At DEVELOP LLC, we aren’t afraid to tell you that there are real risks to investing in a custom automation integration project. A responsibly scoped automation project can take years to plan and integrate into your manufacturing process and capital expenditure can easily hit six or seven figures. An ineffective integration performed without a…
Why Machine, Automation, and Robotics Designs Change After the Project Proposal
Any responsible automation integration specialist understands that once the scoping, planning, designing, and pricing stages have met mutual agreement, it is time to make the formal project proposal. Sometimes this is a standard project contract, sometimes it is called a ‘Scope of Work,’ but it is always a signed agreement outlining the boundaries of…
How Industrial Automation Saves You Money
If you have spoken to a responsible industrial automation integrator, they have been upfront with you about costs for a responsibly scoped automation integration commonly reaching well into six or seven figures. With a six-figure capital expenditure, and calculated return on investment taking months or years, we understand justifying upfront costs. With a changing…
Signs You Need to Replace an Old Automated Industrial Machine
If you are reading this article, you are already a part of a visionary pedigree. When other companies struggled to find solutions to meet increased demand, rise above market instability, provide satisfying opportunities for a dwindling manufacturing labor force, and guarantee structured longevity, you had the foresight to invest in automation. You modeled modernization…
The Risks of ‘Just Buy a Robot’
At DEVELOP LLC, we understand that there are multiple market pressures to ‘just buy a robot’. Maybe your competitor is touting their new futuristic production facility. Maybe an irresponsible person told you that integrating industrial automation can improve safety, morale, throughput, consistency, quality, and worker morale just by bolting a generic machine to your…
Robot Safety: Tools, Guarding, and Strategies
It is impossible to ignore the safety gains an automated robot, engineering solution, or industrial machine can bring to your business. Over the past thirty years, robots have allowed businesses to produce far beyond human workers’ capacity while reducing worker health risks to environmental hazards. The market is waking up to automated solutions to…
The Top 8 Myths of Automation
At DEVELOP LLC we consider it our fiduciary responsibility to be open, honest, and upfront about the costs, timelines, challenges, and rewards when integrating automated technology into a business. The internet can be a confusing source for finding accurate representations of knowledge when verifying sources, evaluating bias, and sifting kernels of truth. At DEVELOP…
DEVELOP LLC and the Invention of Considerate Succession Planning with Robots
Imagine this scenario: Your team member with tacit knowledge, decades of experience, and brand loyalty becomes functionally irreplaceable. No one on the team can replicate their knowledge and skills to make your products because no matter how hard you look, the modern job pool no longer has prospects with the know-how or the capability…
Getting Your Workforce on Board for Change
A fully scoped automation integration plan targets every element of your business, including workforce adoption. Engaging your workforce in the adoption of the software, engineering, and robotics involved with automation integration is a requirement for ensuring the swiftest return on investment. The Challenges of Workforce Assumptions A great workforce has a lot…
Why Overcoming the Labor Crisis Requires Robots
The National Association of Manufacturers projects that more than half of the 4.6 million manufacturing jobs created over the next decade will go unfulfilled. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers reports 89% of manufacturers are finding difficulty hiring skilled workers. At the same time, demand for manufacturing continues to rise in defiance of unprecedented labor…