Grayson Dawson

Manufacturing Automation – the Pivot “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” - (John Steinbeck – “The Grapes of Wrath”). As anyone who’s been involved with Automation for a long time knows: No matter the amount of planning & study upfront, Automation Development being a CREATIVE process, always presents unexpected surprises that may at times DOOM success, especially when those appear deep into the design-build-debugging process. Common sources may include: -         A flawed assumption upfront. -         Inputs variations – either known & unreported OR unknown. -         Ill conceived objectives, trying to “Do too much with the automation”, in order to achieve a notional ROI. -         A misunderstood or mistaken technical parameter. -         Failure to incorporate a salient or “tribal knowledge” attribute. -         Other factors that reveal themselves late in the process. Best efforts to mitigate these surprises include: -         A good URS or SW based on an understanding of the current state. -         Hands on review of inputs & physical use environment. -         Detailed discussions & reviews between the builder & the end-user. -         Other due diligence. On the commercial side and as protection against potential “Jokers in the Deck”, various CYA clauses are included in the Proposal & the Purchase Order. Still, the Gremlins show up regularly and given the disproportionate number of DISAPPOINTMENTS or FAILURES, we may wonder if some significant portion of these can’t be salvaged as successes by RE-FRAMING the objective to a NEW level which still provides VALUE and meets an ROI while delivering the true objective, PRODUCTIVITY. Getting past or avoiding the all too common phase of Recriminations, Finger pointing and Wasteful Emotional expressions, a SOBER team comprised of the Builder and the End-User will in many if not all cases be able to … … Snatch Victory from the Jaws of Failure! And in the process, MAYBE discover the true value created between an automation partner and the end user. -- “While there are often alternatives to solve the problem before “we throw in the towel” by negotiating a lower-level deliverable, we most often overlook the opportunity to redefine the deliverable to an equivalent that doesn’t necessarily mean getting 100% of our original intended goals, in exactly the intended manner but yields a more reliable solution in a different configuration, with essentially the same outcomes AND with higher reliability.” -- Do you have an example of salvaging success from an automation failure? Your thoughts are appreciated and please share this post if you think your connections will find it of interest. 👉 Comment, follow or connect to collaborate on automation for enhanced productivity in your process. https://lnkd.in/eRi9nRs7 #industry40 #automation #productivity #robots      

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🚀 Automation in Manufacturing: Calvary Robotics Revolutionizing the Future of Productivity & Profitability! 🚀 Discover how cutting-edge robotics, AI, and advanced machinery are driving unprecedented efficiency, precision, and sustainability. Join the conversation on the transformative impact of automation and its role in shaping a more innovative industrial landscape. #Manufacturing #Automation #Industry40

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Are you ready to start the year in review with me? 💪 Let's buckle up and unveil the Top Automation Trends that Shaped 2024🔥 1. Cobots Ruled the Roost. Collaborative robots were reshaping the production lines in  2024. For context, for a renowned sheet metal manufacturer company, cobots doubled the welding speed and improved productivity by 400%. 2. AI Power Made Us Real Superheroes. Artificial Intelligence took the crown in 2024! What better example than oil and gas multinational Petronas saving $33 million after adopting AI-powered predictive maintenance programs? 3. Edge Computing. Autonomous driving cars from companies like Tesla are making the most of edge computing. Their vehicles use the technology to navigate complex environments safely, reducing latency and improving response times.  4. Digital Twins as a Crystal Ball. Digital Twins lead the way in simulating, optimizing, and perfecting processes. Take the example of Northumbrian Water. After creating virtual replicas of their facilities, they are more effective at monitoring and managing their assets, reducing site visits and improving planning.  5. Sustainability Through Automation. Irrigation systems for water usage savings, IoT for soil monitoring and crop health, and other automation solutions that regulate lighting, heating, and cooling in buildings based on occupancy and usage patterns were also in high demand. The time to rewrite the playbook and reshape our industries is now. Ride the wave of automation trends that defined 2024 to elevate your industry and conquer new frontiers now. For support to get started, always count me in!

