George E. Martin, director of product management for Bosch Rexroth’s Linear Motion and Assembly Technologies business unit, in Charlotte, N.C., shares a list of the 10 most common mistakes he has compiled from users on the front lines of manufacturing.
Number 10: No Spec
An inadequate or missing specification will doom the project to failure. “Failure to define your company’s expectations with regard to performance, aesthetics and hardware preferences will eventually lead to confusion and misunderstanding,” states Martin. “A detailed equipment specification will force the project engineer to examine all aspects of the project.”
Number 9: Mystery Vendor
Soliciting quotations from vendors that are unknown to the staff can lead to misunderstandings if that vendor is selected for the project. “A visit to the appropriate supplier early on in the process will help assure that you are looking at viable solutions and capable suppliers. This visit should also help you interpret the quotation much more clearly as a result of having seen the equipment.”
Number 8: Wrong Price
Has anyone ever sold a project to management and then discovered a mistake that grossly underestimates the cost of the project? Martin says that to save face after this happens, “the manager and his or her subordinates spend their time looking for the right price rather than the right solution.” Avoid this problem by soliciting quotations from a couple of automation houses in order to arrive at a more accurate cost estimate.
Number 7: No Tech Support
Sometimes a new piece of equipment arrives at a plant that lacks in-house technical capability to support it. Consider all the costs associated with new and unfamiliar technology.
Number 6: No Ownership
Were people from the production department, those who will be responsible for operating the automation, involved in the buying process? Potential failure goes to those who ignore the people who have the power to make the equipment look good or bad. Martin advises giving them an active role in the selection process so that they will take ownership of it.
Number 5: No Communication
Failure to communicate with the automation vendor leads to many unpleasant surprises. Martin says that merely documenting conversations and responding to written correspondence is not enough to assure success. Treat the company as part of the team by maintaining constant constructive communication. “Review the progress of the project in detail with the vendor at certain points in the project and notify them of any perceived problems as soon as possible,” he advises.
Number 4: Premature Release
Surprisingly, some companies accept possession of automation equipment before it is ready for final runoff and formal acceptance. Martin says, “Do not allow the automation vendor to ship the machine before it is ready. Allowing this to happen usually prevents the automation from performing according to plan and damages the relationship between the companies.” This will cost money in both the long and short run.
Number 3: Out-of-date Drawings
“Maintaining proper and up-to-date documentation is an ongoing challenge for most companies,” notes Martin. “However, failure to supply the vendor with sufficient up-to-date drawings of the project will cause expensive delays. Even the best automation houses will not always detect non-conformance from the parts to the print until it is too late, making rework inevitable.” Make sure that the equipment will manufacture the correct part by supplying ample quantities of parts that are within specification.
Number 2: Bad Design
Next on the list is the failure to design the part for automated assembly or process. “Some products are not designed to be manufactured or assembled automatically. Some process components cannot be fed automatically. When automation is difficult, perhaps a semi-automatic solution would be more feasible.”
And the number 1 peril of automation purchases: Wrong Technology
Sometimes the wrong technology may be selected for the application. “Failure to do homework may result in the least efficient use of equipment. Is there an “off-the-shelf” piece of equipment available for your application? Should you employ flexible automation or hard automation? These are the types of questions that should be answered before building a machine,” concludes Martin.
Gary Mintchell, [email protected]
