Manufacture Smarter Blog

3/3/2021 - THE CENTER
During employee training, businesses are commonly challenged by the demand placed on resources. Often, this leads to shortcuts in training, which negatively impacts productivity, quality and safety. Due to inconsistent training, variation arises in how each worker performs a task, which can lead to unanticipated results and no clear understanding of the root cause. To solve these training-related issues, and those unforeseen, Augmented & Virtual Reality can help.

2/24/2021 - THE CENTER
In this increasingly competitive business landscape, manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to innovate and improve processes to boost their bottom line. One proven way to accomplish this is through the use of robotics and automation in production.

2/19/2021 - BY: PAULA MONTGOMERY
When developing new products and innovations, a diverse range of expertise and knowledge is required to be successful. With the right technical experts, business experts, user design experts and manufacturing experts working toward the same goal, the possibilities are limitless.

1/27/2021 - THE CENTER
The technological innovations of Industry 4.0 have created opportunities for manufacturers of all sizes to improve efficiencies, increase revenue and advance production methods. In a weekly blog series published over the next few months, we will explore the nine technology trends that form the building blocks of Industry 4.0 and highlight the specific applications and benefits of each.

12/18/2020 - BY: JESS CRUZ
I am privileged to meet with and support many small to mid-sized manufacturers in Michigan. They bring great value with their products proudly made in Michigan. However, many of these manufacturers are unaware of the information and opportunities associated with Industry 4.0 technologies. My hope is to provide some insight and encouragement for those who are considering their next steps towards technology adoptions.

10/16/2020 - BY: GEORGE SINGOS
This year’s unique business challenges required manufacturers to be more flexible and efficient than ever before. As companies worked to rapidly adapt by shifting product offerings and implementing new safety practices, one factor emerged as a clear key to success: technology.  To further educate manufacturers on the benefits and uses of a number of Industry 4.0 technologies, Automation Alley will hold its fourth Integr8 event November 9-10, 2020 – this time, it will be completely virtual.

10/12/2018 - BY: CHUCK WERNER
In past posts, we’ve talked about the relevance and applications of implementing technology, highlighting the advantages that such innovations can bring to manufacturers of all sizes. But what does it actually look like when these technologies are leveraged to improve a business?

9/14/2018 - BY: ELLIOT FORSYTH
Manufacturing is changing. The industry is entering a new era, with oncoming workforce and technological advancements set to transform manufacturing as we know it. In this emerging age of smart manufacturing, a number of factors are contributing to this evolution.

4/6/2018 - ​BY: ELLIOT FORSYTH
There’s no question that one of the biggest concerns we hear from our clients is finding and keeping good employees. Unfortunately, this situation is likely to only get worse. In the next decade, it is expected that of the nearly 3.5 million open U.S. manufacturing jobs, roughly 2 million are anticipated to go unfilled due to a gap in skills required for holding such jobs.

3/23/2018 - BY: GREGG PETERSON
We recently published a blog post detailing the many resources- 114, to be exact- available for manufacturers of all kinds to take advantage of. These resources included anything from websites to publications to blogs to books. But what about something more long-term? Something that you can contribute to and continue to draw resources from?