20 Years Of Solutions

There are many instances in which a client chooses to operate their manufacturing site, but require the assistance of a firm such as Astra/CFX to provide turnkey services.  

Astra/CFX Holdings utilizes internal engineers and analysts to consult, design, engineer, and construct turnkey 3PL manufacturing sites for our clients.  We design our sites to utilized the right mix of automation and technology to ensure our design meets or exceeds the client's production requirements.  

The following represents a handful of examples in a long history of creative concepts & successful implementations.

ITEC - Tire & Wheel Assembly & Sequencing Facility

ITEC utilized Astra/CFX turnkey services to analyze, engineer, and design an automated tire and wheel assembly operation for a domestic automotive OEM.  The design met the required TAKT time of 18 seconds and supported the OEM assembly line operation of 25 JPH.  Based on the analysis of the OEM daily production volume, the site was designed to build assemblies in batches and sequence assemblies offline from the OEM production broadcast.

US Customs - Air Cargo Scan Design

Prior to Astra/CFX involvement, inbound cargo into Miami International Airport (MIA) containing perishables was taking between 2-4 days upon arrival for US Customs to clear the containers.  Astra/CFX engineered an automated system which took inbound cargo containers from the tarmac into the system via automated conveyors.  The conveyors feed into a 3-D X-ray scanner allowing US Customs to verify the contents of the containers in an efficient manner.  The turn time on inbound containers to customs clearance was reduced from 2-4 days upon arrival to 20 minutes to an hour upon arrival.  Our solution provided seven digit savings to US Customs and the consignees of the inbound perishables.

USPS - Automated Container Sortation Site

Astra/CFX was tasked with the design and implementation of an automated USPS Letter tray sortation system for a NDC in the USPS network.  Our engineers consulted with conveyor and vision systems to design a system that provided (4) four-sided scanning of the sleeved Letter trays to read the mail sort barcode, and route the tray to the correct 3-digit zip code lane for further upstream processing within the USPS network.   

Domestic Automotive OEM Engine Dress Design

A domestic automotive OEM utilized Astra/CFX turnkey services to engineer, design, source, and install/launch an automated assembly line to dress engines.   The system was designed on an oval conveyor system in which the engine would transport to various stations to have electrical wire harnesses, external engine components, and fluids to complete the engine for final assembly.  This production line had 14 stations with gantry cranes for loading and unloading engines.  

FPL - Automated Transformer Repair Line

Prior to Astra/CFX involvement, it took FPL 7 days to rebuild transformers at this mission critical site.The process was being done manually at the time.  Astra/CFX engineered an automated site which allowed FPL to rebuild the transformers in 2 days providing a 70% time savings.  Additionally, through the automation designed into the system FPL was able to reduce labor costs by 60% as well.  Based on the success of Phase 1, FPL brought Astra back to implement Phase 2 of the process at other sites.