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Component Manufacturing dverti$ dverti $ er
Don’t Forget! You Saw it in the
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July 2021 #13264 Page #10
Sixty Years of Machines Part XX: Cyber Success Joe Kannapell
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efore the Cyber Saw was introduced, I saw its PLC “brain” control the machines on a GM assembly line. From the conference room at General Electric’s PLC factory, I was able to watch a live display of the automation systems it powered. While most were “Greek” to me, I understood the digital readout counting the cars exiting the plant. This told me that a PLC could do a lot more than it was doing on Omni or Easy Set 3000 saws. And I was happy to find out that, even back in 1995, PLCs were already proven technology. I proceeded to the GE factory floor to learn more. The largely female workforce was putting together two types of components: flat green boards a little longer than a shoe box lid, and various modules about the shape of a pack of cigarettes. The boards were called “backplanes” and had multiple sockets that resembled those on the back of the original desktop PCs. The backplane would become the rack upon which the various modules would be hung. The modules themselves were all the same size but were being loaded with different electronics, depending on their functions: as power supplies, processors (CPUs), and input/output devices. From this visit I learned that PLCs were clearly in the mainstream, and that their modular design enabled easy upgrades. I left with high hopes that this device would greatly simplify the maintenance and operation of the Cyber Saw. But I was still wondered if CMs were ready for this level of technology. I found out shortly. The growing backlogs at truss plants altered many CMs’ views on purchasing new equipment. Both large and small manufacturers set aside their attachment to older equipment and became willing to take a chance on automation. The best exemplar of this transformation was Brent Holcomb at Shoffner Industries*, the dominant CM in the South, with 16 identically equipped, “cookie-cutter” (but totally manual) plants. Brent was convinced he needed to update his entire production system, but worried that, “He’d lose his job if automation didn’t work.” At the other end of the spectrum was a small-town plant, Better Living Components. When I suggested that an Easy Set 2000 could easily handle their cutting load, John Nunley, the owner, stated, “Why would I want a saw that isn’t fully automated.” Clearly, we manufacturers had great opportunities ahead, but we would need to overhaul our entire infrastructure to exploit them. The design of the saw itself would prove to be the least of our concerns. Continued next page
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