Every electrically-powered machine is filled with wires, connectors and delicate electronics, such as circuit boards and sensors. These parts are subjected to stress from constant vibration, physical strain, abrasion and impacts. These stresses can damage parts and leave them useless without some level of protection.

With standards for wire harnesses getting tighter, harness assemblers are increasingly using crimp force monitors to ensure quality connections. However, that technology can only tell you how well the crimping process is working. It can't make the process better.

Water may be vital to human life, but it can also be detrimental to the performance of many manufactured products.

Like every niche assembly process, manufacturing cables for industrial equipment presents numerous challenges. One of the most common is being able to consistently print clear markings on each cable.

Based in Gutersloh, Germany, the Miele Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of commercial and residential appliances. However, it didn't start out that way. Founded in 1899 by Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann, the company initially made cream separators for the dairy industry. Over the years, the company has manufactured butter churns, hand carts, bicycles and even automobiles.

The need for high-quality medical devices by doctors, patients and medical facilities is great. Because the need is also global, makers of such products are able to contract with the best wire-harness and cable-assembly manufacturers regardless of where they're located.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is more than just the latest manufacturing fad. It promises to transform the way that many types of products are designed, assembled and serviced.

A typical Porsche sports car contains more than 2,000 individual wires. If laid end to end, the wiring would stretch 2 to 3 kilometers. Designing such a complex wiring system would be challenge enough, but at Porsche, almost no harness design in series production matches another one.

Size definitely matters when it comes to processing wire. Small wire (26 AWG or higher), for example, presents different challenges than large wire. This is especially true regarding crimping.

The automotive industry is undergoing the biggest transformation in its 130-year history. Automakers and suppliers around the world are scrambling to develop autonomous vehicles. And, they’re under increasing pressure from outsiders ranging from Silicon Valley tech giants to startup entrepreneurs.