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Manufacturing Automation – the Fallacy AI powered, Autonomous anything is equivalent to dividing by Zero! -- Labor PRODUCTIVITY, is roughly defined as: Labor Productivity = Total Output / Total Labor Hours A labor free output would mean "0" labor hours. Not quite rigorous of course as we still need the higher labor to maintain and supervise the "autonomous" system BUT we are basically delivering that Good or Service without direct labor, to be provided ... presumably for FREE to the previously employed direct labor. Makes your head spin in a Jetsons Vision-Reality but more important, it focuses on automating the worker rather than the process where the true INNOVATION and PROGRESS has always come from. That a Future State, Rationalized process will require REDUCED direct labor has ALWAYS been the case and implicit in the exercise BUT that's an OUTCOME of the Innovation, NOT the driver. Otherwise, it would be like someone automating the worker with a MECHANICAL Man, as if we've exhausted the deterministic limits of bringing order to the UNSTRUCTURED Process .... How silly would that be? AI powered, Autonomous anything is equivalent to dividing by Zero! -- "Manufacturing Automation – Humans in the Loop Industry 4.0 and AI hype have many dreaming of a future manufacturing paradigm whereby machines are working in a “lights out” scenario with human workers barely present as even the maintenance, oversight and management functions are quickly devolved into robotic algorithms and transfer functions, executing both physical and managerial tasks. Of course this may all be a possible future vision, .... but in the mean time, there's real manufacturing that needs to be done! Applying some proven attributes of GOOD automation, dating back to Archimedes' screw, whereby a continuously and centrally powered mechanical device was proven to be better than having 100 guys with buckets transferring water from the river, what does manufacturing automation really look like? or .... - What tasks do we relegate to the machines, (if any), and - What tasks do we reserve for the human workers, (if any)? The traditional automation rubric has been that machines are excellent at: -Speed functions -Precision functions, and -Power functions. While humans excel at: -Dexterity functions -Perception functions, and -Flexibility functions, and -Adaptation to changing conditions." -- Are you increasing PRODUCTIVITY with Automation or dividing by Zero? Your thoughts are appreciated and please SHARE this post if you think your connections will find it of interest. 👉 Comment, follow or connect to COLLABORATE on your automation for increased productivity. Adding value on the WHY, WHAT and HOW of Automation! What are you working on that I can help with? https://lnkd.in/ejpBhTTk #industry40 #automation #productivity #robotics #innovation

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Automation is a Necessity, Not a Luxury. At Machinen, we’re proving that automation isn’t just about cost advantages—it’s about transforming your operation. It’s not one magic bullet; done right it’s a full systems approach that boosts efficiency, reduces risk (if flexible), and brings production closer to your customers. See how we’re making automation accessible for manufacturers ready to scale smartly, in this CompanyWeek article. #Automation #Manufacturing #Efficiency #Scalability #Innovation

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Great solution from CE

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Manufacturing Automation – Top Secret Improving a unique process with Automation doesn't mean it's a Secret! -- After signing an NDA with a client so we could proceed with discussing the details of his project, I jokingly asked: "Is this intended to keep good ideas OUT or to keep bad ideas IN?" He smiled and replied: "A bit of both, I guess." He understood the hyperbole as what we were about to discuss was a "meat and potatoes" automated assembly system for their commodity product and contextualized to their unique process. Further, it was unlikely that we would be creating any new IP, other than an efficient integration of "off the shelf" machine elements, common controls and some custom tooling to fixture the product through the assembly and test steps. Still, good, common and accepted practice to protect everyone's interests as in one way or another a new EMBODIMENT of a solution would be created. Here's a twist: "An industry of professional integrators offers services to companies to assist in integrating the robot onto the factory floor. When we asked companies that had bought robots or that were considering a purchase about working with integrators, the comments were mostly negative. Sharing company information with an integrator raises fears of losing intellectual property. One CEO who had experience with trying to work with an integrator claimed that integrators sell their services by telling your competitor how they solved your problems. Whether true or not, it seems to be a widely shared sentiment." Manufacturing in America: A View from the Field Suzanne Berger, John M. Deutch Institute Professor, MIT (Link Below) https://lnkd.in/esznwSXM -- "In Summary: While returning to the days of a large and overgrown in-house machine design, tooling and equipment development group is generally not justified today, given the large number of third party systems integrators and machine builders and the myriad of standard solutions available, if a manufacturer is interested in true and unique process innovation that provides a competitive advantage in it’s market, it should build and properly fund an in-house tooling and equipment development capability! The Manufacturing Process is the only competitive advantage!" -- Do you have an example of FEAR of sharing proprietary info, preventing companies from working with Integrators? Your thoughts are appreciated and please SHARE this post if you think your connections will find it of interest. 👉 Comment, follow or connect to COLLABORATE on your automation for increased productivity. Helping manufacturers with the WHY, WHAT and HOW of Automation! Reach out if I can help with your Automation or Funded Project! https://lnkd.in/eD4dh6_d #industry40 #automation #productivity #robotics #innovation

