Cleanroom material flow and replenishment design
Opyflow designed a controlled replenishment system that links an external logistics provider, the warehouse, the cleanroom and the assembly workstations. Every stakeholder has approved the design, and the plant is under construction.
Each cleanroom workstation had to receive its material unmixed and traceable, and without an assembler going to fetch it.
Opyflow designed the route from the logistics provider to the bench, setting an owner and a rule for each hand-off.
Design approved by all stakeholders · Kanban and min/max replenishment specified · Dedicated logistics role defined
The challenge
A regulated medical-device operation needed its material to travel from an external logistics provider through a front-end warehouse and a controlled entry into the cleanroom, then on to individual workstations, with no contamination on the way. Assembler time was the less visible cost. An operator who leaves the bench to find, divide or fetch material is doing logistics work that the capacity model counts as assembly.
Opyflow's work
Opyflow designed the material flow as one system, from the logistics provider through the front-end warehouse and the passthrough to the bench, and set the replenishment triggers along it. The design gives cleanroom entry its own controls: no cardboard past the door, outer packaging removed, wipe-down, visual acceptance. Opyflow specified two-bin Kanban for suitable materials and min/max levels for bulk items and adhesives. Work in progress and non-conforming material move first in, first out, segregated and tagged, with a return rule. And a dedicated water spider, the logistics role that feeds the line, collects empty bins, delivers filled bins to the bench, divides materials, handles adhesives and hazardous materials, moves finished-goods carts and supports material review.
What changed
Material movement is designed as a service with one owner. The warehouse, the passthrough, the cleanroom and the line are designed to share a single set of rules, which means assembly staffing can be planned for production work only.
Why define a dedicated replenishment role?
Because logistics work hidden inside assembly hours distorts capacity. Once replenishment has its own routes, triggers and load rules, and someone whose job it is, the capacity model can count assembly time as assembly.
See the capability: Logistics & distribution →