Lean automation blog

I recently stumbled across an interesting blog on the subject of “Automation Integration using Lean Principles.” Now I’m a big fan of “lean,” even though it may seem to lead in the opposite direction to automation and machine vision, so I’ve found this a very interesting read.

The point the writer, ksmith, makes is that in manufacturing we need to take out cost however and wherever we can. This means our operations have to be lean, but it also means using appropriate levels of automation. “Appropriate” in this context means not so complex that the depreciation charge exceeds the labor saved or a part changeover takes six hours, but sufficient to lower the total cost of manufacturing. Machine vision, or so he argues, is one tool that can help achieve these goals.