Increasing consumer demands, razor thin margins, and a rapidly changing landscape mean manufacturers are under more pressure than ever before. As competition increases, companies are searching for ways to become more agile, flexible, and efficient in order to not only survive, but thrive in the coming decade.
Both radio-frequency identification (RFID) and barcode reading are excellent options for traceability, and it can be difficult to choose between the two if you’re not fully aware of their relative advantages. To help you make an educated decision, we decided to put together a quick questionnaire on the topic.
It’s never been a better time to be a consumer, especially when it comes to food and beverage options. Do you want organic, locally sourced, craft made, single serving, gluten free? The choices are endless, making you a happy consumer, and at the same time, a frustrated producer.
As a plant manager, your list of responsibilities is never ending. Meet production demands and productivity targets. Manage raw material and energy costs while making profitability goals. Quickly adjust to accommodate marketing’s latest product innovation.
As the Vice President and General manager of Schneider Electric’s Secure Power division David O’Reilly draws on his many years of executive experience to lead a national team with the goal of delivering unique energy management solutions.
Progressive digitalisation is also increasingly important in the farming industry: data-supported targeted application of fertiliser and crop protection products, soil analysis sensors and autonomous operation are just a few of the buzz words in the current discussion around Farming 4.0 and Smart Farming.
If you were to visualize what’s just around the corner in the robotics industry, chances are mobile robots form a major part of the picture. In fact, this particular segment of the industrial automation solutions world is experiencing significant growth right now thanks to its ability to solve pressing issues in manufacturing.
When a vulnerability exists in an industrial control system, it’s vital that the good guys discover it first.That’s why we’re grateful for the work done by the largely unheralded heroes of cybersecurity – researchers.
Choosing the right automation integrated development environment (IDE) is essential for ensuring that your operations run smoothly. Due to their centrality in the automation process, software environments play a major role in determining the organization efficiency of businesses of all sizes.
After attending Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario for Electrical Engineering Technology and Automated Systems, Jon Watson began as a System Integrator at Eramosa Engineering right out of school.
Inventory management is complex. Having the right products, in the right quantities, and at the right time is essential for establishing and maintaining cost-effective production. To help end users save time and money, Pepperl+Fuchs offers a practical solution for managing inventory—an industrial vending machine.
In 1969 when forklift manufacturer BT developed a stacker crane, they had no idea what the future might hold for their new product. The original concept was a manual crane with hydraulic drives and lift that could reach to 10 meters. The first production model was used by the company to support its own forklift production line. Eight of the original models were sold.
It’s no secret. Machine builders today are under significant pressure to deliver equipment that can meet the demands of flexible manufacturing. Those who supply consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies are especially challenged to deliver future-proof designs that optimize changeover today – and ramp up rapidly for new SKUs not yet imagined.
Do you know the first question you should ask before opening an electrical enclosure? Plant managers, building maintenance staff and electrical repair personnel repeat the question “Is it safe?” so often that it’s practically a mantra. And rightfully so. The people in these professions are constantly at risk of experiencing a life-threatening current while on the job. They regularly take precautions such as removing their wedding bands and must be vigilant in checking and rechecking for telltale signs such as alerting lights and sounds—all in the hope of returning home safe and sound at the end of their shifts.
Earlier this year, while attending Hannover Messe 2019, I had the privilege to partake in a private tour of Rexroth’s booth. As I have noted in previous writings on Hannover it is difficult to truly relate the size and scale of the booths at this show if you have not attended, but many easily reach into the 10-15,000 square foot range, and Rexroth’s booth was right there among the largest. Not only that but their booth was the only one that featured hosted 5G outside of the special 5G pavilion and was also toured by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
What if your control system could do the job of a data scientist? It might help your HR department breathe easier, given the demand for the data science skill set. It could also give you faster access to information needed to make production improvements.
This project is funded [in part] by the Government of Canada.
Ce projet est financé [en partie] par le gouvernement du Canada.
