Continental Automotive Components Malaysia produces automotive electronics for manufacturers throughout Asia. Recently the company implemented a Reel aMounts counting and labeling system from computer and electronics equipment manufacturer Seratel in its factory in Penang, Malaysia.

The Reel aMounts system allows Continental to count and relabel the number of components on a reel in 15 seconds or less, compared to the four minutes it took in the past using manual counters.

During production, the operator simply scans a bar code on the reel to begin counting. The system then produces a new label for the reel, which includes both the number of components and information on the operator performing the count.

Reel aMounts works by linking a computer, electronic weighing scales, a bar code scanner, a bar code printer and a database of component types to provide high-speed counting for tape and reel components. All material is automatically tracked by a unique ID code for each reel, giving Continental exceptional inventory control and traceability.

All information collected is stored in a database, and an extensive, web-based reporting system provides both management statistics and detailed analysis.

To optimize the system, Seratel and Continental worked together to integrate Continental’s Reel aMounts equipment with the company’s existing enterprise resource planning system. As a result, when a reel is counted using Reel aMounts, the inventory figures in the ERP system are also automatically updated to provide engineers with real-time inventory data.

For more on counting and tracking components, visit www.reelamounts.com.