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Automate your manufacturing

By Daniel Carranco Director, Continuous Improvement, Global Shop Solutions Manufacturers are looking to lower cost and increase speed without sacrificing quality. This means getting more done in less time, with less manpower, less scrap and fewer mistakes. To do this, the manufacturing industry is investing more in automation. Specifically, automating the processes and tasks that machines can do quicker and better than humans and integrating them with a company’s ERP system and other technology. What once seemed to be the stuff of science fiction – manufacturing plants run by robots – is already a reality. FANUC Corporation of Japan uses a workforce of robots working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to produce up to 23,000 robots a month. Most manufacturers are a long way from being able to automate the majority of their production processes. But as ongoing advances enable machines and humans to get better at talking to each other, more production lines and eventually more production plants will become more and more automated. If your manufacturing business hasn’t yet jumped on the automation bandwagon, it’s time, and here are the top five reasons why you should. 1.Reduce labor costs For most manufacturers, labor costs represent the biggest expense and hardest cost to manage (or reduce). It’s no surprise that companies around the globe have begun using automated machinery and equipment to replace human workers on assembly lines. For example, automation is already replacing human labor in areas such as picking and moving parts, assembly, inspection and more. Other examples where automation is producing significant reductions in labor costs include: BOM COMPARE. Reduces expensive engineering time by eliminating the manual comparing of CAD/CAM BOMs against existing BOMs in your ERP system. Improves the speed and reliability of employee software logins and inventory tracking. AUTOMATING PURCHASING. Reduces […]

How to take advantage of international markets

Expanding internationally might feel like a pipe dream for many businesses, but despite Covid-19 there’s a global marketplace ready right now – you just need to know how to do it well. In the new book, Business Beyond Borders: Take Your Company Global ($33.95), international business specialist Cynthia Dearin, Founder of Dearin & Associates, provides a step-by-step, accessible guide for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to amplify their impact on the international stage. Drawing upon decades of experience in international business, including extensive stints working abroad in global roles, Dearin brings a unique perspective on international expansion, and guides readers on how to execute the right strategy to ensure their success. In the book, readers learn: Why you need an international strategy … even now Mistakes to avoid when selecting international markets How to find your ideal international clients The key to bridging the cultural divide & building trust The rules of international marketing & pricing Filled with real world case studies, tips and action points. Business Beyond Borders provides business owners and entrepreneurs with the tools to map out their international vision, take the first steps on their international journey and begin the adventure of going global. Author Cynthia Dearin is an international business strategist and lawyer, and the founder of Dearin & Associates. With 23 years of international experience, she is on a mission to empower business owners and CEOs to scale internationally and amplify their impact in the world. An Australian-qualified legal practitioner, Cynthia worked in the UK, US, Europe and Middle East, as an Australian diplomat and as a management consultant. She also spent three years as the CEO of the Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Cynthia is proficient in Arabic and French, both of which she uses professionally. Her previous book is […]

Chickin Indonesia agricultural start-up makes Forbes Under 30 list

An agricultural start-up initiated by three students from Malang’s Brawijaya University whose app, Chickin, has been downloaded by a thousand farmers across Indonesia, has made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. According to the founders, the application uses Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the productivity of farmers by up to 25 percent. The app was developed by agrotechnology student Ashab Alkahfi, who is serving as the President of Chickin, Tubagus Syailendra from international relations, who is serving as CEO/Chief Executive Officer, and Ahmad Syaifullah from information systems, serving as the CTO/Chief Technology Officer. “Based on initial research, we developed the app in Klaten, Central Java. We built poultry coops as farmers and began our poultry business where we found a number of challenges faced by local farmers. From there, we tried to solve these challenges by means of technology,” Alkahfi explained. The application allows farmers to control the micro-climate inside chicken coops from a distance. Through the technology, farmers can input data, including daily, sales, and production data, to enhance performance and make it more measurable and at the same time, minimise risks through preventive measures. The app also offers a number of features for management of the poultry farm, including data and IoT configuration adaptable to climate, temperature and humidity, as well as recording the age of each poultry. Aside from partnering with 14 poultry farms, Chickin has established cooperation with 100 poultry suppliers in the food industry. Alkahfi said he hopes the app will bring ease to farmers and have a positive impact on them, adding that the farming modernisation technology was developed free of charge under Brawijaya University’s Entrepreneur Incubator. Chickin has seen 22-fold growth in the last 10 months and closed a funding round of Rp35 billion with three global investors. […]

