EVANSVILLE, IN—Systems integrator Evana Automation Specialists recently delivered a clutch assembly line to American Axle & Manufacturing Inc. The line integrates both fully and semiautomatic processes.

Both Lear Corp. and Hyundai Motor Manufacturing have found a manufacturing home in Montgomery, AL. Lear operates a plant that makes and delivers seats to the nearby Hyundai plant for just-in-time installation in Sonata sedans and Sante Fe SUVs.

Manufacturing engineers have two options for obtaining an automated assembly system. They can get each component—an automatic screwdriver, a rotary indexing dial, a gripper—from individual suppliers and integrate the parts themselves. Or, they can ask one supplier to deliver a turnkey machine.

BOSTON—You’ll never understand your robot until you walk a mile in its screws. A new MIT study reveals that when co-working humans and robots cross-train, productivity improves.

ANN ARBOR, MI—Total sales of machine vision systems in North America grew 10 percent year-over-year for the first quarter of 2013.

ERLANGER, KY—Jacobs Automation, which makes modular assembly conveyors based on linear motors, is slated to create 26 jobs and invest more than $1.7 million to build a new facility here.

SAN DIEGO—Systems integrator JOT Automation has designed a robotic assembly line to make insulin pumps for Tandem Diabetes Care Inc.

EVANSVILLE, IN—Systems integrator Evana Automation recently delivered a lean, 21-step assembly and test system to American Axle & Manufacturing Inc.

MUKWONAGO, WI—AptarGroup Inc., a manufacturer of dispensers for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and consumer products, will invest $50 million in new equipment for its assembly plant and R&D facility here.

A recent wordworking project has given me a greater appreciation of assembly line challenges. Has a home project ever informed your work in the assembly plant?

The manufacturing industry is at a turning point, requiring the ability to visualize the possibilities and challenges to come so preparations can be made now.

AUTOMATION 2013
23 TO 26 SEPTEMBER
8TH INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION AND CONFERENCE
NSE COMPLEX, GOREGOAN, MUMBAI
HALL NO 1

Whether the challenge is creating micro features on micro parts or on macro parts, participants in this event will be looking for ideas to improve their process.