Plant Industrialization: The Promise of Smart Manufacturing for the Spring Industry

Many new technologies are available to modernize and transform today’s spring manufacturing facilities. There is great potential in the use of smart manufacturing utilizing Industry 4.0, commonly referred to as the “Fourth Industrial Revolution.” Industry 4.0 conceptualizes rapid change to technology, industries, and societal patterns and processes in the 21st century due to increasing interconnectivity and smart automation. One of the key drivers is the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) which Wikipedia describes as: “Physical objects with sensors, processing ability, software, and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other communications networks.” This article will give you an overview of what smart manufacturing is all about and ideas as you plan toward the future. Consideration of smart manufacturing will be helpful as you purchase new machines and implement new hardware and software solutions. It’s no secret that the amount of data available from smart manufacturing holds great potential to help modernize manufacturing and especially in predictive machine maintenance and replacement.

While not everyone is ready to dive deep into Industry 4.0, there are many things that can be done to automate your manufacturing facilities.

By Gary McCoy

Chuck Wetherington was the keynote speaker at The Assembly Show held Oct. 25-27, 2022, in Rosemont, Illinois. Wetherington, the president of BTE Technologies, discussed “Using Lean to Prepare for Manufacturing 4.0.”

Wetherington, who has been in manufacturing his entire career, prefers to use the term Manufacturing 4.0 rather than Industry 4.0. He explained that the first industrial revolution, from the 1770s to 1840s, involved the implementation of machines powered by steam, water and wind in the manufacturing of “things.” He said this era is credited with the creation and growth of the middle class.

The second industrial revolution, from roughly the 1870s to World War II, saw the introduction of electricity as a power source and the advent of railroads, the telegraph and the manufacturing production line. “This created great economic growth and a shift in worker skill sets,” explained Wetherington.

The third industrial revolution was digital, marked by computerization, the use of information, automation and supply chain management. This period, in the late 20th century, was marked by vast productivity improvements.

Wetherington says the fourth industrial revolution consists of interconnectivity, information availability, artificial intelligence (AI) and the decentralization of decision making. “It is the integration between manufacturing processes and designs,” explained Wetherington.

Wetherington cited a McKinney & Company study illustrating that Industry 4.0 can unlock significant value across multiple areas of a factory network. The study showed the value potential was 15 to 20% for inventory holding cost reduction, 15 to 30% in labor productivity increase, 30 to 50% in machine downtime, 10 to 30% in throughput increase, 85% in forecasting accuracy improvement and 10 to 20% in cost-of-quality improvement.

Chuck Weatherington , BTE Technologies

One of the leading proponents of IloT is Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform, offering over 200 fully featured services from data centers globally.

The company says, “Industrial IoT brings machines, cloud computing, analytics, and people together to improve the performance and productivity of industrial processes. With IIoT, industrial companies can digitize processes, transform business models, and improve performance and productivity, while decreasing waste.”

The company asserts that using IloT can deliver value across a variety of use cases including predictive quality and maintenance analytics, asset condition monitoring and process optimization.

AWS says a typical industrial facility has thousands of sensors generating data.

“With IIoT, manufacturers, for example, can combine machine data from a single line, factory, or a network of sites, such as manufacturing plants, assembly facilities, and refineries, to proactively improve performance by identifying potential bottlenecks, failures, gaps in production processes,

and quality issues before they happen. Combining data from a network of sites can also result in a more efficient control of material flow, early detection and identification and elimination of production or supply bottlenecks, and the optimized operation of machinery and equipment in all facilities.”

A 2022 advertorial written by Sam Yeh of Simco credits Smart Factory 4.0 with serving as a main driver of innovation within the company. The Smart Factory 4.0 cornerstones are: 1. Optimize machine utilization to increase production capacity 2. Transition from reactive to proactive quality management with IloT 3. Utilize intelligent data analysis to increase machine availability “Springs smart manufacturing can improve almost all areas of existing manufacturing processes by giving employees access to a whole host of real-time information on their manufacturing processes. IloT technology gives managers access to a huge amount of data that provides vital insights into things like a spring machine’s overall health, energy consumption and productivity,” Yeh writes.

