"So much of our business is driven by speed," says Peter Ratcliffe, president of custom modular linear motion system manufacturer RPT Motion (Quebec). "Our customers have always looked to us for ways to speed automation, but in light of the recent globalization, we have observed an intense pressure to provide solutions that reduce downtime, and thus, increase overall productivity."
As if this wasn't enough, a key segment of RPT's business involves updating existing subsystems on machinery to increase production rates and reliability-a line of work in which size plays a critical role. Specifically, customers want an increase in speed without having to change an existing machine's basic dimensions, for the obvious reason that this kind of redesign and rework costs money.