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Why Industrial PCs are vital for continuous improvement in manufacturingManufacturing has evolved a lot since the days of mass production assembly lines, where the aim was simply to churn out as many products as cheaply as possible. Whether it’s pharmaceuticals, food or semi conductors, manufacturers now need to create a wider variety of products where the focus is on efficiency and eliminating waste, rather than cutting costs.1 This modern approach to manufacturing grew from the Japanese philosophy of ‘Kaizen’, which literally translates as ‘continuous improvement’, and is about learning how to perform tasks with the minimum waste or consumption of energy.2 Whilst Kaizen can be applied to all aspects of life, it was Japanese car manufacturers (notably Toyota) who first adopted it as a manufacturing strategy after World War II.3 Their success in using continuous improvement to reduce waste and improve productivity led to its adoption spreading worldwide. 4 Now manufacturers in a wide variety of industries apply the philosophy of Kaizen to improve the efficiency of processes and increase profits. However, Kaizen isn’t just about people and processes but also harnessing new technology. Consequently the popularity of industrial PCs has grown in recent years because of the benefits they offer over conventional desktops, and because they can enable manufacturers to constantly improve how they operate. Superior performance in harsh conditionsFor maximum efficiency and output, manufacturers need to be able to operate production lines uninterrupted for as long as possible. This means PCs need to be able to run 24 hours 7 days a week, which would be a struggle for a conventional desktop. Industrial PCs, on the other hand, are built for operating in harsh conditions, such as on oil platform or in a car manufacturing plant. These environments are hot, dirty and greasy, and a conventional desktop PC would struggle to operate effectively without the risk of malfunctioning or breaking down altogether. Downtime from a malfunctioning PC means lost productivity and lost profits. Industrial PCs, however, are rugged, hard wearing and provide superior protection to their components from the surrounding environment. Along with superior heat resistance and sealed casing, industrial PCs can withstand the vibrations from surrounding machinery, and provide a reliable, robust performance for long periods of time. Perform tasks more efficientlyWhether off the shelf or custom built, industrial PCs are designed to perform specific tasks as efficiently as possible. They can be configured to operate with minimal power consumption, to reduce heat, or to provide high powered performance so that complex processes, which would be a strain for a conventional desktop, can be run with ease. Industrial PCs can also improve the efficiency of workers by incorporating touch screen displays. Compared to a conventional mouse and keyboard, a touch screen display offers an intuitive, easy to use interface for workers to quickly tap in commands and drill through menus to check readings and swiftly perform tasks. Industrial PCs are a competitive advantageWith manufacturers now competing globally, it’s never been more important to find ways of gaining an advantage without having to compete on price. Replacing conventional desktops with industrial PCs can offer manufacturers this advantage. The superior design of industrial PCs can enable manufacturers to operate for longer periods of time, enable their workers to perform tasks quicker and harness the philosophy of continuous improvement to run their plants as efficiently as possible.
1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_manufacturing
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