The nest is ready, the sheet is not
The programmer has nested a big job in 3mm galvanised, ready to cut first thing. The laser operator goes to the rack and finds two sheets, not the eight needed. The stockholder can deliver tomorrow afternoon. The laser gets switched to another job, which means another nest, and the big job slips a day.
Meanwhile the rack holds sheets of 1.5mm aluminium bought for a job two years ago, and several packs of 1.2mm stainless that are only ever touched for the odd bracket.
Why sheet stock is always a surprise
Sheets are bought in packs, used one or two at a time, and loaded onto the laser by whoever is running it. The stock record, if there is one, is updated at stocktake. Nobody adds up what the nests already queued will consume.
- Sheet stock is counted by walking to the rack.
- Sheets loaded on the laser are not booked out.
- Upcoming nests and jobs are not checked against stock.
- Reorder levels are a feeling, not a number per thickness.
- Slow moving materials are not noticed until stocktake.
What running short costs
Lasers switched to other jobs mid shift, with the planning disruption that follows. Emergency deliveries at extra cost. Jobs delayed by a day or more for the sake of a common sheet. And money tied up in material that does not move, taking rack space you need.
The sheet stock tracking we build
- Stock is held by material, grade, finish, thickness and sheet size, with rack locations and material batch for traceability.
- Deliveries are booked in against purchase orders, with the certificate attached where the material needs one.
- When a nest is cut, the sheets it used are booked out automatically from the nesting software's report, so the laser operator does not have to record anything extra.
- Nests queued and jobs released but not yet nested are added up by material and thickness, and compared with stock and open orders.
- Shortfalls are shown ahead of time, with the date the first affected nest is due to run.
- Reorder suggestions are grouped by stockholder, using your minimum levels and pack sizes, for the buyer to approve and send.
- Slow moving sheets are reported so you can use them on stock parts or return them.
| Question | Where the answer comes from |
|---|---|
| How many sheets of 3mm galv do we have? | Stock by material and thickness |
| Will we have enough for next week's nests? | Queued nests and jobs against stock |
| What do we need to order and from whom? | Reorder list by stockholder |
| Where is that sheet and what is its batch? | Rack location and material batch |
| What has not moved in months? | Slow moving report |
What the buyer and the laser notice
Shortages show up days ahead, while there is still time for a normal delivery. The buyer approves a list rather than responding to a panic. The laser runs the nests that were planned. Stock records are right between stocktakes because sheets are booked out as they are cut, not counted once a year.
Buying gets easier to plan as well. With usage by thickness and grade over months, you can see which sheets you should hold in quantity and which are better bought per job. That can mean agreeing call-off arrangements with a stockholder for the common thicknesses, and stopping the habit of keeping a pack of everything just in case.
Traceable material is easier too. Because each sheet is booked to the nest that used it, the material batch follows the parts, which matters when a customer asks for certificates on stainless or structural work.
Does your sheet rack surprise you?
- The laser has been stopped for want of a common sheet.
- Sheet stock is counted by eye.
- Emergency deliveries are routine.
- Some sheets have not moved in a long time.
- Nobody adds up what queued nests will use.