In the race to combat the global COVID-19 pandemic, the distribution of coronavirus test kits became a very high priority. For mass production of plastic test kit components, manufacturers could not afford metrology processes to become bottlenecks.
Verus Metrology Partners in Ireland was tasked by its customer to increase metrology throughput to keep pace with its part production.
Verus Metrology Partners is a leading provider of bespoke turnkey metrology solutions. It specialises in the measurement of complex plastic component geometries and serves customers in a variety of sectors, most notably MedTech, pharmaceutical and FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods).
The company’s comprehensive metrology service comprises of fixture design and manufacture, qualification, validation and programming, Moldflow analysis, installation and aftercare. It has developed a global reputation for innovation, enabling dramatic increases in metrology machine efficiency through integrated metrology solutions.
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FABTECH® 2021 event came to a close at Chicago, McCormick Place yesterday, after its three-day large-scale held event.
By Ashwini Balan, Eastern Trade Media
FABTECH® is the premier event for the metal fabricating industry since its debut in 1981 and today, it has grown to become North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing product innovations and developments. FABTECH®’s comprehensive offerings such as world-class exhibits, educational sessions, industry experts, and influential keynote speakers certainly has made the yearly event a convenient “one stop shop” venue for keen individuals to find the tools to improve productivity, increase profits and discover new solutions to all of your metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing needs.
This year, FABTECH® organisers have taken into consideration the covid-19 pandemic situation and have committed to ensuring health and safety were a priority of the event. Despite additional guidelines and procedures incorporated into the event to ensure a safe environment for everyone present, the event never failed to conclude with a roaring success. The event saw about 959 exhibitors listed encompassing three halls at McCormick Place with featured technologies ranging from Additive Manufacturing, Resistance Welding to lasers and Stamping.
Since there were tons of amazing exhibits, keynote speakers, panel discussions, ted-talks and many more, I have highlighted some that I think might be of interest to you.
Multi-Day Special Event – 3D/Additive Manufacturing Showcase
Thank you to the sponsors of the event that made it possible:
Amada America, Inc., Trumpf, Sage, Mazak Optonics, Modula, Salvagnini America inc., Alternative Parts Inc, Unified Purchasing Group, FANUC American Corporation.
Future FABTECH® Expos dates are now available on their official website.
Head on down now to be part of the upcoming FABTECH® Expos!
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In the world of supply chain, we can never be too sure of what will happen next. APMEN interviewed Oliver Stein, Director at South East Asia, JAGGAER to understand how the pandemic has disrupted manufacturing supply chains and how we can mitigate the risks.
Oliver Stein (OS): In the world of supply chain, we can never be too sure of what will happen next. Take the recent Suez Canal incident – who could have foreseen a 200,000-tonne ship getting stuck in the world’s busiest shipping route?
That said, it would not be wholly untrue to say that decades of taking back-office functions for granted may have contributed to the current supply chain crisis. Pre-pandemic, we saw many organisations giving far too little importance to their supply chain operations – whether this was ensuring they have the right channels and suppliers in place or digitising their back-office functions so they can rely on predictive technology tools to ensure business resiliency.
Despite the many uncertainties, the global supply chain industry can be reasonably predictable if we know where to look and manoeuvre accordingly. Unexpected events cannot be controlled, but better preparedness can make a world of difference when it comes to staying resilient amidst disruptions.
OS: Every sector was affected in some way by the COVID-19 crisis. For the manufacturing industry, without a doubt, the pandemic caused increased uncertainty and disruption. Manufacturing, arguably, touches more transition points than any other supply chain. Travel restrictions and quarantines heavily impacted logistics capabilities for all nodes in the supply network and brought to light the challenges of having limited network diversity.
The consequences of having restricted cargo logistics, particularly in air, road and rail were certainly felt across the APAC manufacturing sector, especially in the first half of last year. While cargo movements and supply chain operations slowed down, we saw the demand for products and services going up and up. Customers were reliant on products being delivered to their door with safe distancing measures and manufacturers needed to be able to meet this demand.
Take the example of an electronics manufacturer, here in SEA. They were impacted at multiple points of their supply chain causing an almost complete halt to their delivery capabilities. The initial disruption started in their ability to source required raw materials. With a large portion of their supplier base suddenly struck down due to COVID and running at limited capacity, sourcing of their key direct goods caused their operations to nearly come to a standstill. Then, even at lower capacity, quarantine rules locked down almost all their manufacturing plants, decimating their production line. To top it all off, their main logistics paths for delivery were ocean freight based and they ended up having multiple containers stuck offshore in Singapore and elsewhere due to docking and delivery restrictions caused by responses to the pandemic. This was the worst-case scenario in terms of pandemic impact – all aspects, from sourcing to delivery, were brought to a grinding halt.
