Interested in learning how to implement Industry 4.0 while mitigating the risks involved with the investment? Industry 4.0-experienced manufacturers around Northeast Ohio are serving as Lighthouses, guiding resources to help you down this new and unfamiliar path. Through our Lighthouse Tours, these manufacturers will share their Industry 4.0 mistakes, accomplishments and experiences, so you can be ready to modernize your facility with 4.0.

To give you more detail on what to expect on our Lighthouse tours and share with you the dates of the first few, we are hosting a few webinars, in partnership with the Greater Akron Chamber, Canton Chamber and Team NEO. Our next event is Wednesday, July 27, 2022 from noon until 1:00 pm.

MAGNET VP of Operations Michael O’Donnell, who is coordinating the Lighthouse tour schedule, will MC the hour, which will feature Alloy Precision Technologies President & CEO Michael Canty taking you through his journey to implementing 4.0 and why harnessing new technology is beneficial for every manufacturer. He recently implemented advanced technology, collaborative robot machine tending and machine monitoring and upskilled employees.

Industry 4.0 is no longer an interesting concept, an elusive idea that someday future manufacturers may have to harness. Industry 4.0 is here, and for production lines - big and small - to grow, they must start investing in technology now. Most manufacturers acknowledge the need to leverage all the benefits of 4.0; but as of 2020, just more than a third of manufacturers have implemented the technology in some form.

With the cost of 4.0 becoming more affordable than at the onset of this industrial stage, at least one of your competitors is likely in the third that has begun the transformation. And as a result, they’ve experienced quantifiable results, like improved process efficiency, supercharged productivity (despite workforce issues) and a more quality product. If those reasons alone don’t light your fire, MAGNET CEO and president Ethan Karp offers a few more in a recent Forbes post, which he summarizes with:

“Investing in your business will always require a leap of faith. It’s never easy. But I promise you this: it will be much easier today than five years down the road. Start now, and you’ll remember the era of post-pandemic demand not as your production peak, but as the launching point for a decade or more of company growth.”

As Karp says, you've got to take the jump. But you don’t have to do so without guidance or insight, especially if you’re a manufacturer in Northeast Ohio. Our region is loaded with manufacturers of all sizes, many of which have been incrementally investing in all types of 4.0 to improve output, each in a different place in their transformation journey. Many of these manufacturers, some having recently been through the addition of new technology, are willing to share their experience, how it affected their workforce, what type of investment was necessary, why they decided the time was right to invest, and the expected impact on their bottom lines.

These manufacturers, torching the path and helping answer the many questions of those who know they need to make the jump but don’t know where to start, are our Lighthouses. Beginning in July and continuing over the next several months, we will partner with the Lighthouses to facilitate plant tours, Q&A sessions and deep-dive conversations about Industry 4.0 investments.

Register for the webinar here and get ready to take your facility to the next level!