Dec 11

Why Manufacturing Automation Needs the Human Touch

Dec 11, 2020

Many manufacturers are looking to automation as a way to compete with other parts of the world with lower labor costs and less stringent regulations. And while automation is part of the future, as we saw in a previous article about the “dark factory,” there will... Read more

Dec 4

The “Next Normal” – Sensors, Joysticks, and Humans

Dec 4, 2020

In a previous post, we looked at what happens if you need to operate your plant with fewer people in the workplace, and in another, we considered how manufacturing can provide more work-from-home options. Looking at the emerging reality, it seems that success is most... Read more

Nov 27

Remote Flexibility

Nov 27, 2020

Offering Work-from-Home Flexibility to Plant-Floor Workers Many employees feel squeezed between a need to earn a living, and the need to keep themselves and their families safe. The answer for many employers of white-collar workers was to allow (or require) employees... Read more

Nov 20

Dark Factory

Nov 20, 2020

Is the “Dark Factory” the Future of Manufacturing? – Part 1 By Tom Gilmartin, PE Recently many employers have had to limit the number of people on their premises. Some may have wondered – what would it be like to have the whole plant automated to the... Read more

Nov 13

How to Deal with Data Fog

Nov 13, 2020

Operational data is cheap, but management time is not By Tom Gilmartin, PE In a previous article, we talked about “data fog” – the vast cloud of data emitted by current sensory devices, that can obscure the metrics you really need to measure and manage. So how do you... Read more

Nov 6

Data Fog

Nov 6, 2020

Break through data fog to get the operational insights you need By Thomas Gilmartin, P.E. Imagine driving on a dark, pre-dawn morning – and the fog is so thick you can barely see across the street. There are many shadows and lights, but you’re not sure what they are.... Read more