The US automotive industry suffered a fatal blow. Yet anyone who claims that the industry’s demise can be linked to a single root-cause of failure is sadly mistaken. I spent the greater portion of 10 years within that industry many of which in an executive or managerial role.
Unfortunately, there’s no silver bullet that caused the fall. I say unfortunately because a single cause of failure could be prevented in the future. In this case, the blame can be put only on the system as a whole making it difficult to protect against a repeat occurrence.
What the automotive Journeyman Electrician Test suffered was a catastrophic failure caused by multiple points of failure. We’re talking systemic failure in its truest form. As an insider in the industry, I can personally attest to some of the actions (or lack thereof) that pushed the industry to a collapse.
One of the biggest gremlins that undermined the industry was a myopic focus on piece price (cost). Over the years the automobile manufacturers became totally engulfed in driving (no pun intended) suppliers to lower sell prices in an attempt to reduce the production cost of a car or truck and therefore increase the bottom line.
This shortsighted focus on lower piece cost was so strong that supplier relationships were sacrificed. In fact, one of the Big 3 automotive companies believed that if one supplier went under that another would always step up. How is that for arrogant?
The pressure for lower piece cost was so extreme that suppliers were forced to seek low-cost countries for the procurement of parts and for their own manufacturing processes. On the Heavy Industry Examples surface this approach may seem logical. However, what was lacking was a holistic view of the situation to see that lower piece price demands were leading to other systemic issues:
Reduced quality and increased life-cycle costs due to overseas outsourcingSuboptimal designs because of shortcuts to reduce costsJobs being pushed out of the USCollapse of solid, reputable suppliersTarnished relationships with the legacy supply base
The situation went as far as the automotive manufacturers demanding payments from suppliers to maintain current business or to be awarded new business. These payments were commonly known in industry as “givebacks”. These givebacks started as checks that were written for absurd amounts of money and then changed into piece price concessions over the length of a given contract (the SEC wouldn’t necessary like the check approach, i.e. buying business).
Business is about more than just the bottom line. The way in which you go about producing profit makes a difference. Our friends in the automotive industry learned the hard way that relying upon myopic, dictatorial and selfishly driven profits at the expense of your suppliers and customers is not sustainable.…
Tag: failure
Top 10 Tell Tale Signs of Industrial Monitor Failure
Industrial monitors, operator panels and touch screens can be found in almost all production environments. Operators have become reliant on the tactile interface and visual feedback offered by these devices. It is therefore no surprise that monitor failure can cause major disruption to a manufacturer’s production schedule.
Unfortunately replacing a broken industrial monitor can be more difficult than you imagine. Weird video signals, software problems and communication protocols can turn replacing a faulty industrial monitor into an almost American Run Multinational impossible task. Fortunately help is at hand. In this article, Steve Turner, Head of Repairs at Direct-Industrial will tell you how you can spot the tell tale signs of monitor failure and how they can be avoided.
—Replacing an Industrial Monitor. It can be more difficult than you think —
As we have already touched upon, replacing an industrial monitor can be very difficult for several reasons. In the past conventional CRT monitors were adapted to the design specifications of the OEM and therefore have oddball video signals that cannot be easily replicated. A replacement monitor may require extensive modifications to the machine or an additional video card. To compound issues many monitor manufacturers have ceased production of CRT monitors and concentrated on producing LCD monitors.
Industrial CRT monitors were eventually replaced by more complex LCD monitors, Panel PCs and touch screens. Each generation introduced an array of new features and communication standards. This in turn resulted in a unique set of problems for manufacturers. Due to the rapid advancement of technology the features found Automobile Is Heavy Industry on older monitors may no longer be commercially available. This is particularly true for Panel PCs, which may use outdated operating systems or obsolete communication protocols and connectors. This often means no direct replacement is available and the user must rewrite the application programme for the new unit.
It would be nice if industrial monitors never failed and just continued to work. Unfortunately, with the exception of Mick Jagger, nothing lasts forever but it is a fact that the majority of industrial monitor problems can be avoided through preventative maintenance.
So why do so many companies neglect to include monitors in their preventative maintenance schedule?
One problem is that many maintenance staff do not understand what goes on inside a monitor and do not understand the tell tale signs of monitor failure. It is often too late when the monitor finally fails. In this article we will tell you what to look out for.
Top 10 Signs that your Industrial Monitor may have a Problem
You turn the brightness all the way up but the screen is still dim
The Monitor display takes longer and longer to come on
Display is flickering
Half the LCD screen is dim
Touchscreen is unresponsive in sections
Picture Shrinks Towards the middle
Horizontal Line across the middle of the screen
Image of screen is rolling
Picture Alignment is offset
No Display at all but other functions still work
The case for Preventative Maintenance
Many …
Top 10 Tell Tale Signs of Industrial Monitor Failure
Industrial monitors, operator panels and touch screens can be found in almost all production environments. Operators have become reliant on the tactile interface and visual feedback offered by these devices. It is therefore no surprise that monitor failure can cause major disruption to a manufacturer’s production schedule.
Unfortunately replacing a broken industrial monitor can be more difficult than you imagine. Weird video signals, software problems and communication protocols can turn replacing a faulty industrial monitor into an almost American Run Multinational impossible task. Fortunately help is at hand. In this article, Steve Turner, Head of Repairs at Direct-Industrial will tell you how you can spot the tell tale signs of monitor failure and how they can be avoided.
—Replacing an Industrial Monitor. It can be more difficult than you think —
As we have already touched upon, replacing an industrial monitor can be very difficult for several reasons. In the past conventional CRT monitors were adapted to the design specifications of the OEM and therefore have oddball video signals that cannot be easily replicated. A replacement monitor may require extensive modifications to the machine or an additional video card. To compound issues many monitor manufacturers have ceased production of CRT monitors and concentrated on producing LCD monitors.
Industrial CRT monitors were eventually replaced by more complex LCD monitors, Panel PCs and touch screens. Each generation introduced an array of new features and communication standards. This in turn resulted in a unique set of problems for manufacturers. Due to the rapid advancement of technology the features found Automobile Is Heavy Industry on older monitors may no longer be commercially available. This is particularly true for Panel PCs, which may use outdated operating systems or obsolete communication protocols and connectors. This often means no direct replacement is available and the user must rewrite the application programme for the new unit.
It would be nice if industrial monitors never failed and just continued to work. Unfortunately, with the exception of Mick Jagger, nothing lasts forever but it is a fact that the majority of industrial monitor problems can be avoided through preventative maintenance.
So why do so many companies neglect to include monitors in their preventative maintenance schedule?
One problem is that many maintenance staff do not understand what goes on inside a monitor and do not understand the tell tale signs of monitor failure. It is often too late when the monitor finally fails. In this article we will tell you what to look out for.
Top 10 Signs that your Industrial Monitor may have a Problem
You turn the brightness all the way up but the screen is still dim
The Monitor display takes longer and longer to come on
Display is flickering
Half the LCD screen is dim
Touchscreen is unresponsive in sections
Picture Shrinks Towards the middle
Horizontal Line across the middle of the screen
Image of screen is rolling
Picture Alignment is offset
No Display at all but other functions still work
The case for Preventative Maintenance
Many …