As 2019 draws to a close, it’s time to start thinking about the educational needs for a new year. New projects, new employees, and new technologies create the need to be on our toes constantly. Manufacturing technology represents constant change and all employees need to be equipped and then refreshed with the necessary skills to
At InSource Solutions, we work with clients to improve the way they do business. This often requires that we work together on industrial production process flows to discover the key nuances that affect the organizations’ ability to improve. Granularizing this process flow is called deconstruction. Let’s start with a definition: Deconstruction -” the act of
The scope of the engagement was to replace the existing home-grown manufacturing IT systems with a modern Manufacturing Execution System (MES) that integrated with their existing business systems. Aligning the current workforce from floor associate through plant management (People), with the existing production processes (Process), and the soon to be deployed technical solution (MES Technology)
If you didn’t make it to the recent ISA Energy and Water Conference (EWAC) in Orlando, we wanted to share a small snippet of what you missed. Today’s digitization movement impacts everyone in a slightly different way. There is no single slam-dunk idea or industry 4.0 technology that will solve all the challenges of industrial
Digitization in manufacturing is a very hot topic, but how many manufacturers are actually achieving it? Research shows that manufacturing lags other industries in digitization of work as well as digital asset management. Laggards are being negatively affected. But conversely, those companies, like AW North Carolina, that make the digital transformation now are seeing the
Clients often ask us to assess their Manufacturing Execution System (MES) deployment and identify any gaps that are limiting their ROI. In other words, “Why aren’t we getting the results we expected?” Since MES is normally a significant investment, often in the millions of dollars, corporate oversight is warranted and justified. Here is a short
With summer already upon us, one idea for staying cool is to take some time to equip yourself with the latest knowledge by attending one of our training courses (in an air-conditioned room of course). In fact, why not make it a “Learn-cation”. Depending on personal preference, you might want to combine training with a
My role allows me to work in various manufacturing facilities across America. One of the programs most of these plants can benefit from is Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) management. If you are considering embarking on an OEE program or looking to re-vitalize an existing program, I’d like to share an element of what to expect.
About 80 years ago, scientists discovered that it is possible to be in two locations at the same time—at least for an atom or a subatomic particle, such as an electron. For such tiny objects, the world is governed by a crazy set of physical laws known as quantum mechanics. Good news! You don’t need
How much is your food & beverage plant’s energy bill? Chances are pretty good that reducing that bill is something you’ve discussed. The food & beverage sector is one of the top 5 consumers of fuels and power in US manufacturing, with Grain & Oilseed Milling leading the consumption. Improving energy efficiency can result in huge operational savings.
Maple Leaf Foods is Canada’s leading consumer packaged meats company with more than $4 Billion in sales. Recently, I had the privilege of working with three Maple Leaf Foods plants during an AVEVA/Wonderware Manufacturing Execution System (MES) deployment. Learn more about the Maple Leaf automated MES program goals here. Our role at InSource was to
Have you ever taken a long journey? Did you track your observations every step of the way? Did that journey turn out just as you expected? Some of you may say yes, but I believe most of us would say an inexorable, no! The journey was over, and I moved on. But some journeys cry