MANUFACTURING INTELLIGENCE: POWERED BY INDUSTRY 4.0

Cloud computing and software as a service (SaaS) are increasingly popular in the manufacturing industry, with many companies taking advantage of their benefits to optimize processes and improve efficiency. Despite the advantages that cloud computing and SaaS bring to the table, many executives and IT decision-makers are hesitant to embrace them due to a variety of concerns including security and cost. There is also a fear that the cloud represents a new way of managing data...

Connecting the Enterprise By scaling machine connectivity across multiple plants, enterprises can gain a comprehensive view of their operations, which can help them identify areas for improvement, optimize processes, and allocate resources accordingly. Currently, CXOs have little accurate data on the efficiency of their operations, leading them to make decisions based on limited, delayed, and biased information. With market competition increasing, supply chain constraints,...

Manual production monitoring efforts can only take you so far. The paper sheets, excel docs, whiteboards, and manual data entry systems are putting a strain on frontline workers. Not to mention, they’re leading to delayed, inaccurate data that hinders decision-making and leaves management scrambling for answers. (Hint: How truly accurate is your ERP?) And basic machine monitoring solutions aren’t cutting it. Manufacturers need automated solutions to capture rich shop floor...

Supply chain disruptions, shortages, rising energy prices, and inflation have increased costs for almost every industry, manufacturing included. On top of that, skilled labor is difficult to find, and rising quickly in cost as a result. The good news is that production (output) in the US continues to rise over time, and we are seeing a resurgence since the dip during the Pandemic. (Image Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics We are heading in the right direction as an...

NORTHAMPTON, Mass., December 6, 2022 -- MachineMetrics, the leader in production analytics software for manufacturers, has announced that Paragon Medical has awarded the company a 5-year contract to implement their industry-leading platform across their 15 global production locations. “Medical manufacturing is more competitive than ever. As a world leader in Med Tech, Paragon constantly strives to differentiate in ways that matter to our clients,” said Matt Hanks, Chief...

Tool life is a critical component of CNC machines. When managed well, it can result in greater productivity, higher quality, less scrap, and significantly less downtime. Monitoring tool life manually is problematic; it requires an operator to complete an inspection and capture data. Most modern equipment uses software in a tool life management system to measure and control the micro and macro variables required for long tool life. Tool Life Monitoring: The Basics Tool life...

We Need More People! Maybe… What if we helped our existing team be more efficient? What if we empowered our shop floor personnel with the right information and tools to ensure they could focus on the most valuable tasks at hand? While machines and systems are key to operational efficiency, leadership knows that people are the greatest asset on the shop floor. We need to hire, train, and upskill operators to do excellent, value-added work day after day to hit production goals...

Manufacturing companies always focus on downtime to improve processes and increase efficiency in a facility. There are many different categories of downtime, including downtime from jams, breakdowns, operator errors, and more. Machine setup is one area where downtime is manageable and predictable. It’s critical to efficient business processes and producing profitable parts with the least amount of time and resources. And in discrete industries like CNC machining, it can make...

Whether you are tracking overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), machine utilization, or simply the number of finished parts, manufacturing success comes down to one simple, general goal: production efficiency. Production efficiency is the standard that manufacturing operations have used to prove how well they’re doing and identify which procedures need to be improved, where bottlenecks exist, what capacity is available, and where to invest time and resources. It’s a concept...

Diving Deep into Machine Performance and Health Over Time Recently we have made several key updates to the Machine Timeline, one of the most commonly used features in MachineMetrics. For those less familiar with the Machine Timeline, here is a quick primer on what the timeline is and its capabilities: Timelines provide an interactive view for each machine showing changes in machine cycle status during a specified time range. MachineMetrics users can view machine faults and...