising:

a finishing station at which the configured product is inspected to produce a finished product, the finishing station being generally aligned with a corresponding finishing station in an adjacent build cell;

an exit conveyor that transports the finished product to the transportation device for removal from the build cell, the exit conveyor being situated between the build cell and the adjacent build cell to also service the corresponding finishing station in the adjacent build cell.

11. The build cell of

claim 9

, wherein the transportation device also transports the components from an incoming conveyor to the build station.

12. The build cell of

claim 11

, wherein the transportation device comprises:

a shelf that moves vertically to transport the tote to the build station; and

the transportation device horizontally movable and the shelf vertically movable to transport the assembled product to the burn station.

13. The build cell of

claim 9

, wherein the transportation device also removes the finished product from the build cell.

14. The build cell of

claim 9

, wherein the build cell comprises an open area of floor dimensioned to accommodate an operator who manually transports the assembled product as required.

15. The build cell of

claim 9

, wherein:

the build cell includes a quick-test station and an open area of floor dimensioned to accommodate an operator;

the transportation device automatically transports the assembled product to the quick-test station in response to detecting the assembled product at an exit stage of the build station;

the transportation device automatically transports the assembled product from the quick-test station to the burn station in response to a first signal from the operator;

the transportation device automatically transports the configured product from the burn station to the finishing station in response to a second signal from the operator; and

the first transportation device automatically transports the finished product from an exit conveyor to the outgoing conveyor in response to detecting the finished product at an exit stage of the finishing station without the operator manually lifting the assembled product.

16. The build cell of

claim 9

, further comprising a display that depicts a performance rating for the build cell, relative to other build cells in the manufacturing facility.

17. The build cell of

claim 9

, wherein the burn station comprises:

a matrix of compartments, including a plurality of burn compartments and at least one compartment that receives assembled products destined for an electromechanical repair (EMR) station.

18. The build cell of

claim 9

, wherein the burn station comprises:

a matrix of compartments, including a plurality of burn compartments and at least one compartment that receives assembled products from an electromechanical repair (EMR) station.

19. The build cell of

claim 9

, further comprising a barcode scanner that obtains information from one or more of the components that are assembled.

20. The build cell of

claim 9

, wherein the product comprises:

a data processing system that was ordered with specified hardware and software components, and the data processing system is tested and cleaned at the finishing station.

21. A manufacturing facility, comprising:

a kitting facility at which the components are collected;

a build cell according to

claim 9

; and

a boxing facility at which the finished products is packaged.

22. A method for manufacturing products according to customer orders, the method comprising:

assembling components according to a customer order to form an assembled product at a build station of a build cell;

configuring and testing the assembled product to form a configured product at a burn station of the build cell;

inspecting the configured product to produce a finished product at a finishing station of the build cell; and

transporting the finished product from the build cell to a transportation system for delivery to a boxing facility outside the build cell for packaging.

23. The method of

claim 22

, further comprising:

transporting the components from an incoming conveyor to the build station via a transportation device.

24. A method for manufacturing computers according to customer orders, the method comprising:

assembling hardware components according to a customer order to form an assembled product at a build station of a build cell;

installing software and testing the assembled product to form a configured product at a burn station of the build cell;

inspecting the configured product to produce a finished product at a finishing station of the build cell; and

transporting the finished product from the build cell to a transportation system for delivery to a boxing facility outside the build cell for packaging.