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Resources

When it comes to connecting technology to your business, Software InsITe is here to make your life easier. From 10 questions you need to be asking your IT provider to our expert blog on how Software InsITe is moving business forward, you will find these resources helpful in guiding you to making great decisions. 

5 Examples of Manufacturing AI & Automation

What does “artificial intelligence” (AI) mean to you? For people who’ve seen the recent Microsoft commercials it means saving snow leopards, feeding the world, and improving access to healthcare… and it probably feels a lot like futuristic science fiction. But what does it mean to a manufacturer like you? Do you think that AI is too expensive, too complex, or simply not something that’s going to show a quick return for your business?

We’d like to show you examples of how local Michigan manufacturers are using AI and automation TODAY to help them save money and time, and reduce manual labor and defects. Download our “5 Examples of Manufacturing AI & Automation” and see if any of these use cases apply to your shop floor or executive office. We’ll show you how we solved issues like the following with easy-to-use, affordable AI and automation apps, and integration services:

  • Data silos created by legacy equipment that isn’t connected
  • Parts defects not visible to the human eye causing customer dissatisfaction
  • Robots and programmable logic controllers not connected to each other; disrupting the shop flow

Connected Device Security Assessment Spreadsheet

Each device connected to your network is a potential threat to your entire network.  If your business is not secure, hackers can get into every single device connected internally and control it. Before you know it, production grinds to a halt.

In order to protect your connected devices, it’s important to know which ones have been installed in operations and which systems they connect with. You can do this by creating a detailed inventory of your connected devices.

Download our free, easy-to-use Connected Device Security Assessment Spreadsheet to help you list and assess all the devices you have.  This will allow you to secure your operations and prepare you to identify possible threats that could come up.

Check out our blog to learn more about this topic!

AI & Automation Smart Factory Checklist

Is your shop floor leaking profit?

Every manufacturing company wants to minimize downtime and maximize its return. But an inefficient shop floor will drain profit from every order.

Repeatable, manual tasks take too long and make it almost impossible for you to scale. That’s why hundreds of companies leverage the power of Artificial Intelligence to streamline their manufacturing processes, inventory management, and even the safety of their employees.

The best part is — implementing AI into your business is easier than you think.

Download the Smart Factory Checklist today and discover how your shop floor could optimize efficiency using AI and automation applications.

ai and automation smart factory checklist

Featured Blogs from Software InsITe Experts

Why it’s Time for Manufacturers to Ditch the Uber Spreadsheet

Does your company rely on a giant spreadsheet, or a suite of spreadsheets, that management uses to make decisions? If so, you know the difficulty in maintaining and improving those spreadsheets. Over time, they become unwieldy to work on and update. You can only push Excel so far. It wasn’t meant to be a full-blown business intelligence tool.
read more

Why Every Manufacturer Needs an ERP System in 2022

Every manufacturer is in constant pursuit of efficiency. But eventually, they reach a point where spreadsheets aren’t enough to manage their business processes. That’s why more companies are turning to Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERP systems)
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4 Ways to Protect Your Connected Shop Floor

Imagine you’re getting ready to head to work on Monday morning when you get the call from a frantic manager because no one can get logged into their computer. The only thing they see on their screen is a demand for bit coin in exchange for unlocking access. You’ve been hit by a ransomware attack.

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How Industry 4.0 is revolutionizing Manufacturing, what should you do?

Industry 4.0, also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, is changing the traditional manufacturing landscape. It encompasses three technological trends: connectivity, intelligence, and automation. Here’s how you can take advantage of these technologies.

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Expert Panel: Predicting the Future of IT in Supply Chain Management

Join expert guests Pete Schroeter, Tod Grams, and Dave Poggi as they discuss the future of information technology in supply chain management in this informal manufacturer’s panel. These industry veterans delve into trends in manufacturing today, transformative technologies, and the future of data management as it relates to supply chain management.
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7 Ways to Optimize Your Shop Floor with AI and Automation

Is your manufacturing floor operating at its highest efficiency? When it comes to your manufacturing quality, inventory, workforce, or the safety of your employees, it’s important that all of these things are optimized at the highest efficiency in order for you to scale your business and succeed.
read more

Case Studies

Contract Manufacturer

After winning a contract to build EV components for a large global manufacturer, this contract manufacturer needed to find a partner to get their 100,000-square-foot facility up and running to meet the demand.

This manufacturer’s challenges started when they purchased their new facility and machinery to only find out that the machines wouldn’t turn on. With the pressure to get production started, it was crucial to get the machines to turn on and communicate with each other as quickly as possible.

With around 8 different production line configurations needed over the course of a year, there was a significant amount of work needed to get the machinery connected.

Download the case study to find out how Software InsITe was able to work on the fly and help double the capacity of this client’s production line.

West Michigan Manufacturer

After nearly 10 weeks at a fraction of their output, a lucky LinkedIn encounter returns a West Michigan Manufacturer’s production back to full capacity — by reviving an ultra-rare manufacturing machine. 

This particular organization relied on three unique CNC grinding machines — of which there is only 21 total in the world — to make 600+ dies a year for its aerospace customers. When one of them went idle for 10 weeks, this resulted in $120,000 in missed revenue and would have potentially reached $750,000 in the next 12 months. 

The company not only had to figure out how to repair a machine that few people in the world could reverse engineer, but it also had to do it while operating at a fraction of its regular capacity.  

Download the case study to discover how Software InsITe was able to bring the machine back online in just a few short weeks. 

ITW Drawform case study - Software InsITe
ITW Drawform case study - Software InsITe

ITW Drawform

ITW Drawform was manufacturing approximately 1 million parts per day, and 400,000 of those go-to outside processors and then are received back in for finishing and shipping.

ITW Drawform was struggling with timely information on delayed or shorted shipments due to a lack of visibility into the status and location of their inventory.

This caused issues with knowing what material was available to send to their suppliers and what was ready to ship to the customer, which caused major operational problems.

Our customized solution enabled ITW Drawform to grow from $40M to over $100M without adding additional employees. Download the case study to see how we were able to meet these challenges!

ITW Drawform case study - Software InsITe