FEB-MARCH 2025AUTOTECHOUTLOOK.COM6 FEB - MARCH 2021AUTOTECHOUTLOOK.COM6IN MYOPINIONAUGMENTING PROCESS EFFICIENCY WITH AUTOMATION--AND PHYSICSFaster product delivery and efficient process execution have remained a moving target for the traditional industries such as manufacturing and logistics. While many companies from these industries look to achieve high performance through the decentralized approach and strategic positioning of their supply chain apparatus closer to the consumers, cost challenges have been a deterrent. To elucidate, when an apparel manufacturing company plans to bring a new range of clothing to the market, the preparation phase begins about six months before the scheduled launch date. Considering that the factories are usually located in distant countries--where labor costs are relatively low--from the consumer market, the manufacturers have to strategize the production timeline astutely from its designing to actual manufacturing and shipping. If things progress as planned, the new apparels reach stores on time, yielding favorable results. However, in case there is a delay at any point of the production, and the apparels do not reach the market on time, the same products are put up for sale at reduced profit margins. The immediate solution for manufacturers would be to diversify their factory locations and place them closer to their target market to reduce any chances of losing business opportunities and deliver finished goods in a timely manner. Nonetheless, if these consumer markets tend to be in matured economic nations such as North America or Europe, the high labor costs would be a significant impediment for manufacturing companies. In this current scenario, automation can certainly help. Automation for Efficient ManufacturingSeamless integration of automation into the manufacturing processes is key for enhancing overall process efficiency. To utilize the power of automation more effectively, the automation solution should allow for sophistication and yet have a simple and intuitive user interface (UI)--just like any consumer appliance, a refrigerator or washing machine, that doesn't require the operators to have programming skills. The one area that has been extremely difficult to automate in the industry because of material handling challenges is `soft goods' manufacturing (any flexible soft material in the production line). Soft goods manufacturing today witnesses large-scale human handling of flexible materials that vary in sizes and shapes. In a typical soft goods manufacturing setup, almost 70 to 80 percent of the tasks involves moving the soft materials, and yet, most of the tasks are performed manually. In essence, you cannot think of bringing automation to the industry by ignoring the 80 percent of the workflow. Hence, it is essential to unlock the potential of automation in addressing material handling. This could be in the apparel, footwear, or even in industries such as aerospace and automotive where car seats and air bags are built. Automating TransportSimilar to manufacturing, companies in the logistics industry are also struggling to find appropriate solutions to get products delivered from distant warehouses on the `same-day' or `next-day'. The consumers are demanding `instant gratification'; to this end, product warehouses need to be located in the heart of the city--an unrealistic probability as it would require the company to build high throughput in the constricted space. For instance, in a shrunken warehouse, the conveyor belts need to be placed at sharper inclines and products need to traverse faster on the ramps, which seem to be a near impossible task because you are bound by the laws of physics. You can only move products so fast on a conveyer belt before it starts to slide or fly off around turns. The Grabit Story--Electro-adhesionAbreast of these industry impediments, Grabit has developed a unique technology that brings the power of automation to achieve By Harsha Prahlad, CEO & Co-founder, Grabit Inc. Harsha Prahlad
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