On-Site Support: The Foundation of Successful Automation
Automation improves many aspects of manufacturing. Reliability and repeatability increase. Quality improves. Waste, rework and human error are eliminated.
That said, full utilization of a custom automated system has a greater chance of success with support personnel around it.
Your on-site support team is crucial to successful automation
While our team completes the fine tuning, including simulating as many scenarios as possible before your system is ready for its debut, the ongoing support your team provides is the ticket to achieving the best results.
Keep reading to learn about the key role this team plays and see how you can set it up for success.
The role of your on-site support team
Whether you’re new to automation or have integrated automated systems before, getting a new system online is a major task. Our advice is the same for those very familiar with automation and those new to it: Have people in place in your facility capable of supporting your automated equipment at all times.
They’ll hit the ground running from the moment your machine arrives. As we stated above, our team completes the initial setup and testing of the machine. We then prepare the machine for safe shipment, and meet it at your facility to assist with installation. For the greatest understanding of the automated system, it is advised that your internal support team is involved in the reassembly and startup at your facility.
Once our teams complete installation, more testing and validation must be completed prior to our team leaving. This is when your team begins to run the machine as it will run in production, with Arnold Machine present to ensure the equipment will perform according to your requirements. Once validation is complete, we leave the system in the hands of your on-site support team.
Having a support team on staff enables you to perform basic troubleshooting as new scenarios arise in the production environment. We try to plan for everything at Arnold Machine, but there are instances which arise on the production floor we cannot plan for. If this happens, a skilled support staff can be the difference between hitting production numbers that shift or not.
We’ll help put your support capability in place
An in-house support team is a critical element when automating your production facility. Since this may be a new venture for our customers, we like to discuss it while the project is in its early stages. Ask yourself whether your team is ready to support automated equipment. If it’s not, Arnold Machine is ready to help.
We’re proud integration partners of FANUC and Rockwell Automation. Through these partnerships, our engineering and technical support staff are kept up to date on the latest technological advancements in automation. This also allows Arnold Machine to offer our customers training programs through FANUC or Rockwell Automation, ensuring our customers have the resources they need to be successful.
With this ground work complete, you’re in position to get the most out of your automated system and equipped to handle any challenges that arise quickly and efficiently.
Quick tips
For added peace of mind, Arnold Machine is always available for assistance. We can even monitor your system from our office. With your permission, we can log in from our office, identify an issue and help your team to resolve it virtually. We recommend this technology for every system and are happy to discuss in more detail.
Also, keeping an inventory of replacements for high-wear and long-lead time parts is critical to minimizing machine downtime. Our team will assemble a list of recommended spare parts with the engineering package so that you can react quickly to outages caused by part maintenance or replacement needs.
Are you ready to thrive?
By choosing to integrate automation into your manufacturing, labor costs are optimized while quality and efficiency are enhanced. It’s a major investment in your company’s future.
By committing to cultivating an on-site support team, you make that future as bright as possible. And Arnold Machine stands ready to help.
Are you preparing to automate a process in your facility? Use our guide to automating anti-vibration component assembly as you consider your options. Then, let’s talk through your specific goals.