Horner XL6 used with Modern Production Registration System at Swedwood Poland – Sawmills Division

System Overview

Swedwood Poland, whose sawmills and manufacturing plants are part of the IKEA Group, produces furniture made from solid wood and MDF boards. The Chociwel and Stepnica Wood Plants, part of Swedwood Poland since 1993, stand at the beginning of the solid pine wood furniture production chain.

The main product of these plants is pine timber, manufactured in three thicknesses, six widths, nine lengths, and three quality grades – resulting in a total assortment of 486 products.

Challenges

To continuously improve the production process, the company decided to implement a production registration system. Its purpose was to streamline the monitoring and management of material flow both within departments and between divisions. Previously handwritten paper specifications were to be replaced by a new barcode-based package labeling system.

The system was entirely developed and created by Swedwood Poland Sawmills Division employees. The initiator and developer was Artur Trawiński – Head of Production Systems Development – with significant contributions from the mechanical department staff. Experts from ASTOR supported them in selecting solutions and provided technical configuration and system expansion support.

Implementation

At the heart of the system is the additional equipment installed on every forklift truck.

Equipment includes:
– Operator panel integrated with the Horner APG XL6 controller,
– Label printer,
– Barcode scanner,
– SATEL Satelline-3AS 869 radiomodem.

To eliminate errors inherent in manual processes, the operator enters package information (e.g., thickness, width, length, quality class) using a barcode scanner. A set of barcodes contains all possible product information.

The operator simply scans the appropriate barcode associated with the product, loading the necessary data into the Horner XL6 controller. A unique product number is then assigned and, after verification, transmitted to the server via the forklift’s radiomodem.

Once confirmed, a label with a barcode and the previously entered information is generated and printed.

Labeling and Tracking

The label is placed on the package, which is then sent to the green timber warehouse.

From there, the package can be directed to a drying chamber or to the glued board factory. In both cases, forklift operators use the barcode label for identification. When placing the package in the drying chamber or onto a truck, the operator scans the barcode. This data is displayed on the panel, and after completing the loading process, a report is generated and sent to the central database.

The barcode is also used at the glued board factory for receiving shipments and during further processing.

Benefits

Thanks to the barcode-based system, it is now possible to register the journey of a package from the moment it is produced to the moment it reaches the recipient – and even at the recipient’s location. At any time, the package’s status or location can be identified, which facilitates further processing and ensures compliance with the FIFO (First In, First Out) standard.

“The package history created at each production stage is supplemented by department managers with additional details – such as the type of logs used or the drying program. This allows for faster identification and elimination of potential issues,”
– summarizes Artur Trawiński, Head of Production Systems Development at Swedwood Poland – Sawmills Division.