In recent years, technological advances have changed the face of manufacturing efficiency forever. Years ago, all manufacturing work was done by hand, however, computers and technology have now begun to take over the industry. Automation has begun to offer companies a manufacturing advantage in terms of mass production, speed and quality. But, like all new technologies, there are both advantages and disadvantages of adopting an automated system.   Advantages of automation   One of the greatest advantages that automation can offer a manufacturing business is reduced production time. An automated machine is able to carry out processes much faster and in greater quantities than a team of employees could. As every movement and process the machine needs to follow is coded in and simply repeated, there is no room for human error, ensuring more consistent quality and efficiency.   Using automated machines that don’t require employees to use the equipment offers increased safety for your staff. As tasks that could potentially pose a risk or injury can be completed automatically by a machine instead, the entire work environment becomes safer.   On top of fewer safety problems, automation can save you a huge amount in the long run on employee costs. As automated systems require fewer staff to run, savings can be made on staff pay, benefits and sick days, for example.   Disadvantages of automation   As with any new technology, it is important that you weigh up whether or not the advantages of the investment outweigh the potential disadvantages. For example, as much as requiring fewer staff to run your system can help you save on your overheads, it can contribute to high unemployment rates. If you are keen to run an eco-friendly manufacturing process, you should also take into account that some automated machines can produce more pollution.   Automated machinery can be one of the largest operating costs that a company may have to contend with. When compared to other types of equipment, the initial investment required for an automated system can be quite costly. Depending on the type of machine, the initial investment can be anywhere between thousands or millions of pounds. After purchasing an automated machine, there is also the potential for additional expenses such as process development or staff training.   When looking into an automated system, it is important to weigh up whether or not the advantages the system offers outweighs the disadvantages that you might experience. In any case, it is important to have spare parts lined up in case the worst should happen. To find out how we could help with spares for your equipment, get in touch today.

The end goal is lean, agile production process and system. There will be few manufacturers who are not exploring the ways in which technology can better connect, manage, measure and inform factory production, including integration of R&D, sales, buying and HR teams. If you are at the start of this (potentially never ending) journey to automate factory production and management, what sort of steps do you need to go through? Look before you leap There are some beguiling and well “packaged” options around to introduce automation to factory floors. No matter how urgently you need to grab a competitive edge, it's highly recommended that you thoroughly research what you actually need, not just what you want. What are the possibilities for your particular industrial operations and what tasks do you feel would be best served by automation? What kit and machinery can you buy now that will be adaptable and expandable to support future business growth? Test and plan Find ways to test your manufacturing automation projects before you make commitments. This could be witnessing the machinery first hand in someone else’s factory, or using modern technology such as Business Information Modelling. How will its footprint impact on the physical environment? Are the likely returns strong enough to justify the investment, and how will system implementation be best achieved? Taking time to agitate the solutions and their likely impact gives you time to secure staff engagement too, which can be crucial if automation is viewed with trepidation. No room for complacency Just because the machinery you invest in does things quicker, better and with improved data control and output, doesn't mean it will be perfect. Often the more sophisticated the machinery and technology are, the more complex it is to tackle problems. It's important to remember your automation systems and equipment will sometimes let you down. If they represent a substantial upfront investment, subsequent downtime can be disastrous. Once it is all in place, it needs to keep running smoothly to create the hoped for rate of return. When installing new automation systems, make sure you have a good stock of the spare parts most likely to be required. You should also set up a good working relationship with Pro Servo, so you can use their insights, speedy service and contacts to “plug gaps” as quickly as possible, at an affordable price.

