Manufacturingtalk newsletter issue 418

The Manufacturingtalk Newsletter: 08 June 2009

Written by the Manufacturingtalk editor Jun 7, 2009

The topic in last week's newsletter was lack of national foresight when considering the future of manufacturing plants under recession conditions.

I noted this week a release from Ardent Solutions in the UK expressing fears about the consequences of SMEs (small to medium enterprises) letting ongoing investment in Information Technology (IT) deteriorate. The company had carried out research into the topic and opined that more investment in IT could help companies survive the recession.

Ardent said that SMEs are in danger of marginalising the role of IT within the organisation at a time when enhanced efficiency, automation and reliable services will prove key to enduring the recession. The company reported that nearly a quarter of 250 SMEs interviewed admitted that limitations on IT budgets run the risk of having a negative impact on the business.

The negative impacts include loss of competitive advantage (23 per cent), deterioration in system reliability or increased downtime (41 per cent), increased maintenance costs for legacy systems (25 per cent), more IT security problems (16 per cent), and having to run unsupported applications (23 per cent).

Apparently some 69 per cent of SMEs admitted that a substantial systems 'outage' (failure - of two to three days or more) would have a very disruptive impact on the business. Also, nearly a fifth (19 per cent) of SMEs had made no substantial investment in IT for two to three years.

Many SMEs have poor back up processes for hardware or software failure, said Ardent, with only just over half (57 per cent) of companies employing under 250 people, putting in place a robust 'disaster recovery plan'.

The report said that SMEs are not only compromising existing investment but failing to keep up to date with technology that could transform the cost and value of IT to the business: as few as 23 per cent of SMEs said they were very familiar with the concept of Software as a Service (SaaS).

Ardent said that 24 per cent of companies questioned - equivalent to 8 per cent of all UK SMEs - recognised the advantages of SaaS enough to seriously evaluate switching to using this approach within the next 12-18 months.

The message appeared to be that a recession is not the time to slow up or stop ongoing IT investment. The latest modules have to be added to increase business efficiency and be prepared for when markets improve. Manufacturingtalk will continue to post stories on the site about IT - particularly in ERP, MRP and production monitoring.

Ardent Solutions, by the way, is based in the UK's West Midlands and provides an ERP and CRM consultancy.

Top Products featured this issue

[1] NL MACHINE TOOL DISTRIBUTES MONZA GRINDERS

(NL Machine Tool Consulting, 03 Jun 2009)

NL Machine Tool Consulting has announced that it is the exclusive UK distributor for Italian manufacturer Officine Monzesi. Officine Monzesi is the manufacturer of Viotto single and double disc grinders, Monvibro vibratory bowl/linear feeding units and bespoke automatic loading/unloading systems and Monza centreless grinding machines.

[2] CNC HEADS INSTALLS XYZ MINI MILL 560 VMC

(XYZ Machine Tools, 27 May 2009)

CNC Heads has invested in a Mini Mill 560 compact vertical machining centre (VMC) from XYZ Machine Tools, which has resulted in reductions in production times and a competitive pricing structure. Gas flowing and modifying a cylinder head can be a time-consuming and expensive manufacturing task.

[3] HOLROYD BUILDS SUPER-ABRASIVE MACHINES

(Holroyd, 02 Jun 2009)

Holroyd Precision has developed and manufactured two Edgetek SAM XL machines for a global technology leader in the power generation market. Holroyd secured the order for the two five-axis super-abrasive machines on the SAM XL's ability to machine large nozzle guide vanes in hard gas turbine alloys, with substantial time savings.

[4] AUTOTEX FILM GIVES KEYBOARDS STAINLESS FINISH

(MacDermid Autotype, 08 Jun 2009)

MacDermid Autotype has introduced a hardcoated polyester film for producing stainless-steel effects for membrane keyboards, keypads and fascia panels. The Autotex Steel film is easy to handle and print, combining high levels of colour reproduction and definition with a tough outer surface that offers excellent resistance to abrasions

[5] KURT OFFERS ROTARY-TABLE WORKHOLDING KITS

(Kurt Manufacturing, 27 May 2009)

Kurt Manufacturing has introduced workholding kits for trunion fixture rotary tables. The company claims that users can add clamping stations and increase vertical machining centre productivity with the kits. These kits include a four-sided column with eight clamping stations that provide repeatable precision clamping to 0.0002in.

[6] GEFRAN UNVEILS GF_VEDO RANGE OF OPERATOR PANELS

(Gefran SIEI UK, 28 May 2009)

Gefran has introduced GF_Vedo high-performance touch-screen operator panels, which provide economical and complete HMI and machine control for medium- to high-complexity automation applications. Available in 6.5in, 10.4in, 12.1in and 15in displays, all feature the Gefran Automation Builder (GAB).

[7] TECHDRIVES OFFERS LINEAR-MOTION PRODUCTS

(Lenze, 05 Jun 2009)

Techdrives has introduced a range of electric actuators and screw jacks. Linear actuators are offered with DC, AC and servo motors. Screw jacks in two ranges suit heavier applications, and standard motor input flanges allow the same connection. Linear actuators and screw jacks overlap in forces, speeds and strokes to offer a well-matched selection.

[8] FESTO UNVEILS MS6-SV SOFT-START AND EXHAUST VALVE

(Festo, 04 Jun 2009)

Festo has launched an electrically operated pneumatic soft-start and exhaust valve that offers safer start-up and the quick, reliable venting of compressed-air supplies in the event of an emergency. The company claims that the MS6-SV provides machine builders with a compact, all-in-one solution for maximising the safety of automation systems.

[9] BARDEN BEARINGS MAKE SURGICAL ROBOTS MORE ACCURATE

(The Barden Corporation, 28 May 2009)

Trevor Morris, product engineering manager at Barden, describes how super-precision bearings help guarantee the accuracy and flexibility of articulated arms used in surgical and industrial robotics. A large selection of measurement and inspection systems, industrial robots and medical equipment now uses flexible arms.

[10] REXROTH OFFERS DEVICES FOR HANDLING DELICATE ITEMS

(Bosch Rexroth, 03 Jun 2009)

Rexroth offers a number of solutions for handling delicate items during the manufacture and packing of a range of products, including food items and electronic devices. Stuart Cheyne, industry segment manager for automation with the pneumatics division of Rexroth, looks at some of the options now available for handling delicate items.

This week's industry news

ACI AND TES ANNOUNCE BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP
(Air Control Industries, 05 Jun 2009)
Air Control Industries (ACI) and Thermal Engineering Systems (TES) have set up a business partnership that will see both companies benefit from their shared technical expertise.

SOLIDCAM - LATEST COMPANY NEWS
(SolidCAM (CADTECH), 08 Jun 2009)
5 June 2009 - SolidCAM and Moduleworks are celebrating five years of successful partnership combining CAD software and five-axis machining.

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Mike Page

Manufacturingtalk editor

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