OS: Limited network diversity makes organisations significantly more vulnerable to disruptions – this was a lesson many organisations learnt the hard way over the past few months.
Before the pandemic, many businesses were reliant on a single country supplier base or single shipment routes for their supply chain operations. The current supply chain crisis has highlighted the importance of building out a supply base that can respond swiftly to changes. More and more, organisations are now understanding the importance of determining the supplies that are critical to business and ensuring they have a diversified supplier base they can rely upon.
Sourcing and supplier trends are changing, with focus now on far more than just price. Companies should look beyond the cheapest option when procuring items, and instead consider other crucial risk factors such as geographical limitations, ability to deliver, and sustainability. Smart procurement is already possible with today’s technology. Automation, predictive technologies, advanced analytics and streamlined workflows can all aid organisations in allocating budget more effectively and focusing on areas that will provide sustainability and resilience to their supply chains.
OS: Understanding the risks associated with each supplier is a key first step. Categorising them in different tiers of risk or segmenting them in terms of importance to the organisation can help in mapping the overall supply chain network. It gives manufacturers a macro view of the potential gaps that could arise from any unexpected event. However, risk assessments and regular check-ins with suppliers can be a time-consuming undertaking. Thankfully, there are many solutions available today that can help automate these regular check-ins, freeing up valuable employee time to focus on more meaningful, strategic work.
Ultimately, ensuring businesses are not caught out by similar disruptions in the future requires a shift in mentality and consideration of a move from “just-in-time” to “just-in-case” manufacturing methods. Manufacturers must adopt predictive modelling technologies to get a clearer view of their supply chains. Being aware of potential disruptions and hurdles ahead of time will be key to boosting business resilience. When supply chains are responsive to business conditions, the benefits can reach far beyond limiting risk exposure.
OS: Organisations can start by taking a step back and reanalysing their current supply chain functions. Key areas to consider would be base location diversity and supplier networks. Take this time to identify all the potential gaps and possible solutions to mitigate any risks.
Building a supply base that can respond to shifting conditions is crucial. With the visibility gained from identifying potential risks and opportunities to strengthen supplier performance, the next step is to look to design strategies and build relationships that drive positive outcomes. Some of these include:
Thankfully, there are many solutions and platforms out there that can help organisations adopt a smarter, more efficient approach to supply chain management. Picking solutions that are not one-size-fits-all but instead flexible enough to support your unique business needs and challenges will be key.
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3D printing is transforming the medical industry in many ways, but more importantly, it’s helping improve patient outcomes, improve economics and provide new opportunities for learning. Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News (APMEN) spoke to Mitchell Beness, Head of HP 3D Print GTM APJ on the impact of 3D printing and its outlook in Southeast Asia.
Mitchell Beness (MD): Whether it’s to produce anatomical models, medical instruments and equipment or personalised medical aids such as orthotics and prosthetics, 3D printing has helped improve patient comfort and outcomes.
Today, advanced 3D printing capabilities provide essential equipment and key insights to help educate and prepare care givers as well as patients. For example, HP Metal Jet technology enables production of high-quality surgical tools such as surgical scissors and endoscopic surgical jaws, and new applications and geometries not possible with conventional metal fabrication technologies. In addition, HP Multi Jet Fusion can provide doctors and surgeons with rich, detailed models, which makes it easier for doctors to differentiate tiny details such as veins and arteries when practicing the procedures as well as countless other medical, health and wellness applications.
In prosthetics and orthotics, 3D printing has helped both patients and businesses improve patient outcomes by producing complex, custom designs.
The impact of 3D printing can also be seen in the recent COVID-19 pandemic, where global supply chains were upended like never before – hospitals were facing a lack of critical life-or death resources. For many, 3D printing was brought to their lives for the first time – with many of their introduction to 3D printing was via personal protective equipment (PPE) or testing equipment, like face shields or nasal swabs.
3D printing is transforming the medical industry in many ways, but more importantly, it’s helping improve patient outcomes, improve economics and provide new opportunities for learning.
MD: Advances in the 3D printing industry have enabled the industry to make any idea, large or small, simple or complex a reality. HP’s 3D printing solutions enable innovative designs and the production of high quality, cost effective personalised products.
