Traditionally, consumers have limited choices available when it comes to specifying interiors. For instance, most vehicles are equipped with either leather or cloth fabric seats. Instrument panels, floor consoles, headliners, door panels and trim typically come in beige, black, gray or white.
More and more blood glucose monitors, inhalers, IV bags, orthopedic implants, pacemakers, stents, syringes and other products are produced with robots. Adept Technology Inc. (Livermore, CA) is a leading supplier of assembly robots for medical device applications. ASSEMBLY magazine recently asked Craig Tomita, director of the company’s medical products business, to share his thoughts on the challenges and opportunities currently affecting the market.
ASSEMBLY magazine is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, we are publishing a series of articles examining the past, present and future of various assembly technologies.
Believe it or not, cup holders were unheard of in automobiles 25 years ago. But not anymore. Americans are spending more and more time inside their cars, and the market is responding accordingly. Today, interiors are ground zero for automakers and suppliers.
No matter what type of product they make, all manufacturers walk the same fine line and face many of the same burdens. For example, when the path to profitability reaches a T or a Y, management often must make a critical decision: go left and invest in assembly automation technology, or go right and outsource production.
Teams of employees at the Lear Seating Plant in Montgomery, AL, manage their own budgets, attendance, job assignments, housekeeping and performance discipline: an innovative approach to labor relations is paying big dividends.
There was a strong field of candidates for the third annual award. That made it difficult for the team of judges, which included ASSEMBLY's editorial staff, to narrow down the list to five finalists, which included Gulfstream, Peterbilt, Schneider Electric and SMC Inc. in the honorable mentions category.