Machine Monitoring: Redefined.

Summary: IoT and automation technologies enable manufacturers to reopen amid the pandemic by offering safety precautions such as remote temperature checks, access control, social distancing enforcement, and the ability to work from home. From an operations and finance standpoint, these technologies also reduce waste, lengthen maintenance cycles, and save both time and money. IoT and automation have been gaining traction among manufacturers for years, but adoption rates have...

IIoT, machine learning, artificial intelligence, automation, machine vision, Big Data, and more buzzwords are littering the manufacturing landscape. What do these new technologies mean to manufacturers and are advanced technologies right for everyone? The following will review these questions while presenting some tips and challenges on adopting new technology.   Markets Increase with Confusion around IIoT What do all these new technologies mean to manufacturers?  It is...

Manufacturers understand that maintenance is a make-or-break activity, especially in high-dollar, fast-moving, and high-competition verticals. Maintenance strategies of times past simply can’t cut it in today’s fast-moving world, and manufacturers still using these practices are quickly falling off the map. Modern maintenance utilizes technology including IoT devices for data collection and machine learning for data processing to reach better predictions and actionable...

With the continuing need to drive greater throughput and reduce costs, manufacturers are looking to automation and Industry 4.0 solutions to increase their efficiency. Within this article we will be exploring the use of automation in manufacturing, including the different types of automation, examples of automated manufacturing, and the primary benefits of automation.   What is Manufacturing Automation? Automation, in the context of manufacturing, is the use of equipment to...

What Are KPIs in Manufacturing? KPIs in manufacturing are quantifiable metrics that offer insight into business performance. KPI stands for Key Performance Indicator and they do just as the name suggests -  they indicate successful performance. One commonly-used manufacturing KPI is “overall equipment efficiency”(OEE) which is measured by calculating the factory’s performance, availability, and quality. While an effective measure of performance, especially at the factory...

In a recent interview about the challenges heavy equipment manufacturers face with innovation and manufacturing, Nathan Sheaff, the CEO of Sciemetric Instruments, spoke about data capture and analysis. He stated that “the rise of Industry 4.0 means we’re getting buried under more and more data. The best way to deal with that torrent (of data) is to increase data processing and Edge computing power”. The above statement correctly sums up the heavy equipment manufacturing...

Successfully implementing Industry 4.0 solutions within the factory floor is expected to bring huge benefits for heavy machinery manufacturing enterprises. These advantages include a data-driven manufacturing process to optimize machine utilization, predictive maintenance, and the inclusion of regulatory standards into manufacturing operations. But to reap these substantial “wins”, enterprises within the heavy equipment manufacturing industry must first execute a successful...

It’s safe to say that the heavy equipment manufacturing industry has its fair share of challenges. These must be overcome in order to produce equipment that can be sold and used within specified government regulations. Other obstacles OEMs face within the industry include the logistics and supply chain, a growing skills gap, and the need to produce innovative equipment.   The Regulations and Standards Guiding the Heavy Equipment Manufacturing Industry The regulations guiding...

With IIoT, digital transformation, and the next industrial revolution underway, some resources make technology adoptions sound easy. Meanwhile, many are still confused about terms such as takt times, lead times, and cycle times. The following will explain the difference between these time metrics, the formulas behind them, how to calculate each, and how they can improve or hurt production.   What’s the difference between Takt Time, Cycle Time, and Lead Time? Lead time is...

Northampton, MA—September 22, 2020— MachineMetrics and Fiix have announced a new partnership between MachineMetrics’ cutting-edge manufacturing IoT platform and Fiix’s industry-leading maintenance platform that enables businesses to drive turnkey automated maintenance solutions with real-time data from their production equipment. “MachineMetrics is the machine data component of the digital factory. Now, together with Fiix, manufacturers can leverage real-time data from our...