If you can’t see it, you can’t measure it, and if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it! This is the simple mantra of successful manufacturers the world over. Manufacturing excellence can only come from manufacturing visibility.

Engineers at a major manufacturer of portable electronic devices had a problem. They needed to rivet a small, thin electrical contact to the device’s charger subassembly, but how could they head the tiny rivets—0.02 to 0.03 inch in diameter—without crushing the assembly?

To increase productivity, manufacturers are continually looking for new ways to automate their assembly processes.

Quality has been the holy grail of manufacturing for more than 40 years.

Electromechanical servo press technology uses less energy than pneumatic or hydraulic assembly systems since they only draw current on demand

This past May, automotive modules and components manufacturer TRW was purchased by transmission manufacturer ZF for $12.4 billion. The deal creates ZF-TRW—the world’s third-largest auto supplier, with 130,000 employees and annual sales of more than $34.2 billion.

Automotive OEMs and Tier 1s are increasingly separating specific assembly processes from the main production line as part of their lean manufacturing model.