Austin has been senior editor for ASSEMBLY Magazine since September 1999. He has more than 21 years of b-to-b publishing experience and has written about a wide variety of manufacturing and engineering topics. Austin is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
The largest automaker in Iran, Iran Khodro Industrial Group, has just proposed that Islamic nations manufacture a “collective brand” of car to boost their economies, reduce dependency on Western countries and meet increasing local demand.
Task lighting is supplemental lighting that is provided to assist in performing a localized task. Here are some tips on how to choose task lighting for assembly workstations.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of ASSEMBLY magazine. Since the publication debuted in the late 1950s, we have provided in-depth coverage of key trends, issues and challenges affecting the wide world of welding. Here's a look at how welding technology has changed over the last 5 decades.
When ASSEMBLY first started to cover fusion production methods in the late 1950s, manufacturers typically joined metal parts with bulky arc welding equipment. Resistance welding was the rule rather than the exception. Friction stir welding, laser welding, robotic welding, ultrasonic welding and other processes commonly used today had not been developed yet.
Many manufacturers have acquired lean, ergonomic workstations to improve takt time and increase operating efficiency. However, without the right type of light, that investment can result in waste, which is a serious sin in the lean realm.
More than 500 individuals work at the Schneider Electric/Square D plant in Lexington, KY. They assemble 2 million load centers and safety switches annually. More than 50 percent of the employees have been at the plant for 20 years or more. Click here to view a slideshow featuring some of the men and women who work on the line at the 2007 Assembly Plant of the Year.