Innovative Thinking

Industrial Automation may have eased the manufacturing sector’s worries about an abundance of things, but there are undoubtedly times where over-automating a unit isn’t the solution.

It is noted that product and process designs take up 80% share of the total manufacturing costs, but almost always control engineers work hard to reduce the 20% left, rather than rectifying any errors in the former. The father of Toyota’s Production System, Taiichi Ohno devised seven canons of any design process that account for wastage of resources, and ultimately drive up costs. Today, the concept is known as Lean Manufacturing, and heavily followed throughout the world. These seven wastes included overproduction, waiting, transportation, over-processing, inventory, defects and motion.

Uncertainty in global markets acts as one of the biggest motivator for optimization of all sorts. The recent oil price slump was alarming for all, from government-owned oil companies to century old gas-giants. In such situations, every dollar saved per unit is rewarded, as the stakes are simply too high. Process Optimization is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve profit margins and drive a company through prolonged market slumps.

Internet of Things has brought several changes to the conventional manufacturing landscapes, one of the major ones being the new wave of data streams due to a wide variety of sensory devices. Industrial Analytics is a concept that sits at the helm of all this, turning raw machine data into information that can be used to drive intelligent operations and processes.

Automation is the process of embedding industrial machinery like welders, material handlers, palletizers, cutters, dispensers, etc. into manufacturing industries. The utilization of hardware and software automation brings an increase in productivity, profitability and safety of the industry, and as a whole increase competitiveness.

AC Drives vs. DC Drives is a battle that’s been going on for too long, and even though AC may have emerged the victor in several fields such as generation and transmission, DC is still a force to be reckoned with.

Ever since its inception, 3D printing has been a hot-topic for research in the industrial world, as it introduced time and cost benefits that were otherwise inaccessible. Building on the very same base, Additive Manufacturing has proven to be an even more beneficial technique as it has fused together the sleekness of 3D printing and wide selectivity of manufacturing materials.

A Motor Control Center (MCC) is an integral part of a manufacturing plant, and its continuous operation is vital if the company wants to make a profit. The safety of Motor Control Centers is a hot-topic in modern equipment design due to the ensuing hazards, most notably arc flashes. The safety of both the MCC as well as the personnel who operate it should therefore be a priority and appropriate guards must be in place to tackle any emergency.

Some projects may appear to be simple in the beginning, however problems arise that might not have been considered, which can ultimately end up costing a large amount of precious time and money. Delays can be avoided by taking a few steps to minimize risk and increase productivity. We will explore how uncertainties can derail a project and how you can reduce damage to your company’s timeline and budget.

While the Great Recession may have put a dent in several industries, it did push-start the rise of industrial robotics. The sudden spotlight drew attention from all corners and in 2013 more than 5000 patents were passed for robotic technologies. Plus, the annual order for robotics in North America surpassed its 20,000-unit threshold as a result of increased investment by several venture capitalists.

Lean manufacturing can be a very worthwhile investment, as it can have a very significant effect on your productivity and profitability. But beginning your lean journey is a daunting task and a serious investment, involving a lot of effort and a bunch of money. If not managed properly, a launch into the lean is at risk for serious failure, so keep the following factors in mind to greatly increase your chances of a successful launch.