He observes that one of the greatest benefits of IloT is that the information gathered by this technology has the ability to significantly reduce the amount of downtime and make it extremely clear when a machine either needs maintenance work or potentially needs replacing altogether.

Jake Hall is a content creator and industry influencer who goes by the moniker “The Manufacturing Millennial.” He stands out from most presenters because he dons a Chicago Cubs baseball cap when he speaks.

Paul Ryznar (left), Light Guide and Jake Hall, The Manufacturing Millennial

Hall has attended numerous manufacturing events in the past year, including The Assembly Show, FabTech and the International Manufacturing Technology Show.

When asked if the technology is available to make the fourth industrial revolution a reality, Hall replied with a declarative statement of “absolutely.” He says, however, the culture at most companies is not ready to adopt these solutions.

Hall estimates that fewer than 10% of all manufacturers across the U.S. have truly adopted industry 4.0 initiatives as their culture going forward.

“There’s a lot of cool technology where the adoption of information is being enabled,” explained Hall, “so manufacturers can better understand their productivity, how efficient their investments and capital equipment processes are.”

He says it’s all about being able to take the machines inside the shop floor and connect them to the cloud, so they are accessible anywhere.

“We’re also seeing a lot more integration and adoption of collaborative systems and not necessarily just collaborative robots,” said Hall. “It is things like device wearables working alongside humans to make them more productive and make their lives easier.”

While most are not ready to dive headfirst into Industry 4.0, the challenges of a prolonged labor shortage have provided many spring manufacturers with the opportunity and necessity to automate processes to help overcome this obstacle.

Sean Costin is director of sales for IP Automation Inc., a company that designs and manufactures a wide array of high-performance Sean Costin, CNC wire bending machines using IP Automation Inc. the latest servo and programming technology. Costin says the company has focused on helping manufacturers create a complete lean solution for “single piece flow” through a company’s multiple operations.

“Most of our customers are looking to replace their labor costs, especially with in-line processes, and a lot of times it involves the use of robotics,” explained Costin. Costin says it often involves robotic integration of secondary operations from welding, stamping, machining, stress relieving,

Scott Marsic, Epson America

inspection, and powder coating along with secondary bending and crimping.

Even if a company is not ready to integrate an industrial robot into their operations, Costin says all the machines they design are robot ready.

While Costin agrees that most companies are not ready for full implementation of Industry 4.0, he says machine maintenance information is often a hidden benefit of going digital.

“Machine intelligence and connectivity is an integral part of our ability to service customers,” explained Costin. “It provides them with important data they can use to identify the source of problems, as well it allows us to be virtually on-site with them in minutes to help them though a problem with their machine or their program. Recently, we have been installing VPN Tunnel capability that allows us to connect to machines quickly and directly with just an internet connection and safely bypassing the company network. By using these tools customers can experience a significant reduction in downtime.”

Costin says going digital gives you a lot more data. “Some people want and need that data and some people don’t need it as much due to the nature of their work,” he explained.

He says the data attainable through open platform communications, like OPC UA, by production machines can be used for various purposes from production monitoring to measuring Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and can provide important decision-making information for managers of an operation.

In summary, Costin sees the great benefits of robotics to help a company automate and solve their labor shortage problem, especially in secondary operations. He also believes Industry 4.0 is a way to improve connectivity especially when it comes to machine maintenance. “It will forever change the way machines are made and the way manufacturers use machines,” he concluded.

Scott Marsic, group product manager for Epson Robots, presented “Why Automate? Manufacturing Considerations in Today’s ‘New Normal’” during The Assembly Show 2022. He said new users are leading a drive toward simplicity because of limited automation backgrounds. As a result, simple applications are being developed for ease of use and speed. He also pointed out that more small and medium companies are moving toward automation because it is easier to use and more affordable.

Whether a large or small company, Marsic said “automation is the great equalizer.”

Marsic pointed out that a top reason for not automating is “an inability to gain internal support and funding.” He advises companies to align on their priorities and do the legwork up front to justify your project because decisions downstream will depend on this.

