In 1993, Kevin Doughney had years of experience working as a machinist for Sikorsky Aircraft and United Technologies, and was looking to make a change to a smaller company. In the late fall of that year he met with a man named Andreas Tietje, who started the North American division of Maschinenbau Kitz just five years earlier, mk Automation Engineering. On December 5, 1993 Kevin became the fifth employee at mk. The rest, they say, is history. I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Kevin about the changes he has seen not only in mk, but within the industry as a whole.
Maintaining a safe work environment is critical for all industries. In manufacturing, where laborers may spend long periods in front of machinery and using equipment, it’s especially important to have safeguards in place to protect them from injury and harm.
According to findings by the CDC, “Musculoskeletal disorders account for nearly 70 million physician office visits in the United States annually, and an estimated 130 million total healthcare encounters including outpatient, hospital, and emergency room visits.”
Manufacturing industries across the globe are under extreme pressure to deliver work faster and smarter than ever before. Automation and innovation are both key in making this possible.
In applications where linear motion is needed (movement from left to right and back again) versus the typical rotary motion or over, under belt movement of a conveyor, users can achieve precise automation, guidance and material transfer using linear motion.
Dangers in the factory setting are a very real concern. The combination of heavy machinery, moving parts and a fast paced work environment, create a need for extra safeguards to protect workers. Legal requirements and OSHA standards also ensure these measures are met so that operators are safe.
Machine guarding keeps the various hazards presented by operating machinery under control. To do so, physical guards are used to create a barrier between dangerous parts of the machine and a worker’s ability to have contact with those areas. These guards must be secure, durable and tamper resistant and they must allow workflow and productivity needs to be met.
Efficiency has never been more important to the manufacturing industry than now. This is especially true in North America, where higher costs of doing business place many manufacturers at a competitive disadvantage with global counterparts in places like China, India, and Indonesia.
How can North American manufacturers maximize productivity and reduce waste enough to remain competitive in the global marketplace? For many, the answer is with a set of principles and practices collectively known as lean manufacturing.