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Manufacturing Automation – IMTS Automation PREDICTS the weather! -- Following up with a client on the release of Phase II of a Design and Build project that has been put on hold earlier this year, I wrote: "I assume that the capital freeze hasn't thawed yet as I haven't heard an update ..." He relied: "You are correct, the capital freeze hasn’t thawed and is actually more stringent. " Disappointing, but expected. -- J.P. Morgan - Global Research guidance - August 15, 2024 "The probability of a recession now stands at 35% Softer-than-expected labor market data and slowing economic growth have increased the probability of a downturn, in our view." https://lnkd.in/e23ta-j4 -- Charles Schwab - International markets - September 9, 2024 Rate Cuts Support a Brighter 2025 "Rate cuts point to better growth ahead An index of central-bank rate cuts that measures the net number of advanced central banks changing rates leads the global manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) by about nine months, as you can see in the chart below. The arrow points to the most likely shift to cuts by nearly all of the 18 advanced central banks over the coming months as the United States, Australia, Norway, South Korea and a few others are likely to join the 11 who have already cut rates. Historically, the manufacturing PMI has been a good proxy for global growth for both output and corporate earnings. Manufacturing tends to be more cyclical, and therefore leads changes in the overall economy. If history unfolds similarly, rate cuts could help to lift economic growth as represented by the global manufacturing PMI from around 50 to near 55 by mid-2025. ...." https://lnkd.in/eqMK5e9X -- Best guessstimates of course, 24 days apart with the only intervening NEW data being the unexpected LOW, August employment numbers, practically guaranteeing rate cuts and perhaps more aggressive than originally thought. Clear as Mud! 😀 Here's the thing: ... the only TRUE data for manufacturing and PMI is the expression of confidence by manufacturers to invest in their process, through NEW capital equipment and AUTOMATION, tooling up for the anticipated leg up ... whether that becomes visible in 6, 12 or 24 months. Automation PREDICTS the weather! -- "We will have “dipped our toe” in the water!" -- What INTEREST and sentiment are you seeing for new Automation at IMTS? Your thoughts are appreciated and please SHARE this post if you think your connections will find it of interest. 👉 Comment, follow or connect to COLLABORATE on your automation for increased productivity. Helping manufacturers with the What? and How? of Automation! https://lnkd.in/exw6N4yK #industry40 #automation #productivity #robotics

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Most companies want to make as big a splash as possible, creating massive market awareness and exposure, in order maximize anticipation ahead of a product release. All too often, many products disappear with a proportionate magnitude of silence as the noise from their release when the product fails to deliver upon its promise. Robotics companies are frequently guilty of this. Some robotics startups even capitalize on this splashy process to generate hype to raise investment capital, only to pivot in a completely different direction. But there are benefits to being quiet in your product development: 1. Take your time - You can be flexible in your timeline and budget away from external scrutiny and pressures to have the leeway to get the technology right. 2. Right Fit - Your market might be narrower than you think, and this allows you to get to know your ideal customer better and design toward specific use-cases to ensure they have the right tool for the right job. 3. Cut the Noise - Too much feedback can be paralyzing. You have the latitude to seek the specific feedback you need and avoid all but the essential customer inputs. 4. Learn from Others Mistakes - Did your competitor release too cheap? Too expensive? Were absent features essential? You can watch others stumble and step over them when you release. SuperDroid Robots has benefited from decades of being paid to R&D to develop hundreds of custom robotic solutions, and learned the benefit of staying below the noise to develop robotic hardware products that actually solve problems without the need to make splashes. This is why I still receive emails from big-name customers from years ago writing "We always share the tool and your company when visitors come to see my plant's operations and they ask about the robot. Thanks!" #productdevelopment #robots #robotics #hardwaredevelopment #stealthmode #agility #newproductrelease

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Random AI thought for the day. With the addition to AI on many programs, will anyone put it into practice in CAD to prevent DFM issues? Too many designers draw stuff on CAD, with zero experience in machining or what it take to make a part. So could AI be smart enough to drop in milling radii into a pocket like this? Just pondering. Have been waiting for years for CAD to improve when it comes to assembly and constraints. Being able to use haptic gloves or a touch screen to build out an assembly could be nice. You could see assembly errors better. Also, perhaps having the option of a CAD station that was oriented like the old manual drafting tables, operating as a large tablet. Maybe this stuff is out there and I am just too old and set in my ways to find it. Still better than the digitizer tablets from the 80's / 90's AutoCAD. 🤣 Scott Veix probably has one in his collection.

