Can You Really Boost Productivity with Automation?

Automation is proven to boost the production capacity for manufacturers. The pre-planning stage must include a careful assessment of matching technology to corporate goals. Once that foundation is set then it's a matter of choosing the programmable systems that work with customized patterns or other production needs. Employees who may initially balk at being replaced can be trained to run the systems and they'll find there are fewer workplace injuries that lead to downtime.

Companies switching to automated systems find that not only is output greater, but quality of the finished product improves and waste is reduced.

More Parts Per Hour

A maker of drive shafts for SUVs and large trucks had a production goal of 118 pieces per hour but system bottlenecks and personnel issues prevented them from topping 80 pieces per hour. Production planning at Mennie Machine Company in Mark, Illinois was almost impossible. Employees had injuries from performing the large number of repetitive tasks and the result was a high rate of absenteeism.

Automation changed the scenario. The company made use of nine different material handling robots and now there is more consistent parts loading, reduced defects, and a production rate of 120 pieces per hour. This article summarizes the benefits of automation with the fact that total production costs dropped 25 percent.

More Reliable Equipment

Automation helped a custom thermoformer in Indiana trim panels in four minutes versus nine minutes using a CNC machine. Medallion Plastics of Elkhart, Indiana found that automation made more complex cuts possible and programmed data could easily be transferred within the system. The CNC machine could break down and not be in service for days while automation performed on an expected basis and routine maintenance kept the equipment functioning.

This write-up shows in detail how production increased by 35 percent, there was less scrap material due to human error, and overall quality improved.

More Accurate Cutting

Making affordable Roadster replicas became more efficient when Factory Five Racing in Wareham, Massachusetts automated its trimming. Hand trimming eight doors, four hoods, and four trunks could take 7.5 hours and the quality varied from person to person.

The company switched to an automated trimming router and trimming time plummeted to only 24 minutes. The rejection rate due to errors was reduced by 200 percent.

Here is a complete article that describes how automation led to greater output and better quality.

Automated systems create finished products on a consistent basis that precisely fit the original specs. Improved quality and a high level of production can be programmed into the equipment letting companies confidently project output and precise costs per unit. Higher profits are realized and more money is available to invest back into the company.