The long-anticipated International Manufacturing Technology Show, IMTS, has unfortunately been cancelled due to Covid-19. The announcement came last week. The cancellation, while predictable, was still a huge disappointment for us. We will not be able to engage in person with current and future customers, which we always look forward to. The show always brings together the best and brightest in...

Using visual and auditory cues an experienced Manufacturing Manager can often sense when a factory is running well. Silence means no production. No workers present, no production. It’s an informal, and highly subjective, form of machine monitoring with “data” obtained through “Managing By Walking About” (MBWA.) The practice has much to recommend it, but it’s not sufficient for maximizing output and...

It’s Time for Machine Monitoring Software In most manufacturing facilities today convincing management that the company should invest in machine monitoring isn’t an issue.  However, if you find yourself in such an environment there are many convincing reasons for management to adopt Industry 4.0 technology such as machine monitoring.   Visibility to be able to see how much time a machine...