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Category: Machinery builders
More trends from Interpack - Globalization, Consolidation & Customer Intimacy
July 21, 2008
They say that sometimes we miss the forest by looking at the trees. If you didn't spend all of your time at Interpack looking at the machines, you could step back and see some evolution in the industry as a whole. I've attended Interpack many times, mostly as an end user, then as a trade group organizer, and now with press credentials. Each way of attending opens up a new...
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Robots at Interpack: Cars to nuts, and purpose-built too!
June 22, 2008
What was the most significant trend at Interpack 2008? Many would agree that it was the ubiquitousness of robotics. The halls of the Duesseldorf messe contained hundreds of robotic arms. The smallest item I saw handled by a robot was a single almond and the largest was an entire automobile. But the big news is the number of purpose-built arms that have been implemented by the European packaging machine industry....
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Can you stop China from copying patented packaging machinery?
June 16, 2008
Interpack has often had its intellectual property intrigue and this year is no different. Ishida, the statistical scale company, obtained injunctions against nine Chinese entities that prevented them from displaying their statistical scales at the fair. The dispute involves a patent related to the waterproof construction of the equipment. In a press release that I read in Ishida's booth, three Chinese companies had been named, Highdream, Jinyi and Saimo, but...
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What is mechatronic design?
May 16, 2008
What is mechatronic design and how do you recognize good mechatronic design when you see it? What are the principles that should be followed?...
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Packaging applications of linear motors debut at Interpack
May 5, 2008
Linear motors have been slow to catch on in packaging, but several applications appeared at this year's Interpack. It's time to put linear motors on your company's technology plan....
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Italian machines using German technology earn my respect
May 5, 2008
There is a popular verse that says Heaven is where the police are British, the lovers French, the mechanics German, the cooks Italian, and the whole is organized by the Swiss. Another verse describes Hell, but we'll skip that one. From my observations at Interpack, there are some corollaries to this verse that relate to the building of packaging machines. It seemed to me that the most elegant and sophisticated...
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It's time to do Interpack
March 31, 2008
It's soon time for Interpack, and many of us will be heading for Dusseldorf where we will be obliged to leave behind a huge quantity of our under-valued dollars. But Interpack is not something you'll want to miss, so I have ten suggestions on how to do it and not have it do you. Perhaps these suggestions can make Interpack a more valuable experience....
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Wireless sensors and actuators are on the edge
February 5, 2008
If you are a machine builder, how valuable would it be to eliminate the need of running wires all over your machines to sensors and actuators? I think that could have some value. Wireless technology has been available to eliminate the control wiring, but power wiring was still necessary. New products are beginning to emerge that eliminate the need for both control and power wiring and that are small and...
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Customer-focused innovators make the best customers
January 28, 2008
If you are a packaging machinery company prospecting for customers, my recommendation is to look for those who are leaders in customer-focused innovation. They make the best customers....
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Social Networking - The Next Great Enabling Technology
December 7, 2007
Few would disagree that the digital servo has been the great enabling technology for packaging operations over the past 15 years. Could it be that social networking software as exploited by YouTube and MySpace may be the next great enabler?...
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The robots are coming
October 29, 2007
We may be OnTheEdge of major growth spurt for robotics on North American packaging lines. That is what some, including Ben Miyares of PMMI, reported at a robotics conference held over the weekend leading up to Pack Expo in Las Vegas....
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It's not your father's packaging machinery company - or is it?
August 27, 2007
The look of a packaging machinery company is changing. Where once they resembled machine shops, some now resemble IT departments. I first became aware of this about 5 years ago on a tour of some Italian packaging machinery companies, some of whom neither made parts nor assembled machines. Their businesses were built upon the core skills of 3-D modeling, design and software development. This same trend is catching on around...
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Interchangeable parts - Why not software?
August 19, 2007
The concept of interchangeable parts is one that packaging machinery builders readily understand and depend upon every day. Not only are parts from a single manufacturer interchangable within a machine, but builders source custom parts from multiple manufacturers to control cost and schedule and generic parts are interchangeable across a host of different machines and devices. We have come to enjoy and expect that fasteners, shafts, gears, couplings, motors, valves,...