Cultivating curiosity helps businesses retain talent

A curious workplace culture contributes to attracting and retaining talent, by increasing engagement and reducing burnout among employees. SAP has found companies that foster a more curious culture* experience major competitive benefits, including higher levels of employee satisfaction and engagement according to new research released today. ‘Capitalising on Curiosity’ , a survey of senior business leaders and employees across Australia and New Zealand, found that employees in New Zealand who work for organisations with a curious culture are much more likely to say they are satisfied in their current role (82 per cent) than those who do not work for curious organisations (46 per cent). Dr Amantha Imber, organisational psychologist and founder of behavioural science consultancy Inventium, says that job satisfaction is affected by how people think and feel about their role. “When people are satisfied in their role at work, they’re more engaged, productive and loyal to the organisation. Those working in curious organisations are more likely to feel their work has purpose and more likely to be more creative and innovative, which results in better performance and better outcomes.” Curiosity boosts engagement Innovative approaches to ways of work and recruitment are more critical than ever. Eight in ten senior business leaders in New Zealand believe a culture of curiosity is important for their organisation, a number that increases slightly to 82 per cent when factoring in the need to adapt and grow in the current challenging business environment. Workers in organisations with a curious culture are much more likely say they feel engaged at work in their current role than those who say they work in incurious organisations (84 per cent compared to 49 per cent). And in today’s tight labour market, almost half of employees surveyed (48 per cent) would consider leaving their current role to work […]

Fruit packing technology dramatically cuts packhouse labour needs

An intelligent robotic fruit packing machine that automates the most labour intensive job in the packhouse is proving to be a game-changer for post-harvest operators around the globe. Global Pac Technologies has officially unveiled the Aporo II robotic produce packaging machine which builds on the proven technology of the original Aporo I Produce Packer, first developed in 2018. The latest model can now accommodate twice the throughput, packing 240 fruit per minute, saving between two and four labour units per double packing belt. “Aporo II can be retrofitted across two packing belts instead of one, so it has effectively doubled the throughput and the labour saving that Aporo I could deliver,” explains Cameron McInness, Director of Jenkins Group – a New Zealand-based company which co-founded Global Pac Technologies with US-based Van Doren Sales Inc. “We have been rolling out this new machine with some key customers globally and the results have been dramatic. One of our Australian customers built a new packhouse and installed three of our Aporo II’s. That increased their packhouse production by 30-40 percent and reduced their labour by 50 percent. “Automating the process of placing fruit into trays then allows post-harvest operators to redeploy their scarce labour resources to areas where they can add more value.” McInness says Aporo II’s dual robotic heads are more consistent and reliable than human packers. The technology is now being used in France, the UK, Sweden, Belgium, the US, Australia and New Zealand – primarily to pack apples, and now stone fruit like peaches and nectarines. Work is underway to extend its use to other fruit varieties in the near future. “What’s unique about Aporo I and Aporo II is they are designed for really simple autonomous packing. The machine is very intelligent. It looks at the fruit, orientates […]