We collaborate with various partners and customers to produce strong high-quality parts that are production ready. HP’s advanced industrial capabilities enable customers to reliably move designs from prototype to mass production. The COVID-19 response was a clear example on how the community came together from prototyping to quickly deploying solutions to first responders on the ground with face shields, masks, testing swabs and more. We also work with industry leaders such as Everex, an engineering company that creates unique and technologically advanced products for the needs of their customers in the medical industry. With the HP Multi Jet Fusion technology, Everex wanted to design a new type of instrument from their device, Hemo One that is used to analyse samples of blood. The Hemo One was previously produced using traditional methods but Everex wanted a design that would be easier to assemble with an eye on reducing cost.
MD: Additive Manufacturing has definitely played its role in the fight against the pandemic, especially in helping plug the gaps in supply chain for personal protective equipment. At the start of the pandemic, HP mobilised a global effort to design and manufacture products that could be 3D printed to support frontliners and healthcare workers. We started working with employees across the company as well as customers to start sourcing designs and print parts that will help with COVID-19 efforts.
As of May last year, HP together with our partners and clients has printed and shipped over 5 million 3D-printed parts for ventilators, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) respirators, face shields, masks and other personal accessories. Together with our partners, we’ve also made these 3D printable designs freely available to the community.
All in all, the industry has definitely stepped up to meet the demands of the pandemic through continuous knowledge sharing, plugging the supply chain gap, and working with government agencies and health experts in determining parts most in need.
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After an unprecedented pandemic-induced reversal in 2020, the global vehicle market is firmly in recovery phase in 2021, according to the latest analysis by GlobalData.
“April’s light vehicle sales have now been reported for all global markets. They show an 83.4 percent year-on-year overall increase, which was not unexpected due to the impact COVID-19 had on the prior year’s sales. The seasonally adjusted annualised rate of sales (SAAR) came in at 88.4 million. Together with March’s stronger result, April showed the global market recovery is on track,” commented Calum MacRae, Automotive Analyst at GlobalData.
However, the global new vehicle market recovery this year hides mixed trends at regional level. Demand for new vehicles is surging in the US, even as forecasts for Europe are downgraded.
MacRae continues: “An index of SAAR, shows that West Europe is furthest removed from the January 2018 base, while the US market has undergone the shallowest impact from COVID-19. Indeed, the US market continues to perform above expectations.
The US market is currently fuelled by the fiscal stimulus and a sense of FOMO among consumers. The fear is driven by dealer stock being depleted to historic lows due to the chip supply issues that have plagued production in the industry in the first half.”
GlobalData figures also show solid new vehicle demand this year in China, although the West European market is undergoing a patchy recovery. April’s West European new vehicle sales came in at around the same level as the prior month, but markets have been roiled by ongoing COVID-19 population movement restrictions.
MacRae concludes: “Our latest forecast for the world – at 86.1 million light vehicle sales for the year – still sees 2021 as being some 3.3 percent shy of 2019’s total, but don’t be too surprised if the market ends up closer to 2019 than many currently forecast.”
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The sales of new vehicles in Southeast Asia’s six largest markets (Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore) combined are estimated to have declined by 28.5 percent to 2,468,613 units in 2020, according to GlobalData.
David Leggett, Automotive Analyst at GlobalData, says: “The annual picture shows much sharper declines earlier in the year, including a 24 percent drop in the third quarter and a 66 percent plunge in the second quarter, when economic activity across the region was severely disrupted by business and social lockdowns put in place to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some markets in the region, such as Thailand, began to stabilise in the fourth quarter while sales in Malaysia and Vietnam began to rebound.”
GlobalData’s analysis shows the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) largest vehicle market in 2020 was Thailand, despite a more than 21 percent sales decline to 792,146 units while Indonesia slipped into second place after sales fell by over 48 percent to 532,027 units – making it the region’s worst-performing market last year. Malaysia was a close third, with sales down by just over 12 percent at 529,434 units.
Mr Leggett concludes: “While significant economic restrictions remain in place across the region, including a ban on foreign tourist arrivals, which continues to have a devastating effect on the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors, domestic economic activity has begun to recover – helped by low interest rates and fiscal stimulus measures introduced by national governments.
“Exports also enjoyed a moderate rebound towards the end of last year, helped by strong demand from China, but renewed lockdowns in the region and in numerous markets around the world in response to a resurgent COVID-19 have dampened sentiment in recent weeks.”
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