Our lives continue to change at an unprecedented pace. This is most well evidenced in the accelerating digitalization and automation of business processes. One of the sectors that have greatly benefited from this is the manufacturing industry.
Within this article, we will be exploring the use of automation in the manufacturing process, its primary benefits, and Coolorange as a provider of software tools to enhance your workflow and data quality.
What is manufacturing automation
Automation, in the context of manufacturing, refers to the use of technologies such as equipment and software to automate production processes. With an automated manufacturing process, companies can integrate robotics, systems, and people into a comprehensive and optimized organization.
As many companies have come to realize, if one part of their business is automated, it makes sense to automate other parts as well, so they don’t hold back the entire process. The entire operation runs smoother when all components are coordinated and automated, including business processes. By implementing intelligent manufacturing systems, companies can free up time and resources from employees who are spending a lot of time completing routine tasks manually. Robotic process automation in the manufacturing industry benefits the production as well as the business.
Why manufacturing process automation in AEC
While many manufacturing companies have moved towards automation in their production process, others are also using manufacturing process automation software to take advantage of new advancements in technology that can help run their business. With the continuing need to drive greater throughput and reduce costs, manufacturers are looking to automation and Industry 4.0 solutions to increase their efficiency.
With automation, document processing, filling in templates, and connecting between different departments can be streamlined. As most businesses know, consolidating information, completing forms manually, and tracking that everyone has completed their information correctly is difficult and time-consuming. Automation tools can integrate multiple systems across an organization, from purchasing to sales, from management to human resources. In addition, companies that have their processes automated can track their data more effectively. Especially now, when data is crucial for accurately managing the manufacturing processes, process automation can ensure that data is automatically updated and tracked across business departments.
While improving processes through automation, organizations can realize benefits not only in production, but across the business, including increasing labor productivity, reducing labor costs, and optimizing processes across the value chain.
Manufacturing process automation with Coolorange
The most common impact of poorly managed data is wasted time and effort. Companies can waste an average of 20% of their technical resources’ time on nonproductive data management tasks. To avoid this risk, enhancing your data management through automation and integration is crucial.
Coolarange is a provider of software and plugins for Autodesk PDM/PLM designed to fuel your manufacturing projects with extra power. It has specific tools for every step of the process, to make sure that you always have clean and complete data loaded to your DMS, automated workflows, and a dependable connection between your design team and the other departments of your company. Coolarange is specialized in a three-step approach that improves efficiency around data, teams, and processes.
Data loading
Whether you are an engineer or a designer working with Autodesk Vault, you may need to prepare to load your data into the DM. But Vault Autoloader only imports a limited number of files. Coolarange´s tools allow you to upload an unlimited number of files into Vault, including broken files, and it offers support for additional metadata.
Automation
Manually delivering design data to purchasing, production, and other teams can be time-consuming and engender mistakes. By automating the publishing process, you can ensure that the PDF / DXF / STEP /IGES files are automatically created based on the latest CAD design. This process ensures an enhanced continuity of the information flow between teams, thus reducing the manual execution and additional costs due to rejects and delays.
Data Connection
Every manufacturing company is a complex gear that demands steadfast connection to run smoothly. Connection is the key to a flawless process. Reliably connecting teams and integrating different systems makes this complexity much easier, averting the risk of blind spots that may cause supply chain oversights, employee missteps, and product errors. Coolarange works within the familiar CAD application, maintaining existing workflows and minimizing an ERP/PLM integration project requirement.
