Bridging the Skills Gap: Data Drives Productivity (Video)

At IMTS 2014 Industry Week interviewed David McPhail, President & CEO of Memex Automation, to learn about the productivity gains that can be achieved by adopting digital technology in the manufacturing environment. As the video shows, “gains” may not be a strong enough word. Check out this quick video and learn about the astonishing transformation you can achieve by digging into your data. (Please note that the audio quality may be weak in this video, so headphones will work best, or simply turn up the volume.)

While workforce scarcity remains a concern, there are technology solutions that can significantly increase productivity using your existing assets (labor, equipment, business systems, etc.). Many shops today still operate under the traditional “disconnected” manufacturing model. Memex provides hardware and software that move shops into the connected manufacturing model, which allows for accurate calculation of overall equipment effectiveness and ties profitability and productivity directly together.

Achieve World-Class Efficiency by Uncovering the “Hidden Factory”

Memex guides their customers through a process where the typical return-on-investment is three months or less. First, they show the user what they don’t know by revealing data about their processes. A typical customer initially reports that efficiency is running at 60-65%. But an investigation of data often reveals that the real efficiency of the shop is only 30-32%. By adopting Memex technology customers typically move into world-class status with 80-85% efficiency. It’s like finding an additional “factory and a half" of capacity. Armed with knowledge of real data, and equipped with hardware and software from Memex, customers produce more product, more profitably.

Solving the “Last Meter Problem”

When a new CNC machine is brought into the shop, this is a great productivity-booster. But what about the legacy machine tools that are still in operation? Memex solves the “last meter problem” by installing hardware that enables these legacy machines to communicate intelligently with the shop’s entire connected manufacturing environment. “Connectivity is the most important piece,” says David. “It enables the foundation by which all applications can consume data and create value.”

About Memex Automation

Memex Automation offers Shop Floor to Top Floor information in real-time. Memex connects machines to corporate networks with MERLIN, an MES M2M communications platform. As a world leader in manufacturing technology, Memex specializes in offering manufacturers real-time productivity information tools. Since 1992 Memex has over 12,000 customers and 320 dealers worldwide and delivers solutions to improve the way machines operate and connect on the factory floor to management.