Craig Zoberis sat down with Eric Lambert of Aquatrol to discuss their successful implementation of automation.
CZ: Why did Aquatrol decide to automate?
EL: To increase productivity and efficiency. Our cycle times were approximately at 30%, and now, with the robot, we're over 90%.
CZ: How many shifts are you running with the robots?
EL: We are now operating the robots 24/7. We only have one shift that comes in during the day. So, I have people come in at night to reload the robot systems.
CZ: Was there anything you discovered after implementing the automation?
EL: Yes. EFFICIENCY. It is EVERYTHING. We're so far ahead in our production because of automation that I discovered I needed more. Nothing else other than robots is necessary for our success.
CZ: When you put the automation in, how did your team react to having automation here?
EL: Since programming and operating them was so easy, there were no issues with our people. Everybody was very excited about it, like, "Oh look at this! This is cool! We want to name it something!”. Everybody adapted quickly and picked it up within the first day, and it's been running ever since.
CZ: Did anyone feel like they would lose their jobs over this automation?
EL: No, coincidentally, we hired several other people at the same time. Also, we talked to them beforehand about why we needed to automate and that this is not replacing their jobs. We explained to them that robots will allow them to do more human work for them.
CZ: You're almost reaching a point where you could be fully automated with your current combination of automatic bar feeders and robotics, correct?
EL: Yes, almost all our nine machines are fully automated. The company's owner points to this when we're looking at new CNC equipment; we're not looking at the machine anymore; we're looking at the automation. The machine is a machine, but the robot will make that machine the most productive. Automation is more important than the machine, in our opinion. That's how I feel about it. The improved efficiencies that we've gained here are unreal. We put out almost triple the parts without adding anybody, and we even removed a CNC from the shop floor and gained more space to operate.
