Described by some as the Ferrari of the banknote processing world, the new BPS X9 that has been installed in the Finishing Department and running full-time since November last year is proving its worth.
“Finishing now has the X9 and the newer of the BPS 2000 machines being used for single note inspection, with both machines being fed by a Cutlink X machine that guillotines the sheets into individual notes. We also have the older of the BPS 2000 machines that is being used to process limited volumes of notes,” says our Finishing Manager Viet Vu.
The X9 brings a step change in productivity to the department, with significant time and resource gains being realised in a number of ways.
Not only is the X9 10% faster, processing 44 notes/second as opposed to 40 notes/second on the BPS2000, but spoils are delivered, counted, strapped and bundled removing some of the manual handling that is required for spoils on the BPS 2000.
“This makes a significate difference in how we handle our spoiled notes daily. It allows more accuracy for reconciliation purposes and less manual intervention” says Viet.
The X9 is a longer machine than the BPS 2000 due to an additional modules – a destruction module – being added in line. By making this a permanent fixture on the machine this is again a productivity gain because the BPS 2000 requires the destruction module to be added and removed to the lines, a process that takes 45 minutes each time. Due to the X9's length, the Cutlink X has been configured to fit into a smaller space, now forming a U-shape rather than being S-shaped as is the case with the BPS 2000.
In addition, the cameras conducting the single note inspection are far more sophisticated than the technology used on the BPS 2000. Not only do they capture a higher resolution image but the software has the ability to separate features within the same banknote area.
“For instance, with the UV feature on NGB notes, the camera can separate the red and green portions of this feature even though they are integrated to form a single design image,” says Liam McDonough, our Inspection Systems Technician.
Furthermore, the diagnostic capabilities of the X9 are revolutionary compared to the BPS 2000. Not only can the technician understand the processing speed of each processing unit within the X9, but jams and other irregularities can be pinpointed, so that clearances or part replacements can be identified immediately and acted on.
“The BPS 2000 has none of the diagnostic capabilities, which means that the Inspection Systems Technicians need to work their way through the entire machine to understand where the processing issue is occurring,” says Liam. “Sometimes it can take days to find the problem.”
It took a total of four months between the arrival of the X9’s modules, to having the line built and running – this includes the addition of a card applicator machine which is needed for RBA and Bank of Papua New Guinea jobs (cardboard is placed at each end of the bundle) and a Notapack 10 machine which shrink wraps each bundle.
“The ability of the team to manage this transition has been excellent. Not only were our Inspection System Technicians very open minded and really embraced the learning process on the X9, but our entire team was united on the floor, really taking on the learning and then sharing their knowledge with others in the team,” says Joanne Derman, our Operations Coordinator.
“While our focus is very strongly on meeting our delivery targets, everyone on the team could see how valuable the addition of the X9 is to the department. In terms of working on machines, everyone has the opportunity to work on both lines.”
Working Smarter: The new BPS X9 represents a step change in productivity for the Finishing department.