While failure instructs, when it comes to manufacturing technology, what matters is what actually works.
Every new technology starts on the hype end of the Gartner cycle. Manufacturers have to wait patiently for new hardware and software to prove out. Then, it takes time to explore and understand the technology that seems to have value. Pilot use cases can be difficult to identify and implement.
Once a technology deployment succeeds, however, doors to possibility open up across the organization. Taking that first step, deploying that first technology, bears fruit far beyond its immediate benefits. That is when a digital transformation kicks into gear.
Here, then, are our stories from 2024 that best chronicle manufacturing technology that gets results and the leaders who blazed the digital trail.
5G Can Revolutionize Manufacturing
Connected devices across a plant floor generate tremendous amounts of data that, if processed correctly, yield invaluable insights into product quality, production efficiency, and operational safety among other things. Limiting connectivity to wired Ethernet or WiFi hamstrings the ability to make floor plan changes or track tools as they move across the plant. 5G technology definitively solves those problems, but as John Deere discovered, having the right people to manage the tech is the largest challenge to using 5G successfully.
Let Employees Lead the Way on Sustainability
Sustainability doesn’t have to be a matter of grandiose proposals and sweeping policy changes. Small improvements add up quickly. No one knows better how to save energy, decrease waste and leverage renewables in your plants than the operators most intimate with what’s happening on the floor. ABB learned to let employees decide how best to execute sustainability efforts and launched a company-wide program to support their work.
Confident Operators Create Quality
How does a small business earn jobs from manufacturers like Toyota? Demonstrate commitment to quality and long-term accountability. HJI Supply Chain Solutions‘ director of manufacturing knows that operators make mistakes when instructions aren’t clear or when they encounter the unexpected. HJI’s new manufacturing execution system (MES) makes operational procedures clear and records every step of the manufacturing process to optimize cycle times. And if something’s wrong with the product, HJI can determine precisely where it needs to improve.
Digitized Maintenance Creates Better Leadership
John Sedgwick, director of engineering and maintenance at Hexpol Compounding Americas, wanted every plant on the same corporate strategy plan. That meant instituting new standards, like adopting a new computerized maintenance management system (CMMS). Sedgwick knew that handing the new program down from on high was a recipe for failure, so he instituted a new leadership policy at the same time. Digital technology can’t solve problems by itself. Humans need to remain part of the equation.
Machine Data Can Solve People Problems
Management at AVPE Systems was convinced that productivity ought to be much higher than it was. They had zero data to prove the point and installed a digital machine monitoring system to record real-time feedback on machine status. When they had to account for downtime it became clear that AVPE just didn’t have enough operators on the floor. And while the point was not to monitor operators, data made it clear that some operators didn’t have the skillsets to operate certain machines. A recruitment drive and new training programs brought productivity to where management knew it ought to have been all along.
Automation is for Data, Too
Strand Products manufactures mechanical wire, cord and cable assemblies for highly regulated industries like medical and military. Tracking document control, SOPs and machine calibration are mandatory, not options. And as the company is 100% employee-owned, Wes Prunckle, president and CEO, felt the responsibility to his employees to personally track accounting, ledgers, quality and inventory data. Adopting a new smart manufacturing system allows Prunckle to automate the data processing and turn his attention to leadership, where it belongs.
Fitting 3D Printing into Global Workflows
Additive manufacturing is not likely to become a mass production technology replacing injection molding or die casting. It does have a place in large-scale operations, however, as evidenced by how Baker Hughes leverages the technology. A single 3D printing hub in Houston, Texas, manages additive manufacturing requests for Baker Hughes plants across the globe and is a qualified success by any measure.
Robots Are Worth the Risk
Industrial robotics is well-established as a successful, practical technology but for small businesses like custom kitchen cabinet manufacturer Fabridor, the investment can still feel tenuous. They don’t have the same tolerance for risk. The financial implications of a robot deployment can be dire if the robots don’t function as advertised. Hubert Dubois, general manager, convinced ownership to trust his instincts and deploy the robots. He paid back their faith with increased productivity and quality.
Get the Treats Ready for the Robot Dogs
Surely, by now we’ve all heard about Boston Dynamics’ quadruped Spot robot. It’s nimble, dependable and can carry a variety of payloads. Monitoring machine conditions and searching for acoustic or thermal anomalies may seem like banal tasks for such an advanced piece of technology. But Nestlé Purina learned that Spot was so good at the job that he met ROI in half the time they expected. Good [robot] dog!
