Curries’ Selects TigerStop Systems to Support Their “Paperless” Workflow Automation

Vancouver, WA (PRWEB) August 30, 2011

TigerStop, the global leader in linear positioning systems, announces the latest selection in their Businesses Built Metal Tough™, best-in-class customer series. The series highlights industry leading TigerStop customers who share their success stories regarding investments which have resulted in improved productivity and quality. The series focuses on successful businesses that incorporated Built Metal Tough TigerStop products into their work cells and achieved significant quality improvements, higher productivity, and cost reductions. The TigerStop systems attach to a cold saw, punch press, ironworker, or any machine needing linear positioning automation.

Curries, located in Mason City, Iowa, is an industry leader in the manufacture of hollow metal doors and frames for the non-residential construction industry. Their customers were requesting shorter lead times for custom doors, so they invested in manufacturing technology to provide fast turnaround times for custom orders. In 2004, Curries initiated a continuous improvement process, lean manufacturing drive while maintaining focus on delivering quality products and exceptional customer service. Their plan to automate the manual work stations required having the ability to connect with their factory network to deliver a paperless factory environment. These initiatives and their implementation are the cornerstone of Curries continued leadership and success in the metal door manufacturing industry.

As part of the automation solution, Curries invested in several TigerStop automated linear positioners which enabled them to plug into their factory network to support their paperless factory drive. The TigerStop products removed all the guess work from setting gauges to correct dimensions, eliminated set up time, and tied directly into the factory data network.

At Curries today, work order information is processed in the front office and downloaded to the TigerStops. The factory operator then loads the material, the TigerStop moves into position, and the operator makes the cut or punches it. “Set-up time is reduced and quality is improved,” said Dave Goetzinger, technical marketing manager, Curries. “We can build custom orders in the time it takes competitors to process standard material orders. We tell architects, ‘If you can draw it, we can build it’. We’ve designed our whole manufacturing philosophy around flexibility. With our new technology, not only is the correct, latest information in front of our operators, but the information is downloaded right into their equipment as well. This reduces errors on the shop floor and operators don’t have to worry about key-in mistakes.”

Curries is thriving due to their ability to be flexible, lean, and fast. And, after the success of implementing their first TigerStop, Curries added four more TigerStop positioners. TigerStop positioners replace manual stop systems on almost any machine tool, automating new or existing machinery on the factory floor. TigerStop systems are capable of data flow with most manufacturing software or can be equipped with TigerStop paperless solutions, including Clipboard, a touch screen control software, that includes network downloading.

Machine tool operators can learn how to use any TigerStop product in about 15 minutes, offering immediate savings on time and money. Productivity packages are also available for all TigerStop Built Metal Tough Products, including optimization with nested work order lists ensuring the most cost effective use of valuable raw materials. And TigerStop’s Workflow Manager offers the ability to download work orders from standard design software directly to all Built Metal Tough TigerStop products on the shop floor in minutes.

To view the series of Businesses Built Metal Tough or to learn more about TigerStop, visit http://www.tigerstop.com or call TigerStop (360) 254-0661.

To learn more about Curries, visit http://www.curries.com.

If you are with the media and would like to schedule an interview, please contact Linda Ferguson, public relations counsel, lcourtneyferguson(at)comcast(dot)net or 503-869-5827.

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