Manufacturing got smart when companies figured out how to make products in one market and sell them in another. Today, we call this supply chain logistics. But somewhere along the way, the innovation chain connecting supply (manufacturing) and logistics (the supporting infrastructure) started to diverge.
Lean manufacturing principles and automation systems can coexist, although many lean purists contend that lean goals conflict with using automation. Smart applications of automation, however, can result in deployment of systems that are both automated and lean, with flexible manufacturing systems that can be easily reconfigured as factory operations change.
Common misperceptions about lean manufacturing and automation systems lead many manufacturing managers to dismiss the use of automation in a lean setting.
Turning to software over paper reports does more than just save trees. Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering, talks with David McPhail, President and CEO of Memex Inc., about how manufacturers can utilize technology to improve efficiency, reduce downtime and boost productivity and profits across their business.
Manufacturers may look to investing in digital technology as they seek to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, consulting firm Deloitte said this week in a report.
U.S. manufacturing added 27,000 jobs last month, buoyed by gains in motor vehicles and parts, the Labor Department said today.
Machine tool orders gained in September as manufacturing recovered from a severe recession.
3D Systems said it has agreed to Cimatron Ltd. and GibbsCAM CNC programming software businesses, to Battery Ventures.
Caterpillar Inc., the maker of heavy construction and mining equipment, today reported a sharply lower third-quarter profit as demand for the company’s products dropped.
Betting that the worst of the pandemic will be over and travel restrictions lifted, the 2021 edition the machine tool exhibition is putting out the welcome mat to the world.
