Factory

2017 is officially here and it’s an exciting time to be in manufacturing. The industry is continuing to evolve as we see continued discussion around how to improve productivity, performance, and apply smarter analytics to improve overall operations. Manufacturing is also seeing a lot more focus on c…

Co-Author: Scott Lapcewich, Rockwell Automation Note: This blog features content from a Connected Futures podcast which has been edited due to space limitations For today’s manufacturers, data is every bit as important as supply chains, trucks, and industrial machines. Data is useless if you don’t t…

I was fortunate to attend and present at the N.American Manufacturing Excellence Summit (NAMES) last week.  It was an excellent chance to listen and learn from industry leading manufacturing executives around their best practices for lean/six-sigma, attracting and training the next generation workfo…

About the Author: Gradey Caldwell has been exclusively focused on driving process and costs improvements in the world’s largest manufacturers for over 30 years. For years I’ve seen manufacturing executives search for innovative ways to lower costs and drive more profits. In my travels, I’ve finally…

Co-Authored by Joe Kann, Rockwell Automation Innovative manufacturers are realizing the value of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) by mapping out use cases that translate to immediate business value and outcomes. In fact, manufacturing represents the largest global industry with “digital val…

Controlling quality in a complex manufacturing environment moving at light speed is not easy, but it needs to be done. Any time there’s a recall, it affects your brand and the trust your customers have with your products. True quality control is fixing problems inside of your 4 walls. Imagine you ha…

Factory workers often learn about issues with their production machinery too late – after the line shuts down. For example, a robot used in Automotive Body in White production may suddenly break down or start yielding poor-quality welds. This can be disastrous for final assembly, halting outpu…

What are the secrets to a successful digital transformation? We’re exploring that in our Going Digital podcast hosted by Peter High, President of Metis Strategy, Author and Keynote Speaker. Peter recently interviewed Gus Shahin, the Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of IT at Flex (…

Manufacturers are challenged with how to start digitizing their factories. Many have told me it is not inertia or budget holding them back, but being overwhelmed or unsure of where to start. Yet the value that awaits them is great – connected factories can boost profits by up to 19 percent (accordin…