Smart Manufacturing - The integration of various systems at the heart of a modern factory. To be truly ’smart’ in manufacturing terms, an organisation needs to have in place approaches that enable collaboration across numerous key areas, from conditions and demands on the shop-floor through to external factors impacting on to the supply chain or to cover new customer requirements. The added pressure, of course, is that all these factors must be monitored and reacted to in real-time. As processes may have developed over an extended period, this may mean for example that you have one element of the process using key data in a certain way, but that there is no efficient approach to passing that information into other related systems to control the overall flow around complete production. To smooth out how smart manufacturing can be adapted, the use of a more standardised approach is extremely important. This is where the ISA-95 standard definition of smart manufacturing comes to the fore. ISA-95 is a long-established standard to allow production system designers and engineers to apply common standards to the interfaces between different systems that form the complete factory environment. In recent years there has been a massive increase in the computerisation of control points across multiple systems, as well as the growing use of robots and the development of what is termed the ‘Internet of Things (IoT)’. The IoT sees intelligence added to all sorts of hardware in every aspect of our lives, from factories right down to the products they make. This changing world has led some people to believe that the ISA-95 standard is no longer fit for the role it was developed to cover. However, the true value of this standard as developed over the past twenty years is in fact that it isn't based on any one piece of technology or a particular implementation of one company’s approach to solving common issues. Rather, it is a genuinely open form of guidance that allows the implementer to model what they need across diverse areas, from production control, inventory management, QA, accounting and maintenance. As the ISA-95 standard is a developing and reactive approach, it remains fundamentally the best guide for creating efficient and responsive manufacturing and production solutions. As technologies and approaches such as Big Data are implemented, manufacturing will adapt them for their own value and improvements. However, new developments need to be recognised as complementary to and building upon the foundations that are so well defined and understood within ISA-95. However you choose to develop your factory’s smart manufacturing solutions, the key has got to be clarity and consistency as emphasised in ISA-95. This will ensure the best initial approach to provide production techniques that will allow your organisation to develop best practice smart manufacturing processes. These systems are vital for success if any company is to respond to the fast-paced demands of the modern world.

The Pack Expo 2017 event, which was held in Las Vegas, was eagerly anticipated with many people in the food and beverage industry. The world’s leading businesses involved in the industry were all there, whether exhibiting or networking. The show always provides a brilliant chance to see the latest trends and this year it wasn’t a letdown. These are the top 3 food processing trends we expect to see in the coming year:   Virtual reality   We expect an increasing number of businesses to take advantage of virtual reality and its ability to interact with food processing equipment and its space. The developments in technology now allow businesses to walk through their production areas and see the equipment in its place, to aid the planning and purchasing processes. The virtual reality equipment even allows users to interact with a machine and visualise how the machine carries out the production process. This useful simulation allows to check the machine meets the requirements of the business before purchasing.   Convenient, prepared foods   If you are in the food and beverage industry you will not have missed the rise in the number of popular meal kit companies and also the increase in online grocery companies. The event featured many businesses which service the convenience market, and they certainly created a buzz. Professionals in the industry know that consumers are seeking high-quality products which offer them increased convenience, such as pre-prepared meal kits and pre-flavoured meals. Consumers want to cook from scratch but they also want it to be as quick and convenient as possible.   Buildings designed around processing   Companies know how important the right machinery is for their business, which is why they are now designing the business premises around the machinery. An increasing number of businesses are finding that building and designing a new facility can result in a longer-term investment. We expect more businesses to consider the long-term aspect of the business and its production levels rather than an initial speed of bringing products to market.

An inevitable element of owning technological solutions is that they will become obsolete over time. Whether a component, a method or production becomes obsolete, obsolescence can be very expensive for your business. An obsolete component could stop production all together or hinder a new design, so it is essential that you plan ahead to avoid the costs of obsolescence. Here we explore how you can keep on top of components and determine when you need to be proactive to avoid high costs. Manufacturer notifications The main important source of information about component obsolescence is the manufacturer notification that will be sent out when production of the component is stopped. Manufacturers will issue product change notifications, end of life notifications and last time buy notifications that will signal obsolescence before it occurs. To receive these notifications, you will have to sign up to direct distribution channels, but unfortunately there will never be a single solution or source of this information even within a single machine. Planning for obsolescence will take time and you will need to sign up for notifications about all components that could affect your business. Stocking spares Another good way to avoid high costs from obsolescence is by stocking spare parts. If you have a bank of spare parts, then you can always fix the problem when it occurs. If you then find that you can't replace your spare, then you will at least have a working machine while you try to solve this problem. If you realise that you can't replace a part at the point at which your production line has stopped, however, then you will be facing massive losses while you frantically look for a solution. Automation insight As well as avoiding obsolescence through notifications and stocking spares, it is vital that you also look forward to keep on top of the technologies in your business. Business owners must accept that their automation systems will not last forever and must use automation insight to look at the future possibilities. By keeping ahead of the trend and updating the systems before they become obsolete, it is possible to avoid the high costs of obsolescence. While the cost of upgrading machinery and technologies may be high, it will be far lower if you carry out the upgrades when you still have working machines and are able to keep the factory rolling and resell the existing equipment.  

