One of the largest manufacturers of residential and commercial water heaters in the country, Bradford White Corp. takes safety seriously. The private, American-owned company does not sell its products directly to consumers.
Manufacturers today are trapped in a perennial race to get products assembled and out the door in less time and at lower cost while maintaining high quality. They must also adjust to constant change in the materials they use.
Today, robots are capable of handling much larger and heavier payloads than in the past. Those applications require robust grippers that are up to the task.
The past year brought blockbuster headlines for U.S. manufacturing. Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn unveiled plans to build a $10 billion assembly plant in Wisconsin that would make liquid-crystal display panels and employ as many as 13,000 people.
Fastening tools are the workhorses of any assembly operation. Consider a high-volume automotive plant. If a vehicle contains 1,000 threaded fasteners and an assembly line is turning out 250,000 vehicles annually, that’s more than 250 million run-downs each year.
What are the most challenging issues that pertain to white goods from the perspective of fastener assembly?
November 8, 2018
In the past, white goods were offered by the manufacturer and the customers, generally, had no design input. However, as the demand for customization increased and the competitive market expanded, manufacturing was under pressure to produce a smarter, more reliable and more attractive product.
When the HVAC industry converges on Atlanta for AHR Expo 2019, attendees can expect to see manufacturers showcase products aiming to be both smarter and more efficient—automation and connectivity will continue to drive home and commercial innovation, and components throughout the trade floor will aim to keep pace with federal regulations.
ANDERSON, SC—Electrolux, which is in the process of expanding its refrigerator assembly plant here, has applied for an exemption to the tariffs being imposed on products from China.
TULSA, OK—Whirlpool Corp. plans to expand its assembly plant here with the addition of a new $55 million factory distribution center. The warehouse will support increased production capacity and improve efficiencies within the appliance maker’s North American supply chain.