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Manufacturing Automation – Obsolete Brand new Automation is Obsolete the minute it's deployed! -- A representation of the technology of the day harnessed to the Unique Automation Requirement and Leveraging that technology's Enabling Attributes, an Automated Manufacturing System represents the "best thinking" of that moment as a Transfer Function and then enters it's DEPRECIATION Cycle. So it better be good! ... as it CAN'T easily be changed in the near term and this serves as a BRAKE to automation adoption, at least as far as Risk Adverse Management is concerned ... Risks include: - Financial Risk to "commit the investment" in anticipation of the ROI - Technical Risk to an otherwise "unproven" new design and process rubric. - Disruption Risk as the automation will alter labor and other inputs' workflows in ways not easily predicted. Short of doing NOTHING as both the Times and the Investors cry out for increased BOTTOM lines and PRODUCTIVITY .... the reflex and GO-TO action is most often to stick with the tried and proven with a SPRINKLING of "New Technology" to create the facade of PROGRESS while in effect digging the same holes with a shiny NEW SHOVEL! Brand new Automation is Obsolete the minute it's deployed! -- "Here's why: Whereas the in-house tooling and equipment development group was indeed generally overgrown and “wasteful” on the surface, the innovations and process differentiators it produced were not only unique to the in-house process, but they were also the basis of proprietary development of a competitive advantage that can only come from an in-house team that has daily and constant contact with the process. Whether that be productivity improvements or underlying process evolution, ... While performing the “execution” steps of new tooling and equipment development is indeed generally more expensive to do in-house vs. outsourcing, the actual innovation of the solution to be executed can only come from the in-house team. Otherwise, while the deployment of an industry standard solution may indeed be an improvement, it does little to differentiate the process or give it a unique competitive advantage. Of course, competitive advantages don’t grow on trees but a single innovation that meets this criterion will more than justify the most bloated of cost centers as by definition, an innovation has a significant “step-function” impact on the process … whether that be:" -- Is your New Automation Obsolete out of the gate? Your thoughts are appreciated and please SHARE this post if you think your connections will find it of interest. 👉 Comment, follow or connect to COLLABORATE on your automation for increased productivity. Adding value on the WHY, WHAT and HOW of Automation! What are you working on that I can help with? https://lnkd.in/e7WrBsKX #industry40 #automation #productivity #robotics

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Forming can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be. In a super competitive and often under-skilled labor market, fabricators are under more pressure than ever to produce quality product at a reasonable rate. What is the solution? Is now the time to automate? Is automation right for me? Are my products suitable for automation? All are reasonable questions that can be answered. Come see MC Machinery Systems Inc. at FABTECH Expo booth S17034 and discover how the next generation of forming automation can help you solve many of your forming woes. You won’t regret it.

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I have a very simple design philosophy - build it, break it, and build it again until it stops breaking. Hardware manufacturing can get incredibly involved rather quickly, and the biggest trap you can fall into as a manufacturer is building in a silo. It’s one thing to draw out a design in CAD. It’s a very different thing to get that design out in the field to customers to see how it actually performs. The iterative design process we’ve taken with our machines gives us a huge advantage for building the simplest, most intuitive vape-filling machines on the market. Why? Because it gives us a lot of time to get customer feedback during each design cycle before launching the refined end product to the rest of the market. This exact design philosophy is how we built the very first Vape-Jet prototype. I found a customer who was willing to participate in our R&D process, we charged them less than what the parts cost to build the machine, and I assured him that I would bang my head against any problems that came up until it worked. And I did. Every time we got feedback of, “I don’t like X” or “I need it to do Y,” we designed around it in a very tight, customer-led, iterative design process. After enough cycles of customer feedback, you learn so much about the system that you know exactly what has to be beefed up, what has to be fixed, and what has to be resolved. That’s what makes our Vape-Jet products different - they weren’t designed in an office. They were built in the open market with real-time customer feedback making its way into the design at every step of the process.

