Altus Group, a leading supplier of electronics manufacturing equipment in the UK and Ireland, has secured its first order for the new Scienscope reel storage tower following its launch this summer. The system has generated strong interest from manufacturers looking to automate component storage and handling.
The first order, from EMPEL Systems, a manufacturer of integrated electric motor and power electronics modules, is for the 2,000-reel capacity Tower SMD 2000, which has now been installed at the company’s facility in Milton Keynes.
The tower automates reel identification, storage and retrieval. Once reels are loaded, the machine scans their barcodes and places them in allocated slots, recording their identification details and storage locations. Its dual-channel handling system supports simultaneous storage and retrieval, with a specified throughput of at least 600 reels per hour.
Anthony Oh, Technical Sales and Project Manager of Altus Group said: “We are delighted to have secured our first order for the new reel tower, and it is exciting to see how much interest it has received since being added to our portfolio. Scienscope’s solutions integrate easily with customers’ existing systems, while its wider range provides a one-stop shop for different component management needs. Together with the support of Altus Group’s after-sales team, this makes the offering very attractive to prospective customers looking to partner with us.”
Available in 1,500- and 2,000-reel capacity configurations, the tower has customisable shelves to accommodate different material requirements. The Tower SMD 2000 accommodates up to 2,000 7-inch reels with a thickness of 12 mm, with capacity dependent on the reel sizes and storage configuration. Trays and bagged components can also be stored when held in suitable cartridges. The system provides electrostatic protection and online temperature and humidity monitoring.
For production kitting, the tower can receive a work order specifying the required parts and quantities. It retrieves and scans the relevant reels and loads them onto a cart. Standard interfaces and an optional warehouse management system (WMS) support integration with ERP and MES platforms, allowing material movements to be recorded as reels leave storage. This reduces manual picking and provides a record of stock movements between storage and production.
The tower can also work alongside Scienscope’s incoming material stations, X-ray component counters and automated guided vehicles (AGVs). In an automated configuration, incoming reels are scanned, labelled and assigned a unique identification code before their quantities are verified by an X-ray counter. An AGV transfers the reels between systems and delivers them to the tower, allowing identification and quantity data to follow each reel through the process.
The system received its first UK and Ireland showcase at the Altus Factory of the Future event in September. Enquiries have come from a broad range of prospective customers looking for an independent storage solution that integrates with existing manufacturing systems.
Altus has worked with Scienscope for more than eight years, supplying and supporting its X-ray counters, goods-in scanning systems and smart racks. Electronic tags, dry cabinets and software solutions were added during 2026, with the new tower further extending the portfolio to cover incoming material identification, counting, inventory control, storage and production kitting. In-line and AGV-ready options are also available across the range.
In response to demand, Altus has ordered a full demonstration suite for its new customer experience centre. The suite will be introduced during the fourth quarter of 2026, enabling customer demonstrations and hands-on assessments.
