Getting wired for efficiency

An increasing number of manufacturers are updating their operations with automated control systems to decrease inefficiencies, lower costs, and gain market share. Companies that do not adopt these new technologies will soon struggle to remain profitable and competitive. Manufacturers who want to remain competitive, and are considering new or updated systems, should consider the many benefits they deliver.

Reduced time to market

Manufacturers using a relay panel or outdated controls are typically dependent on manual operations that add time and cost. By updating a control platform, time is reduced through steps that can be automatically controlled and give machine feedback and fault management – decreasing downtime.

For equipment manufacturers, the right control systems supplier will help avoid or eliminate project management uncertainties, set-up costs, and reduce product time to market.

Improved quality

Automated systems’ increased accuracy results in higher quality output, streamlining processes and reducing errors. In addition, a reduction in quality inconsistencies leads to less waste, lowering costs.

Safer workplace

In Liberty Mutual’s 2018 Workplace Safety Index, the insurance company estimated that employers paid more than $1 billion per week for workers’ compensation in 2015 for disabling, non-fatal workplace injuries. Automation reduces employee exposure to dangerous or repetitive tasks, decreasing the risk of incurring these costs.

“Our controls can incorporate all manner of safety control devices,” says Larry West, Sales and Automation Manager at KMC Global Controls & Automation. “In the industrial controls world, we have a class system for determining a level of safety customers may need and we can design our controls to adhere to any level.”

Increased output, efficiencies reduce costs

An automated process increases output, enabling faster production times and reducing cost to help operations quickly meet customer demands.

“We can automate processes, give feedback and manage faults. Additionally, applying devices such as a variable frequency drive (VFD) – also known as a variable speed drive – can be used to tune the operation for better efficiencies,” West says. “Other devices like limit switches and sensors can be added to further automate a process and gain more throughput.”

Reduced labor

Remotely monitoring equipment provides real-time data allowing for proactive actions when maintaining equipment and production schedules. KMC Global Controls & Automation programming techniques can reduce labor costs by providing the following alerts/features:

• Maintenance reminders
• Interactive fault screen controls
• Human-machine interface (HMI) screens designed with the user in mind, broken into three users: operator, maintenance, and supervisor

KMC Global Controls & Automation
https://www.kmcautomation.com