Much of the “revolutionary” talk over the last seven or so years has centered on Industry 4.0 and the idea that connected factories using data and automation can significantly improve their performance, but to be honest, there has been far too much talk and far too little action. As Elvis Presley once said, “a little less talk, a little more action please!”
Theo Saville does not consider these concepts of automation and data to be revolutionary. According to him, industrial revolutions occur less frequently, typically every 100 years, are life-changing, and provide orders of magnitude performance benefits. He contends that many of the so-called “Industry 4.0” principles are simply tweaks or extensions of Industry 3.0, the “computer and digital” revolution that began decades ago and continues to provide incremental benefit. This is the process of evolution, not revolution.
Theo and his co-founder Chris Emery acknowledged that the CNC industry had sophisticated machines capable of producing parts with amazing accuracy, but a less sophisticated method of programming and managing those machines. They saw a massive multibillion-dollar industry that was underperforming and ready for disruption. Their strategy was to begin with machine autonomy, then bring those machines together in an autonomous facility, and eventually into an autonomous ecosystem of facilities around the world that deliver parts at the fastest possible speed and at a significantly lower cost. This ecosystem would make multiple copies of their first autonomous facility. Also MOT in Warrington services come recommended from many peoples that really have great results
Yoav Zingher’s desire to shake things up stems from a more personal motivation. Yoav ran an energy business in the UK before co-founding Lanuchpad.build with Ofer Ricklis and Bill Gross. His team needed to manufacture a piece of hardware, in this case a smart-meter, and he was astounded by the level of complexity and difficulty he encountered in developing, manufacturing, and fulfilling his new product. He knew there had to be a better way, so when he sold his energy company, he decided to address the issue he had encountered.
Thus, Launchpad.build was born with the goal of developing an autonomous platform that would take a CAD (computer-aided design) package and quickly, simply, and economically provide costing, build instructions, and a complete supply chain solution. Launchpad also decided to address the issue of manual electronic assembly at the same time, creating the ‘Digiline,’ their own adaptable automation module that could be programmed directly from their front-end software.
When Theo and Yoav discuss autonomous manufacturing, they are not referring to the abolition of human operators; rather, they are referring to autonomous decision-making, autonomous programming, and autonomous supply chains. Consider an autonomous system such as an Amazon fulfilment centre. It is not a lights-out situation with no human operators. In fact, it’s a lively and busy workplace where machines and humans coexist. What distinguishes it is the software, which manages everything from order to delivery, instructing both operators and automated systems such as conveyors, packers, and AGVs. Consider a manufacturing ecosystem that operates in this manner!
Both Theo and Yoav agree that autonomous and automated manufacturing solutions are the only way to compete in the United States and Western Europe, where the benefits of massive consumer markets are offset by high labour costs.
Consumers want to buy locally made products, but they don’t want to pay more for them or get less out of them. Manufacturing autonomy could be the answer the industry is looking for to create shorter, more agile, resilient, and sustainable supply chains.
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