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Looking to leap into the exciting realm of Additive Manufacturing? Our blog has got your back with the ultimate guide on what to consider when selecting the perfect FDM printer for your needs >> https://okt.to/siuAqC Don't settle for a 3D Printer that doesn’t meet your needs. Elevate your creations with the power of Stratasys FDM printers! #AdditiveManufacturing #3DPrinting #Innovation #addstratasys #MakeAdditiveWorkForYou

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Manufacturing Automation – the Fundamentals “Form follows function!” -         Generally attributed to the architect Louis Sullivan who coined the maxim. Starting with the physical size, weight and form factors of the input(s) to our automated system, as well as its output(s), a number of decisions are implicit FOR the machine designer that constitute many of the CONSTRAINTS and more or less determine the form factor of the final design, including: -         The physical footprint and size. -         The operational environment. -         The architecture of input(s) entry into the system. -         The flow and sequence of operations. -         The flow of output(s) from the system. -         The possible locations and types of user access and interface points. -         Other attributes which guide the EMBODIMENT of the final system. In essence, complying with the laws of physics as applicable to the SPECIFIC application. Sounds BORING and all systems for a particular task will start to look the same without DIFFERENTIATION it would appear but done right, each successive solutions offers the opportunity to an experienced designer to differentiate the solution in the overall EFFICIENCY through a combination of “lessons learned” from previous iterations as well as the introduction of newer, pre-engineered, standard modules and this effort can include: -         The combination of structural members and system ground. -         The combination of axes of motion into simpler trajectories. -         Shortened motions and paths. -         More efficient power functions. -         “Smarter” product fixturing. -         Modular tooling change-out and setup points. -         More ergonomic operator and maintenance interfaces. -         Other improvements as inspired by viewing the application problem data set with “fresh eyes”. An alternative approach purports to solve automation applications with GENERAL PURPOSE, autonomous, AI architectures, untethered to the physical world and sound promising IF operating in the vacuum of space with an onboard nuclear reactor to provide perpetual power, but otherwise appear impractical for the Earth moored manufacturing and logistics environments. “Form follows function!” -- “The rest of the fixture or machine is simply a superstructure that houses any actuator force or displacement functions along with the supporting power and control elements. Ergonomics and the dictum, “Form follows function”, complete the shape and size of our final design.”   -- How do you differentiate your automation solution? Your thoughts are appreciated and please share this post if you think your connections will find it of interest. 👉 Comment, follow or connect to discuss how to collaborate on your automation for increased productivity. https://lnkd.in/e9eqzypa #industry40 #automation #productivity #robots  

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I had the pleasure of joining Noah Graff on the Today's Machining World Swarfcast podcast to discuss one of my favorite topics: manufacturing and quality systems. We dove into how companies can implement effective systems without the usual headaches, ensuring smoother operations and better outcomes. We also discussed workforce development and our excitement about using some AI tools for our team Ledge Inc. A big thank you to Noah for asking insightful questions and making the conversation flow. If you're interested in learning more about simplifying your manufacturing processes, check out the episode on your favorite podcast by looking application by looking for Swarfcast episode 277 or here: https://lnkd.in/eyhVr5Ef #manufacturing #qualitysystems #continuousimprovement #podcast #leadership #LedgeInc #Swarfcast

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Manufacturing Automation – the Cotton Gin Looking for a needle in a haystack! With the proposition that ANYTHING & EVERYTHING can be automated, the perennial pursuit of the next BIG idea entices both experienced & novice MINERS in this El Dorado to capture the FUTURE VALUE of labor through a black box/algorithm that disrupts costs of inputs to outputs conversion of any process. Since most high-volume applications have long been automated, what generally remains are HiMix-LoVolume, labor intensive tasks in manufacturing as well as other industries such as: -         Logistics and Warehousing -         Fast food and point of service -         Retail -         Construction -         Agriculture -         Protein & Produce packaging -         Other, Labor intensive operations, that have missed the Industry 3.0 revolution, using low skill, brute force LABOR, albeit amplified in some cases with rudimentary tools harking back a century or more with some ergonomic evolution. This, now well realized, Gold Rush has attracted myriad prospectors who have ALL distilled the solution to a General Purpose embodiment and have many manifestations either in “stealth” mode, in the field as “pilots” or “collecting user data and feedback mode” BUT none have proven functional or efficient, unless stripped of general purpose features, into what is an awkward, inefficient solution TRYING to be application specific. Those pesky "edge cases"! Here's the thing, if we look back at manufacturing automation, we see a series of solutions that were devised and grown in the industry itself, addressing specific problems on a localized basis AND applicable to other parts of the industry. This evolution through the I3.0 stage, was informed by domain knowledge along with experience from use, and has refined the automation to its current advanced state. Th extent to which the labor content that in these other industries can be reduced is unlikely to come from General Purpose, AI driven, and Unicorn bound solutions, but instead will be unlocked through less glamorous, application specific INNOVATION! Keep in mind, each of the applications left to be mined, are themselves EDGE CASES to begin with, otherwise they would have already been automated BUT luckily, we have the AUTONOMY problem already solved, it's called the human worker! Looking for a needle in a haystack! -- “Where does that leave all these human beings, with lives, families, financial obligations, and everything else that comes with being human?” (Nice DOOMSDAY article, link below.) -- How are you automating HiMix-LoVolume operations? Your thoughts are appreciated and please share this post if you think your connections will find it of interest. 👉 Comment, follow or connect to discuss collaboration on your automation for increased productivity. https://lnkd.in/eUHPrpgT #industry40 #automation #productivity #robots     

