Preparing for the Manufacturing Upswing

A recent study conducted worldwide by IBM, Hannover Messe, and Plant Engineering of more than 1,300 plant engineers found that over 60% of US plants and more than 70% of international plants do not have a maintenance strategy in place. The study also found that more than half of the global manufacturers used the recession to upgrade equipment and training.

For the companies that used the down-time to improve their processes and get better equipment, they are probably much better off coming out of the recession. Sometimes our instincts tell us to just sit tight, not to make any significant changes as we don’t know what the future will bring. But this is exactly the time to take advantage of slower schedules. The end result is what gives companies that competitive edge and allows them to hit the ground running when business starts to pick up again.

Results also indicated that the immediate future of manufacturing will focus on producing more with less. The only way to do that is by taking your processes, refining them, and making them more efficient.

There are several tools available to help with these tasks. For manufacturers of many products, quality control and assurance procedures are critical. To take this time to review the current QC processes that are in place, and ensure that the correct tools are being used, can result in greater success on the upswing. Portable coordinate measuring machines (Portable CMMs) allow manufacturers to quickly and easily perform quality checks on their parts. They allow the term “lean manufacturing” to actually become a reality.

Learn more about portable CMMs