Per Steve Ilmrud of Hexagon…
“Initially, there was some belief [among employees] that the old way was better,” Ilmrud said. “But we quickly found that the system was providing us with input or direction that, while contrary to what we could have done, was really improving our efficiency and accuracy.” Rather than work on one machine at a time, and halt production if a part got damaged, for example, the system suggested assembling multiple machines at once to improve productivity even if problems arose with one. Collecting data throughout the process enabled workers to identify potential inaccuracies in time for them to be remedied, rather than waiting until the machines were fully assembled. “To wait until the end of the process and inspect if it’s good or bad is simply too late,” Ilmrud said.