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Huge potential exists for packaging automation
July 22, 2007
Recently, I have had occasion to visit a variety of packaging plants the likes of which I never saw in my first career of 28 years. I had no idea that there were US packagers that were throwing so much labor at their operations. Even 30 years ago, I didn't see these labor levels in the industry segments in which I was involved....
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OMAC Standards: Marketing ploy or value-adding?
June 25, 2007
With the price and scarcity of manufacturing labor, the future of manufacturing in America depends upon our ability to automate – Really Automate. Our ability to really automate depends upon making it simple to reliably automate and simple to reliably integrate our automation with our supply chains. Making it simple and reliable depends upon our adoption and use of standards like those under development by OMAC and the availability of...
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The hidden packaging economy
May 30, 2007
Let's do a little experiment. Ask yourself the following questions? Can I name 2 of the top 3 North American automobile companies? Can I name 2 of the top 3 North American metals companies? Can I name 2 of the top 3 North American petro-chemical companies? Can I name 2 of the top 3 North American packagers? Can I name 2 of the top 3 North American packaging machinery?...
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Getting technology education suited to packging - A how-to guide
May 18, 2007
Technology education in America has been driven by the automotive, metals, aerospace and petro-chemical industries. Certificate programs from organizations like ISA do a good job in preparing technicians for the petro-chemical industry. Programs from NCIST (National Center for Integrated Systems Technology) prepare technicians for employment in the automotive or metals industries. But where does one go for a certificate that prepares technicians for packaging and consumer packaged goods? The available...
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Packagers deprived of talent by misunderstanding of manfuacturing
May 18, 2007
If you ask the average parent, guidance counselor or high school student what manufacturing is all about, you will probably get a description of a steel mill, auto factory, refinery or machine shop. You may also hear that manufacturing is no longer viable in the United States and that manufacturing jobs are hot, dirty, mindless and vanishing. Our general perception of manufacturing is a narrow and outdated one. I call...
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How packaging can compete for workforce development $'s
May 18, 2007
Federal, state and local government agencies can provide significant financial assistance to an industry segment for the updating of skills and technology. Programs such as the Presidents High Growth Job Training Initiative and similar state initiatives target industry clusters that are perceived to offer high growth and stability, often as the result of underlying high-tech. Is packaging getting its share of these dollars? Probably not- but it can. Here are...
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Community activism or tribalism for automation industry?
May 14, 2007
Automation professionals used to behave as a community. End users, technology providers and systems integrators would convene at industry-wide events, much like county fairs, to share ideas, best practices and lessons-learned....
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Why demographics will drive your packaging automation
March 26, 2007
Indications are that capital spending for packaging automation is on the rise. PMMI reports increased sales among their members; automation companies are reporting a brisk business environment; and machine suppliers that I have talked to report both increasing backlogs and forecasts. One reason often cited for this is workforce demographics....
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Packaging machinery design may be impacted by NIST R&D
March 11, 2007
R&D activities related to smart assembly at the National Institute of Science and Technology may have direct impact on packaging machinery design....
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Small packaging machinery suppliers may be shut out of pharmaceuticals
March 11, 2007
Some packaging machinery manufacturers and systems integrators have shied away from pharmaceutical customers due to the burden of process and machinery validation. The costs of validation may exceed the costs of hardware and software, and going through the process is not for the faint-of-heart. Costs of 1.5 times the total automation cost have been reported for initial validation and changes to a validated process that may take 2 hours in...
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How risk aversion robs packaging machinery buyers--and builders--of innovation
February 20, 2007
I've heard from several end user and supplier sources that packaging machinery customers are becoming more risk-averse. This is really too bad. Risk-aversion is one of those insidious diseases, like cancer, that can eat away at a company's growth and development....
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Standards increase design creativity, not restrict it
February 10, 2007
During a remodeling project at my son's house, a trip to the home improvement store revealed that the track and fixtures that they now carry aren't compatible with the track and fixtures that my son already has. Result: he can forgo the improvements, or he can tear it all out and start over with new track lighting, or he can waste time and resources to try to find the parts...
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| About Keith Campbell |
| Leaders learn from the past while
looking to the future - and bring both to bear on the here
and now. This is the philosophy that has steered Keith Campbell's
30+ years in manufacturing. It has worked for him in operations,
maintenance, engineering, R&D, education, consulting and
professional organizations--and now he's putting it to work
for you--taking you to the edge of his thoughts on packaging
operations. |
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