PLCs and PACs are industrial computers for use in manufacturing. They are both used for the same purpose. Both are used to control automation equipment to a reliable degree, with PLCs being used for over 40 years in the manufacturing sector. PACs are generally more complex than PLCs and are a more recent development to the manufacturing industry. What are PLCs? PLCs are devices with a single microprocessor and are programmed to undertake simple execution scans. They have limited memory and separate input/output (I/O) capacity. This means that PLCs are ideal when used for controlling simple applications. They are often used for basic control schemes, where there isn't a requirement for complex analogue and motion control. With that said, there are modern PLCs consisting of built-in networks, allowing them to communicate with other PLCs and human-machine interfaces (HMIs). What are PACs? PACs generally use two or more processors, and using this system is similar to using a PC and PLC combined. They are made up of different computer-based applications, which makes them more flexible to program. PACs multitask easily as they operate in multiple domains including motion, process control and discrete. They are also used because of their interoperability and are useful for large applications, but can be scaled down for use on smaller ones too. Due to the nature of PACs, they are compatible with other components, which allows them to communicate with other PLCs as well as manufacturing execution systems (MES) and enterprise resource planning systems (ERP). Which one is right for you? Both PACs and PLCs have their uses and their advantages for use in manufacturing. When deciding on which one is right for you, it's important that you consider the differences between each system. For controlling basic machines, PLC is largely seen as the better choice, especially for applications made up of discrete I/O. If an application includes monitoring and control of a large number of analogue I/O points, then PAC is the system that would be most suited to this particular application. PAC is also the best choice if an application involves an entire factory floor, as distributed I/O in large numbers will be required, which PAC systems can handle better than PLCs. When a decision has been made on which system you will use, there's a vast array of products to choose from. PLCs and PACs are often designed by scale, giving you a range of options to meet your requirements.

The terms “automation” and “robotics” are thrown around a lot these days by firms who want to better automate their production processes. However, there is a significant set of differences between the two and it is not right to continually use the two phrases interchangeably. Here is a quick rundown of the differences between automation and robotics. First off, let's define the terms - Robotics. Robotics is actually a discipline of engineering. It refers to the process of designing, building and programming robotic machines to perform given tasks. - Automation. Automation is not limited to physical products, but instead defines the process of automating a physical or virtual task that was otherwise performed by a human worker. A deeper look at each one:

• Automation

Whenever automation is discussed, it is normally referring to software automation. So, taking away the need for a human to manually process some sort of digital task. This comes down to: - Business Process Automation - Streamlining daily business processes. - Robotic Process Automation - Not referring to physical robots, but instead, robotic software that can process tasks. - Intelligent Process Automation - An extension of the above, whereby robotic software becomes more intelligent over time at performing given tasks. As well as software automation, there is, of course, industrial automation. This is where machines are set up to perform given physical automated tasks.

• Robotics

Robotics is much more specific than automation which encompasses a number of different processes. Instead, robotics is specifically referring to the use of robotic machinery to carry out tasks and to interact with the environment around them. They do so through a number of sensors which allows them to register their surroundings and make adjustments and decisions autonomously. The crossover between automation and robotics This is the point where there is a natural crossover between robotics and automation. Robots are often used to automate physical tasks, such as on a car manufacturing line. However, there are a number of circumstances where robotics is not automation. For example, if a robot were following a course from A to B via its sensory controls, then this is not replacing a human task and is not automation. However, if the robot was then using those independent abilities to transport goods for a given purpose, then they are being automated to replace a human carrying those goods. If you are a business owner looking to automate some tasks, then you will come across a mix of robotics and automation solutions. If the processes you need automated are digital in nature, then automation software solutions are what you require. However, if you own a manufacturing premises, then an advanced automated robotics solution will be helpful in carrying out those tasks and removing the need for human labour.