Learn more about this success story: How we managed to automate and simplify the company´s operations in the production of coin/note sets for its clients.
DIBAL Solution for a Company Dedicated to Comprehensive Cash Management
At DIBAL, we have been providing weighing and labelling solutions for industry (food, automotive, construction, chemical, machine tool, etc.), for almost 30 years, since 1992. Being owners of the whole process -design, manufacture and marketing of the equipment- enables us to offer companies solutions adapted to highly specific needs. In fact, this is one of our passions: taking on challenges set by clients. In order to handle and solve them, we have an excellent team devoted to R&D+i, who also collaborate with important technological centres, business associations and other front-line providers.
A few years ago, we solved one of these challenges set by a multinational company dedicated to comprehensive cash management for both financial institutions and sales clients.
We will take you through the SUCCESS STORY step by step:
1) THE SITUATION
One of the company´s tasks consists of preparing sets of coins/notes to be delivered to stores (their clients) so that they can start the day with change at their cash tills. These coin/note sets have a certain total amount and also a certain combination of coins and notes depending on the client. Therefore, for a set of, say, €200, the combinations below could be contemplated (always according to the client´s indications):
- A bag/tube with ´x´ number of 5-cent coins.
- A bag/tube with ´x´ number of 10-cent coins.
- With ´x´ number of 20-cent coins.
- With ´x´ number of 50-cent coins.
- With ´x´ number of €1 coins.
- With ´x´ number of €2 coins.
- With ´x´ number of €5 notes.
2) HOW THEY USED TO PROCEED BEFORE CONTACTING DIBAL
To make up different sets they used:
- A weighing scale.
- A computer programme that displayed the information for each coin set on a PC.
- A printer.
The set of coins/notes required was put together manually by the employee; it was then placed on the weighing scale to check that it weighed the exact amount that it should; and if everything was correct, the label was finally printed with the total amount on it and was stuck on.
3) DIBAL´S SOLUTION
The aim was to automate and simplify these operations, as well as to reduce potential human error. In short, the aim was to be more efficient. To this end, the following was proposed:
- Hardware: a manual labelling machine, the LP-3000, connected to a fellow DIBAL platform.
- Software: the labelling machine memorises all the necessary coin/note sets information, as well as client and operator data for identification, etc.
We would also like to emphasise that the labelling machines always leave our facilities already configured with the corresponding database and with all the information preloaded, according to the client´s indications. In this way, the company/client work centres to where the equipment is sent to do not have to do anything. If, for whatever reason, any changes have to be made to the configuration, it would just be a case of entering a security key in order to access this data.
These are the steps that the employee/operator now follows with the DIBAL solution:
a) Identification is made with the LP-3000 manual labelling machine with the corresponding code.
b) The client for whom the coin/note sets are to be prepared is selected on the LP-3000 screen.
c) Once the client has been identified, the coin/note sets to be prepared can be selected. The combination of coins and notes and their total weight are already stored in the labelling machine for final checking.
d) The tubes/bags of coins/notes that make up the set are prepared by the employee by hand and, once ready, are weighed all together on the platform connected to the labelling machine. When the weight matches the one stored in the labelling machine for that set, the corresponding label is generated and printed with the information related to the batch, the operator, the date, time, weight, total amount in the set and an alphanumeric barcode indicating the item and the batch it belongs to, as well as some datamax codes for reading it with a hand-held scanner gun and subsequent data collection.
We developed this solution in 2015 and since then we have enjoyed an ongoing collaboration with this multinational. More specifically, with its branches in mainland Spain, the Canary Islands and Morocco. Other DIBAL products this client uses, are:
- Pallet jacks for weighing pallets.
- LS-4000 automatic weighing and labelling equipment, that has replaced previous, outdated equipment. Shrink-wrapped coin tubes go through this equipment. The equipment checks that the weight of the tube is within the range defined for that item, that is, that there are not too many or too few coins in the tube. If the weight is out of range, the tube is ejected from the line; if it is within range, the equipment labels it with the corresponding batch information and transfers it to a set maker that distributes the tubes to form boxes.