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Manufacturing Automation – the Conundrum Ground Level is better than 30,000 feet! The oft touted but rarely realized “Innovation” in automation is the holy grail pursued by both in-house teams and funded start-ups and at its core, remains an elusive mix of: -         Domain knowledge. -         Applications requirements. -         Understanding of the known and available technology. -         Proportionality to the established infrastructure of the operational environment. -         A small, aligned and flexible interdisciplinary team. In essence, REFORMULATING the problem so that the current process, BLACK BOX, is replaced with a new process, NEW BLACK BOX, that delivers the same conversion of inputs into outputs but does so by unlocking heretofore inaccessible VALUE. The 30,000 feet approach! The collective experience of the team in the application serves as both an ADVANTAGE to a “quick start” in this NEW development and an IMPEDIMENT as it effectively filters & masks previously pursued paths as “dead ends” and therefore not worth pursuing. It’s likely that a first pass SUCCESS of a radical solution to a redefined problem will be inefficient as inevitably, 2nd order effect and unintended consequences will have been missed and will have to be mitigated or resolved later but if robust functionality is achieved with an efficiency level above the current state, it can be called INNOVATION and of some economic value. Quite a bit must go right, and the probability of success is diminished! Applying the same thinking at the LOCAL, Ground Level of a particular application as constrained by the individual manufacturer’s unique process,  the probability for INNOVATION goes way up as now the same team has a TEMPLATE to build on, namely the CURRENT STATE and can “cheat” with: -         The specific requirements are NOT “edge cases” but at the CORE of the problem. -         The learning curve of automation includes the TRIBAL KNOWLEDGE that has been accumulated. -         Instead of a General-Purpose solution, a CUSTOM solution using General Purpose components, design and technology can be configured. At it’s core, this LOCAL INNOVATION focus is predicated on the proposition of starting from the application and reaching out to the ABUNDANCE of technology, A-La-Carte, rather than starting from the technology and force fitting it into the application. Ground Level is better than 30,000 feet! -- After all, the recipe has already proven that it works, why re-invent the wheel!” -- Are you automating at Ground Level or 30,000 feet? Your thoughts are appreciated and please share this post if you think your connections will find it of interest. 👉 Comment, follow or connect to discuss collaboration on your automation for increased productivity. https://lnkd.in/gd9bsz6u #industry40 #automation #productivity #robots -

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To bring a sort of AMR robot from nothing to functional prototype you can demo, one way or another you're spending 1M$+ (with current state of world). Depending on scope, it's a little less or much much more. Why? Engineers lack the complete skillset to deliver on the project, and so they need to learn through the project - increasing the cost of development and adding unknown levels of risk. You might say - well of course you're going to learn skills on the job, and I would agree. However in most trades you have apprentices, journeymans and masters. The job will have someone who can guide, mentor, coach and correct those who are learning. In R&D projects, I often don't see this. You might have an ME who knows how to design a gearbox, but doesn't know how to bring up a motor. You might have a full stack SW engineer that's written many websites but never spoken to a firmware interface. The gap in knowledge is workable, but the problem is there's often not someone who can bring it all together technically - eg the systems engineer. So what ends up happening is different domains try to self teach to cover the gaps. This self taught path, while necissary due to the gap in team knowledge, is costly, time consuming and adds risk to the project delivery. If you want to save substantual pain, reduce stress, reduce development costs and reduce the time of delivery - find and invest in a systems engineer on your project. They will cost you much more, but they'll save you far more in the long run.

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