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Automation

Rise of the robots

One constant fear in regard to automation is that it will make human workers obsolete. Citing a 2013 University of Oxford study, University of Cincinnati Assistant Professor of Economics Michael Jones wrote that almost half of those employed in the U.S. are at risk of being replaced by automation over the next 10 to 20 years, with transportation, logistics and administration as the most vulnerable occupations.

Putting a forklift into the industrial Internet of Things

Forklifts—the workhorses of the plant floor—are more valuable than ever at ITAMCO (Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Cos.). The Plymouth, Ind.-based manufacturer of gears and other precision components connected its forklifts to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), which integrates machine tools and other manufacturing equipment with networked sensors and software. 

Chips Away

03/01/2016
Author:
Alan Richter
The chip collection bin at a shop’s turning center is full, so a worker grudgingly begins the mundane task of moving the bin via a forklift to the chip collection station at the opposite end of the plant. Unfortunately, the bin leaks and coolant drips on the shop floor, causing the shop’s biggest customer to slip and fall while visiting to check on his latest order. There’s got to be a better way.
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