How To Determine If An AS/RS ( Automated Storage and Retrieval System) Fits Your Facility

If youve found yourself running out of space within your current facility, automated storage could be the solution youre looking for. With an AS/RS, you have the option to increase storage volume by retrofitting or expanding your current facility which may be less expensive than investing in a new facility.

The Road To IIoT: What Can We Learn From Other Industries?

John Fryer for MBTmag.com: Â Many manufacturers are viewing the emerging Industrial "Internet of Things" (IIoT) as a way to provide their businesses with a new and powerful competitive advantage. They recognize the potential in harnessing and analyzing data from across the plant to drive greater efficiency and create the foundation for new business models. But how can manufacturers navigate from the automation infrastructures of today to the intelligent IIoT enterprises they envision? To help answer that question, manufacturers stand to learn much from looking at other industries and how they have addressed the challenges of moving to the IIoT. Companies in a number of industries - from energy to financial services to telecom and building security - have successfully made the transition from the inflexible, limited proprietary technologies of the past to the agile, intelligent open technologies of today. As manufacturers chart their course, there are insights they can glean from other industries that are successfully achieving the advantages of next-generation IIoT automation. Â Cont'd...

Manufacturers That Use Robots

Manufacturers, looking for new and practical ways to integrate robots into their operations, are finding that robots are a strong influence in manufacturing competitiveness.

U.S. investors see more automation, not jobs, under Trump administration

David Randall for Reuters:   When U.S. President-elect Donald Trump criticized United Technologies Corp's (UTX.N) Carrier unit in November for its plan to move some 800 jobs to Mexico, the parent-company made a swift decision to keep the factory in Indiana. Yet, the move did not translate into saving jobs. Instead, the company decided it would move toward automation as a way to cut costs. "We're going to make up [the] $16 million investment in that factory in Indianapolis to automate, to drive the cost down so that we can continue to be competitive," chief executive Greg Hayes said on CNBC last month. "What that ultimately means is there will be fewer jobs." Swapping robots and software for human labor has underpinned much of the productivity gains in the United States over the last 25 years. Now, with a greater political push to keep factories at home, investors are betting that automation will gain speed in industries ranging from auto manufacturing to chicken processing to craft beer breweries.   Cont'd...

What is the Smart Factory and its Impact on Manufacturing?

The smart factory is a direct way for manufacturers to excel in a competitive and dynamic marketplace.

Machine Data Collection and Monitoring

For years, the shop floor as been an island of its own and with the latest climate from the US government and other countries, more companies are seeking integration and connection to the corporate world.

One Of Europe's Top Business Schools Is Helping Executives Navigate Industry 4.0

Seb Murray for BusinessBecause:  Industry 4.0 — a slew of technologies from robotics and 3D printing to virtual reality and data analytics — is rapidly reshaping the way we manufacture, distribute and consume products. The Executive Master in Manufacturing Automation & Digital Transformation at ESCP Europe, is equipping executives with the tools they need to navigate the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Below, Giovanni Scarso Borioli, Assistant Professor of Operations Management, outlines how.  Cont'd...

Chiefs hold back on smart factories after backlash

Peggy Hollinger for Financial Times:  General Electric, one of the world’s biggest industrial companies, estimates that digitising industrial machinery, networks and processes will not just bring down the costs of manufacturing. The data it generates will open new business opportunities, such as optimising maintenance schedules for customers or improving the design and quality of products. The resulting “industrial internet”, GE argues, has the potential to deliver global productivity improvements that could add $10tn-15tn to global GDP over 20 years. No manufacturer can ignore the coming revolution. Yet many, in developed economies at least, are wary. A backlash against globalisation, fuelled by decades of decline in America’s rust belt and the erosion of blue-collar jobs, has already upset the status quo in the US, where Donald Trump’s protectionist slogans helped him to win the White House. Almost half the 1,370 chief executives questioned in PwC’s annual Global CEO survey published this week fear that this latest industrial revolution will feed further distrust among their companies’ stakeholders — whether they be investors, employees or the wider public.   Cont'd...

How to Reduce Your Motion Control Costs in 2017

If one of your new years resolutions is to reduce your motion control costs without making sacrifices, this might be the year you can actually scratch it off your list.

What is Smart Manufacturing & the Smart Factory?

Smart Manufacturing and the Smart Factory enables all information about the manufacturing process to be available when and where it is needed across entire manufacturing supply chains and product lifecycles.

Sharp Executive Says Plan for Foxconn LCD Plant in U.S. is Still 'On The Table'

Mitchel Broussard for MacRumors:  Foxconn and Sharp are looking closer than ever to building a manufacturing plant within the United States, according to one Sharp executive who said that the plan is still "on the table" (via Nikkei). The plant would mainly be focused on the manufacturing of LCD panels for TV sets and home appliances, but Foxconn is said to be considering moving iPhone production stateside as well.  The news continues a rumor from last year born out of President-elect Donald Trump's comments on wanting Apple to make its products stateside. Foxconn laid out plans for such a move in December, along with Japan-based SoftBank Group, with each company hoping to create a combined 100,000 jobs in the U.S. over the next four years.    Cont'd...

Special Tradeshow Coverage for ATX West 2017

ATX West will be held from February 7th - 9th in Anaheim, California. This ManufacturingTomorrow.com Special Tradeshow report aims to bring you news, articles and products from this years event.

Year in Review: Industry Embraces Supply Chain Trends of 2016

There is still much work to be done with regard to technological advancement and operational process before the 2016 trends peak, but there's no doubt that the manufacturing industry is evolving like never before.

YCF - 2017 could be year of smart factory

Katie Mallinson for B Daily:  2017 could be the year of the smart factory. That’s the opinion of Huddersfield-based YCF – the not-for-profit organisation committed to supporting the manufacturing industry and its supply chain. The statement follows months of speculation around Industry 4.0 – the idea of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technology. Simply, it’s the computerisation of manufacturing, involving systems that communicate with each other, monitor physical processes and make decisions. And YCF’s CEO Jill Mooney thinks that 2017 could be the year that manufacturers start to plan the implementation of such machinery.     Cont'd...

Upcoming Tradeshow, Conference & Exhibition Summary - February - April 2017

Here is a summary of what Tradeshows, Conferences & Exhibitions to look forward to in the coming months.

Records 1231 to 1245 of 1447

First | Previous | Next | Last

Automation & IIoT - Featured Product

Model TR1 Tru-Trac

Model TR1 Tru-Trac

The Model TR1 Tru-Trac® linear measurement solution is a versatile option for tracking velocity, position, or distance over a wide variety of surfaces. An integrated encoder, measuring wheel, and spring-loaded torsion arm in one, compact unit, the Model TR1 is easy to install. The spring-loaded torsion arm offers adjustable torsion load, allowing the Model TR1 to be mounted in almost any orientation - even upside-down. The threaded shaft on the pivot axis is field reversible, providing mounting access from either side. With operating speeds up to 3000 feet per minute, a wide variety of configuration options - including multiple wheel material options - and a housing made from a durable, conductive composite material that minimizes static buildup, the Model TR1 Tru-Trac® is the ideal solution for countless applications.