BWM Tray Feeder Reduces Cycle Time 25%: 20s to 14s

bwm GmbH, a German assembly technology specialist founded in 1961 and serving automotive, electronics, and consumer healthcare manufacturers globally, faced a competitive pressure to improve throughput on its line-side Trayfeeder product. The machine — used worldwide to deliver fragile components to assembly cells in precise orientation and quantity — was cycling at 20 seconds per tray. With customers operating in high-volume production environments alongside faster-cycling equipment, this bottleneck limited overall line efficiency. Beyond raw speed, bwm also needed to reduce design costs, simplify commissioning, and make the machine more commercially viable in export markets outside Europe.

Rockwell Automation delivered a fully integrated motion control architecture built around an Allen-Bradley CompactLogix L18ERM programmable automation controller (PAC) with native two-axis motion functionality. Two Allen-Bradley Kinetix 5500 servo drives and VPL series servo motors — connected via single-cable technology — replaced the prior motion system, with an EtherNet/IP network backbone coordinating real-time servo control. An Allen-Bradley PanelView Plus 600 HMI and Stratix 2000 Ethernet switch completed the solution. Rockwell Automation's Global OEM Technical Consultant (GOTC) handled the full software conversion, and a dedicated project manager oversaw quality across all deliverables. The single-network EtherNet/IP architecture also positions the machine for future Connected Enterprise and IIoT integration.

The redesigned Trayfeeder cut cycle time from 20 seconds to 14 seconds — a 25% reduction — enabling higher throughput across the production cells it serves. The improvement compounds in high-volume environments where the feeder runs continuously alongside other assembly equipment.

Key outcomes:

• Cycle time: 20s → 14s (6-second improvement per cycle)
• Motion quality: Smoother transfers with reduced jerk and pendulum movement, protecting machine structure
• Total cost of ownership: Reduced through single-cable wiring and faster commissioning
• Market reach: Allen-Bradley platform enables export sales beyond Europe
• Scalability: EtherNet/IP backbone supports future IIoT expansion without hardware changes

• Integrated PAC-plus-servo architectures from a single vendor can eliminate motion coordination overhead that limits cycle time in handling equipment.
• Single-cable servo technology (like Kinetix 5500) directly reduces installation and commissioning time — TCO benefits extend beyond the initial hardware cost comparison.
• A six-second cycle time gain compounds significantly in continuous-operation environments; evaluate improvements against cumulative throughput, not just per-cycle numbers.
• Choosing a globally accepted automation platform early simplifies future market expansion and reduces the need for regional hardware variants.
• Engaging vendor application specialists (OEM GOTCs) for software conversion, rather than handling it in-house, can accelerate deployment and reduce integration risk.