Sierra Space to revolutionise space exploration with Siemens’ Xcelerator

Siemens is implementing Xcelerator to establish a fully digital environment from engineering to manufacturing through sustainment, which will help realise goals to develop the future of space transportation, commercial space destination and infrastructure, and create enabling technologies that will build a vibrant, growing and accessible commercial space economy. “At Sierra Space, we are building a platform in space that will be the catalyst for the next breakthrough innovations to benefit life on Earth. Our revolutionary new space platform is being developed using a next generation digital engineering environment that we’ve created in collaboration with Siemens,” Tom Vice, CEO, Sierra Space. “Siemens’ solutions will significantly accelerate development of our unique space platform – the first to combine all aspects of space transportation, space destinations and space applications in a holistic ecosystem.” Siemens’ tools have been foundational during the development of Dream Chaser, and Sierra Space is building on this long-standing collaboration with Siemens as the company fully embraces a digital enterprise. Sierra Space will use Siemens’ Xcelerator in all phases of next-generation Dream Chaser development, including structural, thermal, mechanical, electrical, and software design, vehicle manufacture, requirements verification and complete lifecycle maintenance. The spaceplane is uniquely capable of a smooth 1.5 low-g re-entry for crew and cargo transportation with the ability to land on compatible existing commercial runways worldwide. Representing the next generation of space transportation, NASA contracted Dream Chaser to perform cargo supply and return missions to the International Space Station (ISS), where it can deliver up to 12,000 pounds of cargo in a single trip. Sierra Space is expanding on this long-standing collaboration with Siemens as the company fully embraces the transformation to become a digital enterprise. In addition to Dream Chaser, Sierra Space is also working to design, develop, build, operate, and support a customer-centric destination in Earth […]

CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest

– by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller and Vikram Malhotra From the world’s most influential management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, an insight-packed, revelatory look at how the best CEOs do their jobs based on extensive interviews with today’s most successful corporate leaders—including chiefs at Netflix, JPMorgan Chase, General Motors, and Sony. Being a CEO at any of the world’s largest companies is among the most challenging roles in business. Billions, and even trillions, are at stake—and the fates of tens of thousands of employees often hang in the balance. Yet, even when “can’t miss” high-achievers win the top job, very few excel. Thirty percent of Fortune 500 CEOs last fewer than three years, and two out of five new CEOs are perceived to be failing within eighteen months. For those who shoulder the burden of being the one on whom everyone counts, a manual for excellence is sorely needed. To identify the 21st century’s best CEOs, the authors of CEO Excellence started with a pool of over 2400 public company CEOs. Extensive screening distilled that group into an elite corps, sixty-seven of whom agreed to in-depth, multi-hour interviews. Among those sharing their views: Jamie Dimon (JPMorgan Chase), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Reed Hastings (Netflix), Kazuo Hirai (Sony), Ken Chenault (American Express), Mary Barra (GM), and Peter Brabeck-Letmathe (Nestlé). What came out of those frank, no-holds-barred conversations is a rich array of mindsets and actions that deliver outsized performance. Compelling, practical, and unprecedented in scope, CEO Excellence is a treasure trove of wisdom from today’s most elite business leaders.

igus 7th axis extends working space by up to 400 percent

Articulated arm robots can travel over six metres, quadrupling their working space: the 7th axis is now compatible with all lightweight articulated arm robots worldwide thanks to a simple Plug & Play kit. So far, models from Universal Robots, Epson and the igus robolink series from Treotham have benefited from this increased mobility. Now Omron, Franka Emika, Doosan, Yuanda Robotics and many other lightweight robotics suppliers are joining the list. The first users of the so-called 7th axis, a linear axis with an electric toothed belt drive that igus launched in 2020, were thrilled according to Alexander Mühlens: “Suddenly, thanks to the additional axis, their articulated arm robots are as mobile as humans. This enables them to take on multiple tasks in automation environments making them significantly more productive,” says the Head of Automation Technology at igus. “We therefore decided to extend the compatibility of the system to all manufacturers worldwide – such as Omron, Franka Emika, Doosan and Yuanda Robotics. With a matching Plug & Play kit of hardware and software we make customisation possible.” Ready-to-connect complete solution for all lightweight articulated arm robots In the future, all lightweight articulated arm robots with a weight range of 10 to 50 kilograms or, depending on the dynamics, a payload of 2 to 20 kilograms can use the 7th axis. Treotham supplies the system as a ready-to-connect complete solution from a single source. It consists of a drylin ZLW toothed belt axis with a length of up to six metres and two parallel rails made of aluminium. These can be mounted on the floor, walls or ceilings and a toothed belt drive with stepper motor for a positioning accuracy of 0.3 millimetres. Also included is: an energy chain for guiding energy and data cables; a switch cabinet integration kit with cables; […]

