Renewable energy has long been a topic of discussion when it comes to climate change, costs of fossil fuels and society’s ability to adapt. Often lost in that shuffle is how renewable energy can change the way manufacturing plants conduct day-to-day business. Tesla’s Gigafactory, for example, utilizes geothermal, solar and wind energy to produce its…
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“The best we can do is size up our chances, calculate the risks involved, estimate our ability to deal with them, and then make up our plans with confidence.” — Henry Ford Manufacturers must consider many factors — including personnel, technology, and practicality — to determine whether to outsource machine maintenance or perform it in-house. Ultimately, though,…
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New Service Center Grand Opening! Global Electronic Services is happy to announce that we opened a new Service Center location in Lynwood, Illinois about 45 minutes Southeast of Chicago. This exciting new repair facility provides convenient coverage to the Northeast region. So what drove our choice to the Chicago area for this new expansion?…
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Traditionally, large-scale centralized power plants have been a primary energy distribution method. The current trend in power generation, though, favors a less centralized model. Today, distributed power technologies — combined heat and power (CHP) plants, fuel cells, hybrid power systems like diesel and gas reciprocating engines, microturbines, photovoltaic systems — that provide power at or near the point of…
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How many days have you gone without an accident in your plant? Safety, especially in manufacturing plant settings, offers many benefits. In addition to protecting employees, plant safety helps improve manufacturers’ bottom lines. Accidents and fatalities have many costs: Increased workers’ compensation premiums Fines Legal liability costs Increased employee health insurance premiums Negative publicity, which…
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As science advances so does manufacturing. There have been new developments in prosthetic manufacturing that are giving wounded veterans, accident victims and those born with disabilities a new chance at being able to run and walk. 3D printing has emerged as a leader in manufacturing with precision and new technology allowing doctors and surgeons to map areas…
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Manufacturing used to be solely about machines making things from raw materials. Then it became about specializing parts of the process and automating it. In today’s manufacturing landscape, the status quo from generations past won’t cut it. Companies need to adapt and adopt whenever possible, and that means investing in and using innovative technology. If…
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Automatic controllers have been in use in some form or another for many years. Things are a little different today, but the basic concept has remained the same: Provide feedback among moving parts. Modern industrial controller systems Today’s controllers fall into several forms. Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) began as simple relay systems but have evolved…
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It’s 2am on Saturday night and your production line has been running flawlessly and you are just ahead of schedule. Just as you are making your rounds you get a call on the radio that a variable speed drive faulted out, and the main line is down and can’t run without it. Thinking to yourself sounds like…
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Conflict is the last thing you want on your shop floor. But with many different personalities and competing agendas, conflict is inevitable. However — with the proper tools — you can defuse most situations before they get out of hand. Conflict sources Which comes first in your plant: safety or production? Obviously, safety does; a…
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