19MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY INSIGHTSMAY 2024result, investment not necessarily should be high in terms of automation, now we have several opportunities and access to new technology, perfect samples are the `Cobots,' with great flexibility and easy programming, at significant less cost than a robot, both applications work great, just need to select what is the product and process involved in order to review and select what type of technology to implement, main driver will be the product core competency or cross section, volume and repeatability of the process, ideally to be implemented by families to reduce changeover and optimize efficiency, productivity and as consequence output increase in the production line. In this particular article, I will talk about `Cobots,' being the perfect tool to increase productivity by managing labor if the case is well implemented, taking care of Safety regulations as the primary path of implementation, with great flexibility in the metal mechanic industry and several other industries, a cost-effective solution vs. other automation products, a `Cobot' will cover several applications as material handling, MIG welding, plasma/laser cutting, inspection support, packing, labeling, scanning, between others, automation is not complex if you have the perfect mix of process/product/supplier/management, but the most important thing, the right justification to be able to sale the benefit and explain the gain not only with good stories, need tangible numbers, return of investment is not supported by nice wording, should be engineering activities and data-driven decisions behind every project. Implementing a technology or automation project is not completed after the final acceptance or start of production of the project; evaluation and monitoring should be part of the continuous activities to evaluate if implementation results are as expected, not there or better. This information will help to adjust and read across/benchmark with other processes and products, and continuous improvement will always be part of the next day. Automation is a key player for the continued growth of the current or new business; in all cases, automation should end with data to be able to measure, capable of control and improvement in order to replicate or implement again and continue the trend of operational automation as part of the continues improvement mentality. Advanced manufacturing as part of the great engineering field drives most of the operational results in most manufacturing industries
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