When it comes to the world of discrete manufacturing, old paradigms are slow to change. The long-held stereotypes still persist of outdated, decrepit workplaces that operate at sub-standard efficiency levels and often without adequate safeguards to protect worker safety.
Until recently, the “old school” manufacturing model was dominated by a small number of entities, intimidating barriers to entry and exorbitant capital investments. Ah, but times are changing – new technologies, heightened customer demands (and input) and a radical shift in economies of scale (just to name a few) have eroded the existing paradigms. Thus, the future of manufacturing rests on manufacturer’s ability to reconfigure for agility, flexibility and “smartness” in order to