Manufacturing Operations

The importance of Data in a Conveyorized Finishing System

In conveyorized finishing operations, the volume of data generated across a single production shift is substantial. Paint batches, carrier timestamps, load bar launches, line speeds, and process recipes all produce records that can either be captured and used or quietly lost. For finishing operation

IntelliFinishing Systems Adapt Better When Labor is Short

Labor availability has become one of the most persistent operational challenges across manufacturing. Recruiting skilled workers, particularly in specialized roles like painting and finishing, is difficult in most markets. For facilities running traditional finishing lines, a single absent employee

The Challenge of Being a Custom Coater

For custom coaters operating as job shops, no two days look the same. Part sizes vary, customer specifications shift, and the shop floor has to adapt quickly to whatever work comes through the door. That kind of environment demands finishing equipment that can keep pace, and it is precisely where th

AI kaizens, agentic systems, and pricing pressure: what manufacturers are actually doing with IIoT in 2026

From TE Connectivity's AI vision gains to outcome-based pricing debates, industrial AI is moving from pilot to operational reality across the plant floor.

73% of mid-market manufacturers are still testing AI, with zero at full deployment

New Kaufman Rossin survey data reveals most mid-market manufacturers are stuck in AI experimentation, held back by siloed data and legacy ERP systems.

93% of manufacturers have MES, but only 23% have fully integrated it across their enterprise

A Rockwell Automation report of 1,560 manufacturers finds the MES scaling gap is now the industry's defining operational challenge.

Robots, AI, and IIoT are reshaping the factory floor — but the real work is in integration

Robotics, AI quality control, and IIoT-driven predictive maintenance are converging in manufacturing, pushing ops leaders to rethink how they buy, deploy, and g

AI and automation's adoption gap: what manufacturers must act on now

80% of U.S. factories have zero automation. New tools and C-suite strategy shifts are changing the calculus for operations teams.

Chinese industrial robots now reach 148 countries as factory task complexity rises

Chinese-manufactured robots are handling complex factory tasks and shipping to 148 countries, raising urgent questions for global procurement and ops teams.

Siemens and IFS partner to close the engineering-to-operations gap with industrial AI

Siemens and IFS announced a strategic partnership to connect design, manufacturing execution, and asset lifecycle data in a closed-loop industrial AI platform.

End-of-line automation is the next deployment frontier for manufacturers

Nearly half of manufacturers plan end-of-line automation within 24 months, per IndustryWeek. Here's what operations leaders need to evaluate now.

Prince SCADA System case study

For years, operators on Prince's shop floor faced a familiar but costly problem: the information they needed to do their jobs was scattered. Programs lived in one place, blueprints in another, operation sheets somewhere else entirely. Getting set up at a station meant hunting across file folders, ic

Industrial automation in focus: six product launches shaping factory floors in June 2026

Automate 2026 opens June 22 in Chicago with 1,000+ exhibitors, a new humanoid pavilion, and a sector-wide debate on why AI—not machines—now limits factory perfo

FANUC America Debuts Ultra‑Lightweight CRX‑3iA Collaborative Robot and New Capabilities Across the CRX Lineup

A new ultra‑portable cobot and expanded CRX features give manufacturers more ways to automate small tasks, heavy moves, palletizing, welding and high‑mix operations.

FANUC’s Innovative System of the Year Recipient – Don’t Fear the Robot, Thank It!

ARC Specialties, under the leadership of President Dan Allford, continues to make waves in the robotics and automation industry. They recently won of FANUC’s Innovative System of the Year Award, further strengthening their reputation as an industry leader. This remarkable project involved the integration of robots in offshore drilling operations, specifically in the assembly and…

Infinite IoT: The Future of Supply Chain Operations

Since Covid took the world by storm in 2020, supply chain issues have come to the forefront of the news as no one was exempt from the challenges of getting common everyday items. And while it doesn’t take a global pandemic to disrupt supply chain operations, it was this very event that made people aware…