Kevin Campbell, Senior Editor
Articles
Hoisting innovation for safety, productivity and ergonomics
In this age where manufacturers constantly search for ways to cut costs while increasing production, initiatives such as Lean manufacturing, ergonomics and safety influence their needs. They demand tools that can accommodate multitasking, that are designed to handle product swiftly and securely without damaging it and protect workers from repetitive motion injuries, but also are built with oper...
HVLS = Cool efficiency
Now that summer’s here, increased temperatures and humidity have an increased impact on the climate within the plant. Between keeping energy consumption down and the workforce comfortable while on the floor, plant managers can find themselves in a conundrum. Do they keep the plant floor air conditioned and the workers content?
Products, sustainability and market conditions drive NA 2008 attendees
Over its first two days, the NA 2008 Material Handling and Logistics Show, held April 21-24 at Cleveland’s I-X Center, enjoyed good size crowds in the morning that seemed to dwindle slightly in the afternoon.
Products, sustainability, and market conditions drive NA 2008
The show on material handling and logistics featured some new product introductions and a focus on a topic that is rapidly gaining interest throughout industry: sustainability
The road to sustainability
When the residents of Munchkinland told Dorothy to follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City, they weren’t concerned about how much energy the Wizard of Oz was using to power his lights and pyrotechnics show from behind the curtain. And they certainly weren’t concerned about using natural resources when Dorothy dumped the bucket of water over the Wicked Witch of the West.
Air filtration systems contribute more than clean air
While productivity, quality and the bottom line will never go away as the primary drivers of manufacturing processes, new focuses on safety and sustainability will have a growing impact on how those processes are executed. One area where plant managers can find real savings while addressing sustainability concerns is in their air filtration systems.
Varnish: The cholesterol in your plant equipment
Consider it the cholesterol of industrial equipment, because what it can do to machinery is almost identical to what hard, plaque-like cholesterol buildup can do to the cardiovascular system. We’re not talking HDL here, folks. There’s nothing healthy about this stuff. Varnish is a nasty, hard, sticky substance that forms on the surface of machinery components.
Giving manufacturers a lift
Everyone can use a lift once in a while. In fact, that was the thought behind the development of the lift truck in the first place. What began in the late 1800s as an evolution from hoists and cranes, lift trucks have long been an essential tool for manufacturers to move their materials and products through the various processes of manufacturing.
Infrared thermography hits the (hot) spot
Infrared thermography has always been a great maintenance tool. New features and capabilities allow manufacturers to do everything from pinpoint hot-spots on the production line to identify leaks in the facility’s roof. Manufacturers can more accurately predict where maintenance is needed, preventing costly downtime and the accompanying drag on the bottom line.
Continuous improvement more than just maintenance practices
Cut the clutter and skip the small stuff. Grow your people. Provide them with leadership.
For managing inventory, technology counts
Controlling inventory can be an agonizing task for a manufacturer. Keeping track of raw materials, works-in-process and finished products is obviously critical to a company’s bottom line; these items have to be well-managed and accounted for. But tracking them may not even be half the battle. None of those materials get processed and out the door as finished products without being brought...
Automation, Lean join forces to keep products moving
Ever since Henry Ford perfected what has become the modern-day assembly line, manufacturers have attempted to improve the concept. It continues today as companies demand their plant personnel to continually do more with less. Whether it’s through installing new machines to increase throughput, incorporating new controls and components to make those machines run more efficiently or reconfi...
Lubrication
Among the many tasks and conditions plant engineers must contend with on a daily basis are maintenance and downtime. When these two aspects are minimized, production can be enhanced and the impact on the bottom line can be reduced. Following some simple guidelines to keep equipment lubricated properly are the first steps to preventing unscheduled maintenance and costly downtime.
When a plan comes together
Imagine this: you manage a major automotive manufacturing plant where every two-seat roadster and every SUV that the company sells worldwide is manufactured. Two vehicles on opposite ends of the continuum, right? It's not unusual to have two vehicles that differ so much roll out of the same plant. Now imagine this: both of these vehicles roll off of the same assembly line.
Safety: Right to the bottom line
When it comes to safety, some companies take a traditional approach: do no more than finding out what the Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines are and try to meet them. Spending on safety often means little more than some new machine guards or a few extra stripes on the floor leading to emergency exits.
The endless journey
For some manufacturers, Lean manufacturing is a goal. For others, it is a destination. It shouldn’t be either one. Lean, like business itself, is a journey. It’s an ever-evolving way to get somewhere. It is not something like a goal or a destination; it’s not something you can achieve.
Food process manufacturers find old, new ways to stay efficient
Security. RFID. Uptime and downtime, and maintenance and maintenance-free. For those in the manufacturing sector, these are just a few of the buzzwords that are dealt with daily. Here’s another one: margin. Food processors, in particular, face some hefty challenges – in both their processing and packaging operations – to keep their margins up and their machines operating.
Best practices in lubrication
Like blood coursing through the veins of living beings, lubrication is what keeps a plant’s capital investments operating smoothly and efficiently. At the same time, when lubrication becomes contaminated or depleted of its sustaining properties, overheating or exhaustion are among the problems that can occur.
Have you changed your oil…program?
Like blood coursing through the veins of living beings, lubrication is what keeps a plant’s capital investments operating smoothly and efficiently. At the same time, when lubrication becomes contaminated or depleted of its sustaining properties, overheating or exhaustion are among the problems that can occur.
MRO spending: plan for the unplanned
Unplanned maintenance — it can be the bane of a plant engineer’s existence. It can lead to hours spent on the Internet, on the phone or both, searching for suppliers that not only can supply the part needed, but supply it in a timely manner. And this can be the least of the plant engineer’s concerns.