Blog pOSTS
August 26th-27th marked the date for the sixth annual Advanced Manufacturing Expo took place in our very own Grand Rapids, Michigan, bringing together a cross-section of innovators and experts in manufacturing from the Midwest. While this regional expo may be smaller than other industry events, it always prioritizes quality over quantity and this year packed a punch. Read on for our top highlights from the show.
Labor challenges and supply chain disruptions upended the industry – how are businesses reacting?
The 2021 MHI report outlines the forces shaping supply chains and what technology operations are embracing to position themselves for the future.
The global conveyor market is expected to grow to $9.85 billion by 2026 – that’s over $2 billion in just six years.
What’s the story behind this growth? And what do you need to know to navigate a changing market?
Read this month’s blog for these answers and more, including how to manage the risk of long lead times AND how to approach custom projects.
It’s been over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began wreaking havoc on supply chains. But as the auto industry looks to bounce back from a challenging 2020, component shortages have brought many plants to a halt.
Good help is hard to find and even harder to hang onto. What if you could get relief from the constant cycle of hiring and training – AND get a boost in productivity?
In this month’s blog, we’re sharing the three material handling processes you really should be automating.
Post-Pandemic: 3 Trends That Will Significantly Alter the Supply Chain Industry
As we start to take a deep breath in hopes of personally recovering from the struggles that the pandemic brought upon us, there are a few things that will never return to “normal”. The supply chain industry itself will emerge in such a way that will be unrecognizable in comparison to how it was in a pre-pandemic world. This is mostly caused by how COVID-19 will be leaving a lasting scare on many areas that effect the supply chain industry.
3 Types of Equipment That Built Tuff Automation’s Reputation
When it comes to custom material handling equipment, most OEM's (original equipment manufacturers) will admit that they have a broad scope of equipment they provide. Tuff is no exception to this. Through the last 30 years, Tuff has provided equipment like extendable conveyors, Salco CA doors, and CO2 scrubbers. Sure, these projects were fun but were a little out of the norm.
With that said, we would be doing ourselves a disservice if we didn't highlight the equipment that has been synonymous with the Tuff Automation name. In this blog, we will discuss the 3 primary types of equipment that have built the heavy-duty Tuff Automation reputation.
Helping distributors say "yes" to quoting custom project applications
As an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), Tuff Automation strives to generate business relationships with other distributors. Since our specialty is providing custom material handling equipment, we've been invited through the doors of numerous distributors to empower them to say "yes" to quoting unique projects that they would have otherwise said "no" to.
A Year of Challenges and Growth
It can go without saying that the year 2020 was a challenging year for anyone. From small to large businesses, from blue to white-collar workers, 2020 was a year that brought many unexpected challenges. These challenges were not only unexpected but were mostly required a significantly unique approach in facing them.
Back in July, one of our long lasting automotive seating customers submitted a very interesting and custom request. This customer asked us to develop and provide a vision guided cobot and EOAT (end of arm tooling) that would help a station operator test and verify power seat controls. Cobots are usually used to automate a repetitive task that is then handed off to a human for inspection. This application was no exception.
When designing a material handling system, it is crucial to evaluate each piece of equipment and determine the right fit for the application. In most systems, a change of elevation can be the most challenging aspect of a system to design and evaluate. In this blog, we will be discussing lifts and elevators, where they are needed, what makes them unique from each other, and what are some specifications to consider when designing a system. For the sake of this blog we are going to focus on lifts and elevators that are typically used in pallet handling.
At Tuff Automation, we believe that the most important thing the customer can do to help keep cost down is to find a contractor who can provide everything they need. When numerous contractors are stacked on top of each other, this not only tends to cluster the project’s physical design, but also includes unnecessary mark ups in price.
So how do you make sure that the contractor you pick can provide everything needed for your application? Just ask! Here are a few key questions to ask a contractor to help you make the right pick for your automation project.
Integrating turn tables into a conveyor system is a great way to reroute any product in various directions while saving space. In comparison, they can save more space (square footage) than conveyor curves or turns. This is mainly because turn tables are able to pivot the product within the same singular footprint, whereas conveyor curves and turns require the product to be moving down the line in order for the reroute to occur.
With increasing demand for laborers in the work place, and the lack of supply in our day and age, we are continuing to see a drastic change in the way we produce and manufacture consumer goods. This is forcing a lot of companies to spend resources in ways they never considered before. It’s requiring them to invest in long-term equipment solutions that will provide a return on their investment over the course of long periods of time.
