By April of each year, we’re ready to embrace the change Spring brings. Longer days, sunshine, warmer weather, baseball season, my corvette comes out of hibernation… the list goes on.
Another change we’re fully embracing is the offsite manufacturing growth happening within our industry. The demand for high quality, cost effective housing paired with the lack of a skilled reliable workforce is causing many to look for different solutions. This is the driving force behind the implementation of different forms of automation. While this transition to automation is exciting, there are many opportunities and pitfalls when considering implementing automation into a manufacturing line. In this article, we’ll dive into getting started with automation.
Let’s start with a story that I promise will turn into an educational analogy.
The first corvette that I restored was a ’77 with a 350 engine – and that car was an absolute dog. While it looked nice, due to the fiberglass body, it was simply too heavy for the 350, even after replacing the whole top end. So, I sold the ’77 and proceeded to look for more power and found an ’80 corvette with a 383 engine that had extra work done to it. The car and engine look and perform excellent.
The point I’m trying to make: When talking automation, don’t get sidetracked by the shiny good-looking parts.
The most overlooked part of the automation puzzle is software. When implementing automation to any process, the first thing that should be done is making sure you have the right software solution that will provide the power that will be needed. Not all software is created equal. Selecting the correct software for your operation that also works with your ERP system and your equipment is key.
This process can be intimidating, but Stiles is here to help and vet every step of the way.
When getting started, you have to ask yourself some tough questions. With the implementation of a high-powered software platform and automated equipment, you need to look at your personnel. Do you have a team capable of living in an automated world? Is your IT department up to the task from a knowledge and bandwidth standpoint? Can your designers learn a new software platform? Can your shop employees learn to operate the equipment? Will they buy into the new process? Does your maintenance team have the expertise to perform PM’s and maintenance on more advanced equipment? When hiring can you find the necessary qualified people in your area to perform these tasks?
The best time to ask these questions is before purchasing and installing software and equipment. No one like surprises, especially while facing deadlines or when you’re close to the finish line. These discussions are important to have early on so that proper planning can occur. What you don’t know can cause serious issues down the line. We can help you learn from other companies’ hardships and mistakes.
The other important topic to discuss is whether you’re automating for the right reasons or not. Automation can increase output and quality while decreasing labor and safety issues when implemented correctly. Throwing automation blindly at a process that is not developed completely can do more harm than good. Knowing your product intimately is key to adding automation correctly. This process is different for every factory – there is no one-size-fits-all for automation. What raw material you put through these machines and what elements you want to come out must be understood on the front end for automation to meet your expectations.
Automation is the future in the Prefab manufactured housing industry, but there is a lot of coordination and collaboration that needs to happen at an early stage. Stiles is passionate about partnering with customers and providing them a clear view of this integration process to limit the number of pitfalls downstream. The more successful these integrated production lines and facilities are, the stronger the industry will become.