PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE: MEET YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND.

History has shown that technology often flips the script on a particular headache. Fifty years ago, most people had three channels on their TV, and the complaint was that there was nothing interesting to watch. Fast forward to now: there are hundreds of channels and multiple streaming services. People have so many options it's hard to find something they like among the ocean of choices. Manufacturing's relationship to data has been similar in many ways. Companies have always...

Shop floor management systems require data to execute their core functions properly. MES systems need part counts, cycle times, and inventory records. Quality management systems need rejected part rates and scrap reasons. CMMS systems need data on machine downtime events and maintenance reports. The list goes on. But there is one major problem here... Most management systems rely on manually collected data to carry out their functions. The data being put into these systems...

As manufacturers embrace digital technology and control, consumers are doing the same. Whether that consumer is the product user or the wholesaler, digital technology and IoT have changed the expectations they put onto the manufacturer. Customers expect products to be simple and easy to order, as well as fast to deliver. Expectations are higher than ever and if manufacturers want to compete, they'll need to continue meeting customerand exceeding what their customers are...

When it comes to production environments, it's always a question of how much can be produced, how quickly, and at what cost. At the end of the day, how efficient are we? Cycle time is one of the best measures we can use to analyze the efficiency of a production process and allows managers to drill down to better understand how effective the a given process, operator, machine, or job run is. What is Cycle Time? Cycle time is the total time a production team spends on...

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is transforming how manufacturing companies measure and improve processes. By using a machine data platform, companies can rapidly realize fast ROI and unprecedented improvements in efficiency and productivity. But industrial IoT and machine data platforms alone aren’t magic wands that can be waved to create new value. While they do empower accelerated process improvement across an enterprise, they still need established measurement...

In traditional manufacturing operations, production visibility was limited by manual processes for tracking data. Operators, technicians, and managers relied upon a sea of charts, graphs, forms, and hand-written notes to understand where production processes were at for the shift, day, or week. This information was often outdated by the time it reached those who needed it. Something like this... Today, real-time visibility in manufacturing businesses is possible because of...

The goal of every manufacturer is to produce goods in the fastest manner possible with the lowest volume of quality rejections. This drives profit and keeps companies competitive within their markets. But modern manufacturing is complex. Each task or process in the work sequence may be tied to several others upstream and downstream from the task at hand. This means that all procedures in the production process must be completed in the most efficient and consistent manner...

As the proliferation of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) progresses, there will come a time when few companies without connectivity will survive. The benefits in cost, efficiency, and improved profit margins make IIoT a necessity for doing business in manufacturing. As recently as 2020, the global market for Industrial IoT was only 198.25 billion. However, as the trend toward digitizing manufacturing continues, that number will explode to 1.495 trillion by 2030. That...

Manufacturers have long used Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) to help manage production. And whether standalone or as part of a broader ERP system, MES has played a significant part in managing and improving production. With that said, there are significant drawbacks to legacy MES solutions. While MES has helped elevate manufacturing data to a higher level in the day-to-day management of equipment and production processes, it still relies on process-driven operations...

Of all the components comprising the cost structure of manufactured goods, material cost is one of the most expensive for almost any industry. Of course, without raw materials and components, there would be no production. But if too much material is rejected for off quality, it can significantly impact a company's profit margins. Even tooling alone can be expensive! Across industries, rejected material is referred to as scrap. Few things get the attention of management like...