Seven Steps...

Shamrock Engineering, Inc.

Automated Assembly and Test Systems

Seven Steps to Successful Automation

Complete your next automation project with fewer problems and better results.

The more effort invested in the beginning, the more successful the outcome!

Gather internal requirements and support from all those affected by the project. It is much easier to seek the ideas and concerns of key individuals your automation project will affect, and address them at the beginning, than to defend oversights and make changes.

Be careful not to try to use automation to solve the wrong problem. Automating the assembly of a poorly designed product will not improve the product design. Automating the assembly of poor quality components will not improve the quality of the final assembly.

The problem you want to solve will dictate the type and level of automation required. The goal is to match the type and level of automation to the problem to be solved.

If it appears your project is justifiable, time invested preparing a specification will be critically important to its success.

Without a clear specification, you will have to explain things multiple times to different possible suppliers. Some will receive more information than others. Some key information will be missing. Suppliers will have to add contingencies for risk. Missing information will almost certainly cause difficulties later.

As a minimum include a clear statement of the problem to be solved, a description of the processes required and measurements and accuracies needed, the project schedule, a complete set of part drawings showing all variations, and sample parts.

If you have developed a good specification and shared as much information as possible with potential suppliers, you should now have proposals that may differ in their approach to solving your automation problem, but you will know that all the suppliers should be quoting to solve the same problem.

Consider general business information such as years in business and financial status. Look at the experience of engineers and builders. Discuss the suppliers’ approach to project and risk management. Ask about history with projects similar in scope and content. Look at sample documentation. Ask for references.

It is wise to solicit more than one proposal, but soliciting more than about three and you will waste more time evaluating them than you save from competition.

Pre-qualify suppliers before asking for a proposal. Visit the suppliers! Technical and business details are important but it is often the intangibles—your instinct or gut feeling—about those you will work with that will be most important.

Don’t solicit proposals from a supplier unless you are confident and comfortable completing the project with them.

Before soliciting formal proposals, evaluate the financial justification for your project. Most automation suppliers will help you do this, and they will provide “ballpark” or “budgetary” or “qualifying” estimates to help you determine if a project is justifiable.

Define the Project

Solicit Proposals

Select a Supplier

Prepare a Specification

Determine Justification

You are paying for and should expect aggressive management of your project. But successful projects require teamwork. Your supplier cannot manage a successful project without your help.

Respond to communications promptly. Provide sample parts and drawings. Promptly inform your supplier of pending changes in part design, processes, or schedule. Promptly review and approve concept designs and controls specifications.

Understand that, while a good supplier wants to help you implement the various changes and ideas that arise during the course of a project, they estimated and bid the project based on certain assumptions and conditions. Changes cost time and money. Consider carefully the changes you request.

Understand that adequate debug is critical to the success of your project. Do not allow the machine to be shipped before it is completely debugged no matter how aggressive your schedule. Saving a week of debug on your supplier’s floor will cost you two or three weeks fighting problems on your floor.

Help Your Supplier Help You

Here are some things you can do to help your organization take ownership of a machine—

Have your technicians and operators observe the final debug efforts and acceptance run-offs on the supplier’s floor.

Ensure the appropriate operators and technicians, and their supervisors, are present for acceptance run-off and training at your facility as scheduled.

Ensure the appropriate engineers, technicians, operators, and their supervisors are aware of the documentation provided with the machine or system.

Ensure the machine or system is operated and maintained according to the instructions provided.

Take Ownership

1325 E. Virginia Street

Evansville, IN 47711

Phone: (812) 867-0009

Fax: (812) 867-2454

E-mail: sales@shamrockeng.com