He presented five considerations for any manufacturer’s next automation project: 1) Align on your reasons for automating 2) Take a 360° view of “risk” 3) Make sure to invest in the right places 4) Be cognizant of future changes in your product 5) Start simple to improve your potential for success

The Assembly Show featured many exciting technologies, especially in the areas of robotics and the factory of the future. A company called LightGuide showcased its smartAR Workstation. Powered by the company’s augmented reality software, this preconfigured, turnkey workstation uses digital projection technology to display step-by-step work instructions onto a mobile, ergonomic production area.

Augmented reality remote service is also becoming popular. Slideforming manufacturer Bihler 4 Slide-NC says its AR Remote Service provides a real-time audio and video feed with one of its service experts. This allows the company to hear and view the equipment along with their customer’s technician. Look for more of these options in the future to provide online workflow for maintenance, setup and production.

Experts predict that more machine learning and artificial intelligence solutions will be developed to aid in the collection and dissemination of IloT data.

Wetherington believes Manufacturing 4.0 is exciting, but it should be viewed as a toolbox. Deciding which tools to apply and when is the art and science that will help small and medium manufacturers thrive in the decade to come.

He advises manufacturers to assess your business, factory and processes. “Determine where the best opportunities lie, and don’t chase the easy in lieu of the valuable,” said Wetherington.

Importantly, he said that transitioning to Manufacturing 4.0 should always involve people, especially the employees on the shop floor. “Be sure to do it up front and often.”

Wetherington said a 2022 Manufacturing Leadership Council survey asked: “Do you expect your company’s rate of adoption of Manufacturing 4.0 technologies to increase or decrease over the next two years?”

The survey results showed that 89% believe the adoption rate will increase, 10% believe adoption will remain unchanged and 0% believe adoption will decelerate.

Hall sees a transformation in the workforce that will help accelerate Industry 4.0. “If you’re a manufacturer expecting a millennial or Gen Z to come in and work at your facility that is still using technology and solutions and work instructions from 25 to 30 years ago, it’s a huge disconnect,” he explained.

As a result, he believes the younger generation will perceive that your company is not investing in the future. “If you can create technology in a way that’s going to make them more comfortable and understanding and it’s something they are familiar with, you have a better chance of keeping them on board.”

He encourages manufacturers to get involved with their local middle schools, high schools, community colleges and tech schools. “Labor is local, because small to medium size manufacturers represent 98% of all manufacturers in the U.S. If you’re not investing locally in your school programs and all that stuff, and talking with your local advisers and boards, you are missing out on the most critical area to find future employees and to bring up future employees.”

With the rate of adoption accelerating, spring manufacturers should look ahead to see when and if they are ready to pursue the promises that come from connected machinery using Industry 4.0. At a minimum, spring manufacturers should pursue automating their manufacturing plants to accelerate the process toward this new industrial revolution. n

Recognizing the urgent need to accelerate the adoption of smart manufacturing in the U.S., the Smart Manufacturing Institute (CESMII) and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) recently announced the official launch of the Smart Manufacturing Executive Council (SMEC). Described as “a national think tank of smart manufacturing leaders,” the SMEC has been created to engage business and technology executives, thought leaders and visionaries advocating for the transformation of the U.S. manufacturing ecosystem.

“As we transition from one manufacturing era to another, it’s clear that legacy behaviors, business models and technology architectures must make way for new ones,” said CESMII CEO John Dyck. “It’s the charter of this Smart Manufacturing Executive Council to advocate for this transformation, and the practical steps, investments and policy recommendations that will help this ecosystem cross this digital divide.”

The SMEC will focus on these strategic initiatives: • Ecosystem: Collaborative strategies enabling plants connected to the enterprise and supply chains for real-time data-driven business orchestration.

Goal: flexible and agile processes and supply chains easily reconfigured for changing market demands and empowering collaboration between OT and IT. • Technology: Accelerate evolution from proprietary, closed systems, enabling interoperability to eliminate data silos, stovepipe architectures and vendor lock-in.

Goal: drive down costs, improve agility. • Workforce: Aligning education, training and continuous improvement strategies to develop people with the skills needed to accelerate smart manufacturing and create data-driven cultures.

Goal: organizational structures and capabilities that align resources and people for SM success. An inaugural SMEC Session was scheduled in December 2022 to affirm the charter and set strategic priorities for 2023. For more information about CESMII, SME and the SMEC, visit cesmii.org/about/sm-executive-council.