Palmer Foundry uses data analysis to help its plant operate efficiently to produce compo- nents for electronics and computers.
manufacturing equipment. Everything else in the manufacturing system is connected to the chamber, so when the customer ramps up, Palmer Foundry must be able to respond quickly in kind.
“They don’t want to hear they can’t sell their $6 million piece of equipment be- cause they can’t get a casting,” said Bob Logan, Palmer Foundry president. The foundry uses readily available metal and relies on its manufacturing intelligence sys- tem to help with scheduling and efficiency so it won’t affect its customers’ deadlines.
Tracking Data
Since the beginning of 2012, Palmer Foundry has been collecting data at its two facilities and integrating the information from its processes, operations and products into an intelligence system. The system gives the business a smarter way to operate and improved the way it maintains equipment, controls the working environment, schedules when metal is poured and identifies areas of potential improvement. “You hear a lot about lean manufacturing, but this is much more powerful,” Logan said. “Knowledge is power, and this is knowledge packaged in a form we can use.” For example, because Palmer’s customers require parts that are vacuum-tight, the amount of moisture in the air must be controlled. Before data management, the best way to predict outside conditions was to visit a weather website and see the forecast.
MELTING POINT 7
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