How to master manufacturing’s data and analytics revolution

Manufacturing is on the verge of a data-driven revolution, but like all revolutions it will require the right actions, individually and collaboratively, to realise its full potential. Within a few years, manufacturers will collaborate in hyperconnected value networks in which data‑and‑analytics applications drive productivity, new customer experiences, and societal and environmental effects. Indeed, data and analytics are a key driver in realising the “Factory of Future” by enabling transparency, predictions and autonomous systems. Already today, we see leading manufacturers applying data and analytics to achieve their objectives for efficiency, sustainability and resilience. The imperative to boost efficiency and productivity is driven by intense cost pressures as well as liquidity issues arising from Covid-19 pandemic-related business disruptions. Sustainable operations are at the top of the agenda for many companies.. At the same time, they are seeking to build more resilient and connected supply chains, so they can anticipate and react faster to disruptions. Most companies recognise that data and analytics are rapidly changing the way they manufacture goods. Despite the high ambitions and strong value proposition, companies have not yet tapped the full potential. A triad of interconnected success factors Successful companies have demonstrated that three elements must be combined to drive full-scale implementation of data and analytics. First, they focus on value in selecting applications. Second, they establish a solid technological backbone comprising both information technology (IT) and operations technology (OT). Third, they promote organisational readiness to ensure that investments deliver the anticipated returns. Examples from various industry sectors demonstrate the importance of these success factors: Petrochemicals: A large petrochemical client of Schneider Electric is leveraging advanced process control to improve asset productivity and energy consumption in a highly complex integrated plant. The advanced process control is informed by an accurate digital twin based on a thermodynamic model. Moreover, effective visualisation […]

Edge Computing: Expanding the manufacturing industry with hybrid cloud

– Rajesh Rajamani, senior director edge computing and emerging verticals, Red Hat The manufacturing industry continues to be at the forefront of Industry 4.0, , which is the digital transformation of manufacturing using technologies such as smart manufacturing, cloud computing, internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and edge computing. Innovative companies are deploying these technologies and practices to foster greater ecosystem collaboration with suppliers and customers and to create mutually beneficial opportunities. The successful implementation of these technologies within the manufacturing stream increases the visibility of operations and production processes; and delivers competitive advantage through better product quality and adapting to market demand more quickly. The convergence of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) is a cornerstone to cloud and edge computing adoption, moving toward an intelligent enterprise. Edge computing is transforming operations and fueling faster innovation through advanced robotics and machine-to-machine communication closer to the source, rather than sending data to a server for analysis and response. Gathering, analysing, and acting on data on the factory floor in real-time offers benefits including reduction in downtime, accurately predicting maintenance, and improving overall product quality results in higher yield, reduced waste, increased throughput, and lower overall costs. Hybrid cloud: Fundamental infrastructure to integrate edge computing The edge is an extension of the datacentre footprint beyond the datacenter, virtual, private cloud, and public cloud environments that contain centralised infrastructure. In a sense, edge computing blends pieces from each to create infrastructure built to satisfy specific customer demands. In smart manufacturing, an edge deployment could consist of thousands of sensors connected to a data-aggregation tier. Connecting these sensors to hybrid cloud provides consistency from edge devices to the network to the centralised datacenter, converging IT and OT providing a common foundation. This allows IT teams to manage all networked devices just […]

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