SuperiorControls Helps Factories Bring Jobs Back To U.S.
PLYMOUTH -- Plymouth-based SuperiorControls says it is helping to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States through turn-key installation of portable assembly lines.
Recently, many United States companies have announced their intention to bring production back to the U.S., but because they have invested heavily in overseas plants, this can be a slow and expensive process.
SuperiorControls is working with U.S. companies to design and build assembly lines that can be easily expanded, changed and relocated, making it possible to retain 90 percent of the assembly line investment when moved to a new location. In Georgia, SuperiorControls is using this technology to help a maker of large off-road vehicles "re-shore" production from Japan, creating 1,400 new U.S. manufacturing jobs.
Battery-free automated guided vehicles, inductive power transfer and manufacturing execution systems are used to create flexible, turn-key assembly lines with very little investment anchored to the physical location. Requiring only two shallow floor channels to contain the power and communication lines, SuperiorControls IPT assembly lines keep 90 percent of the equipment untethered to the factory. This makes it easy to expand, change, or relocate production.
Rod Emery, VP Engineering, says flexibility is designed into each customer's IPT system: "SuperiorControls makes sure our customers' assembly lines are designed for change from the beginning. The custom software and controls for every assembly line will easily accommodate new paths, speeds and processes. Instead of digging new pits and adding new chains, a SuperiorControls IPT® line can be rerouted as soon as minor floor changes are made."
Emery will be presenting information on IPT production at the SAE World Congress on April 18 in Detroit.
SuperiorControls IPT assembly lines include factory information systems, error-proofing and other factory intelligence tools and automation to ensure that U.S. quality continues to be a competitive advantage.
SuperiorControls has partnered with Conductix-Wampfler, the primary provider of IPT systems in Europe, to bring this technology to the U.S. With the first of its kind IPT test track in its Plymouth manufacturing center, SuperiorControls enables customers to prove-out their AGVs prior to shipment. For more information about SuperiorControls offerings, contact Emery at (734) 454-0500, or remery@superiorcontrols.net.
IPT is a registered trademark of Conductix-Wampfler Corp.
SuperiorControls designs and builds systems to advance the art of manufacturing, through automation, gaging and factory intelligence. Headquartered in Plymouth, SuperiorControls operates engineering and technical centers across North America and is hiring engineers for a variety of disciplines.
