Automotive

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The global automobile industry is reaching record levels with the production of more than 80 million units in 2011 supported by more than EU 50 billion investment in research and development, according to BDW Automotive.

In manufacturing, repeatable, measurable process is prized while “winging it’ is verboten. And for good reason: process equals discipline, safety and efficiency.

Faced with slimmer profit margins in a shrinking economy, today’s leaders of manufacturing businesses find themselves scrutinizing every aspect of their business model to find ways to shave costs.  Profitability targets are getting harder and harder to attain, while ever-present threats of economic trouble loom ever larger.

Today’s manufacturers have plenty of options when it comes to probes, as advances in probing technology have allowed for better and faster machining operations.

GD&T is difficult to get right even though it is very logical. What does “right” mean? Right means several things, but mainly that it imposes achievable, fully function based and only necessary permissible limits of imperfection using absolutely syntactically correct code.

As the New Year begins, it appears the automotive industry has weathered the literal and figurative storms of 2012. The criticism concerning lack of industry innovation has momentarily quieted as 50 new models were introduced in 2012.

Risk can’t be discussed in general terms. Risks are specific in nature. Executives, entrepreneurs and consumers should identify and describe risks as articulately as possible.

Last year at this time I wrote a column in which I criticized the practice of having calibration labs make acceptance decisions in their reports.

As I write this, America has just reelected a president, celebrated a holiday of family and probably too many mashed potatoes, and started preparing for the New Year. By the time you read this, the country will be beginning resolution season.

Machine vision is an integral part of the manufacturing process for many different industries. Manufacturers ensure the safety, consistency and integrity of the products produced through proper inspection, while being assured that defective parts are rejected from the production line.