When designing and integrating material handling systems for customers in a wide range of industries, Tuff Automation gives its utmost attention to designing conveyor that will handle a wide variety of different products. We understand that our customer’s applications and needs can change at a moment’s notice. Especially in the automotive industry!
3 Unique Ways Tuff Automation Provides Better Controls Services
When understanding all attributes of a material handling system, the controls engineering portion can be daunting to many. Even to those who have worked with or designed systems before. In its early years as a company, Tuff Automation recognized this as a way to better serve our customers as an equipment manufacturer. It was at that point that we created our own Controls Engineering department.
3 Things to Implement into a Manufacturing Setting
COVID-19 has catapulted many American companies into a season of life that wasn’t anticipated, nor was prepared to handle. A lot of companies find themselves making decisions they never thought they would have to make. The most common decision for those companies is how to maintain social distancing while still remaining to be open and operating.
Three Features of a Tuff Transfer
At Tuff Automation, we strive to present ourselves as being a company that provides reliable customer service and unmatched support, especially when it comes to our equipment. However, that isn’t what makes us a unique company. Instead, what makes us unique is demonstrating that the quality and the strength of our equipment is our highest priority as a company.
One of the key ways we demonstrate that is by applying innovative and creative ideas when designing our conveyor transfers.
Through the long life of Tuff Automation, we’ve gained clarity on how business gets done. We’ve done so by creating, understanding, and implementing some key attributes that are most known with our company model, mission, and name.
Your company is unique, and so is your space. Specialty material handling projects call for specialty solutions. However, we understand that the cost of special material handling projects influences the project’s return on investment (ROI).
Recently Tuff Automation designed, built, and installed a conveyor system to transport vehicle sets of wheel assemblies through a final inspection sequencing line. Besides the conveyor to transport the wheels through the inspection stations, Tuff also provided a de-stacker, escapement, and stacker, as well as the integration and interface with the test and inspection stations on this line.
Our customer needed an effective way to transport 25 bins to be filled and emptied. Tuff engineers worked with the client to come up with an approach that was durable, cost-effective and efficient. The shuttle cart system was the perfect answer. If a cart system was not used, the customer would need to utilize many conveyors and transfers to accomplish the task at hand. The shuttle cart provides a simple, solution that saved money on costly equipment.
Tuff Automation has designed, built, and integrated many types of material handling carts for a variety of customers, for use with AGV’s and operator-driven tow vehicles, in a wide range of production, warehousing, and ASRS (automated storage and retrieval) applications. Designed for moving products on an assembly line or transporting goods throughout a plant or warehouse, Tuff Automation has the experience needed to build carts that will meet customer’s specific application requirements.
When our client came to us they had a big problem to solve. They wanted to get several different parts to one location, in a specific sequence, while maintaining a timely workflow. Before coming to Tuff, they would have had to use a series of five over and unders to move their parts. Over and unders are useful in some situations but five of them would be cumbersome, not to mention expensive.
Tuff Automation has been providing custom material handling services since 1993. We are unique in that we custom-build each order to meet our customer’s exact specifications. Our distinctive products cannot be found in a catalog. We are known for our quick turn-around times and lower prices. Over the last several years, we have been growing exponentially. Our sales have increased by about 35% in the last 5 years, and we expect them to increase by another 40% by 202!.
Tuff has refurbished CO2 scrubber models available for sale at nearly 40 percent less than their original cost.
Our customer was using an automatic guided vehicle (AGV) that didn't have any powered conveyor. They needed a machine that could move 500 pound, 30- by 60-inch pallets from the AGV to an operator workstation. Tuff Automation custom-designed the conveyor to solve the problem.
Transfers are ideal for reducing conveyor floor space, because they can reroute product 90 degrees without requiring large conveyor curves. Tuff Automation designs, builds, and integrates transfers to optimize the flexibility of your conveyor systems.
Tuff Automation has made build lines for a few different companies, and we have experience in every part of the process. We specialize in outfitting build lines with custom controls, programming, and pneumatics.
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Manual processes can take a toll on individuals and businesses alike. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics[DG1] , back strains result in nearly 15,000 injuries per year in manufacturing alone. In addition to the associated safety risk and downtime, those strains can also represent a significant cost. The National Safety Council estimates the cost per medically consulted work injury is $42,000 – and that’s excluding any related property damage costs.