Top 10 Reasons to Automate Your Manufacturing NOW, even with a Recession
In our last blog entry we posted our Top 10 Reasons to Automate with Industrial Robots. Well that got us thinking about why it is important to automate NOW. During this economic recession may be the best time to invest in your company’s future, and here are our Top 10 reasons why… It takes time to install a new robotic system. Do it now while…
2010 Growth Opportunities and Trends in Packaging Automation Equipment
Here is part two of Flexicell’s blog report on “The Road to Recovery”in the Packaging Machinery industry… In our previous blog post, we reported growth in automation categories. In this post, we continue that report with a look at which elements of the packaging machinery business are expected to see more emphasis in 2010. These figures are taken from the 2009 annual report by PMMI,…
Robotic Purchases Picking Up in Several Industries
Several trends indicating an upswing in robotic purchases were noted at the International Federation of Robotics’ IREX Robotics show in Tokyo recently, as reported by Jeff Burnstein, Robotics Industry Association (RIA) president. The first appears in the automotive industry—the largest customer for robotics—with indications that manufacturers will remain a significant customer as new car models are introduced into the marketplace. Suppliers to the auto industry…
Automation Robot Purchases Increase in Life Sciences and Food/Consumer Goods Companies
According to a third-quarter report issued by the Robotic Industries Association (RIA), automation robot orders rose in two manufacturing categories: life sciences and food & consumer goods. The increase shows 14% more sales with life sciences customers, and a 12% increase with food & consumer goods customers. The RIA reports that some 192,000 robots are now used in the United States, placing the United States…
The Five Most Important Attributes of a Robotic Automation Project
What do packagers want out of their robotic automation systems? In a Packaging in Automation survey held by Packaging Digest and Control Engineering magazines, packaging readers listed the five most important attributes of an automation project from their point of view: 70% — Reliability 62% — Quality/durability 60% — Price 56% — Easy to use, install and maintain 51% — Price-to-performance In their comments, some…
5 Ways Robots are Green
Robots are among the most efficient machines available to manufacturers and can be part of any company’s strategy for green manufacturing, reports Brian Huse, Director of Marketing and PR for Robotics Industry Association (RIA). Faster cycle times, improved quality and less scrap contribute directly to a greener footprint, and robots are well known for these advantages. If you use robots you have a green manufacturing…
Save Your Factory with Robotic Automation — Automate Now
As more companies struggle to maintain a competitive edge, robotic automation provides a key advantage for your manufacturing productivity. In the grand scheme of things, deciding to implement automation will most likely be the easy part. Deciding on the who, what, where, when and why is the difficult part. Here are some tips to help you through the decision-making process. Why automate? To improve throughput,…
When Considering Controllers…Do Operating Systems Matter? Flexicell Responds in Control Engineering Magazine
Traditionally, a programmable logic controller (PLC) was simply a black box that sported a proprietary operating system. The PLCs of 25 years ago were basically in the background, and most had to be programmed either on an attached keypad or with a hand-held unit that plugged into the system with proprietary programming methods. Today, there are many more choices of controllers and a push for…