Which technological enablers will make an impression next year? We go over the now traditional report by the Gartner consultancy firm that lists 12 technology trends that will multiply organizations’ efficiency and productivity.
Lantek has been a leader in the sheet metal industry for 35 years and one of the key activities it has been working on since its inception is collaboration and support for OEM machine tool manufacturers in the sector. Not only has this collaboration helped OEMs to solve technological problems, optimising the functionality and performance of their m ...
Whatever the size of your factory, it’s time for all organizations to embark on the journey towards digital transformation in an aim to get the most out of the plant by applying the different solutions offered by Industry 4.0 (Artificial intelligence (AI), Machine learning (ML), Big data, Cloud, Data Analytics, Internet of Things (IoT) or Digital T ...
Industry 4.0 is in the news and companies in every sector are becoming aware of the terminology. Its potential for improving productivity is immense. But we must remember that this concept includes dozens of very different technologies, each with different implications and results. The challenge for industrial companies is to understand the possibi ...
In the industrial sector, being aware of your plant’s profitability is key factor in remaining competitive. This is even more important in the new digital ecosystem, where remote working has been incorporated into our day-to-day life making it necessary to use artificial intelligence technology and sensors to be more efficient. To make this possibl ...
Vision and innovation, cloud, modernization of apps and systems, security, services focused on and for the user, hyper-connectivity, artificial intelligence, protocols, IoT, integration... Digitization, a great deal of digitization, and all under the umbrella of Industry 4.0. The future brings with it a world with more options in terms of automatio ...
Innovation, competitiveness, Industry 4.0, technology, digitalisation... These are terms that have been used in combination for some time now in practically all leading industrial sectors, including the shipbuilding sector, whose transformation "a priori" may be more complex. ...
Today’s companies are transforming their businesses using machine learning (ML). From medical services to workshops, machine learning is becoming increasingly useful in all industries, understanding markets and optimizing business models. ...
They emerged at practically the same time, during the second half of the 1960s, and although they use antagonistic technologies and processes, in a metal or sheet metal factory both complement each other because they are unbeatable in their respective niches, as we’re about to find out. ...
When we talk about the Digital Smart Factory we mean intelligent and advanced manufacturing supported by digitization and the interconnection of processes and machines to collect and process data. It involves the participation of all the departments of a plant, from production planning to remote maintenance, including system integration or data ana ...
When we talk about automation we mean using technology to reduce the need for human intervention within a plant. The aim is to optimize the factory, making it more productive and, ultimately, more competitive in an environment where competition is growing and margins are becoming increasingly narrower. ...
Ultimately, the crux of the matter is to optimize plant production in order to mass-produce customized parts without increasing costs and while also boosting productivity, that’s why using Industry 4.0 enabling technologies is vital. We’re talking about both the sensorization of plants with Internet of Things (IoT) technology and advanced software ...
If we take a brief look back over previous industrial revolutions: mechanization (steam and coal), electricity (mass manufacturing, assembly line) and electronics and computing (automation thanks to information and communication technologies) we can see how these events caused cities and populations to develop, marking a turning point for economies ...
Following the impact of the pandemic, concepts such as resilience, business agility, crisis management, costs and cash flow and innovation have become increasingly critical for business, changing the reality of manufacturers, companies and consumers. ...
Cloud, Analitycs, Big Data, Deep learning, Artificial Intelligence, augmented reality… these and other concepts, that were already around before the pandemic, have now got some real-world solutions in industrial applications. Their aim is helping industry to optimize its processes through safe and effective digitization. ...
The immediate impact of Covid was the need for staff to work from home if possible, which meant that tasks like programming the cutting machines and preparing quotations needed to be quickly made operational from home offices. About 40% of our customers had an immediate need for this capability as soon as lockdown started. ...
Contrary to popular belief, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not going to replace people, but should rather be seen as an ally, given that it’s more geared towards optimizing business processes, such as task automation processes. The most widespread AI is currently based on learning from questions and suggestions made to humans to deal with the chal ...
Digital transformation is an ambitious undertaking for almost all companies, irrespective of the industry to which they belong. It requires an institutional change, which calls upon the active participation of everyone involved. ...
Once again showing its commitment to innovation in the sheet metal sector, Lantek is launching a new version of its tube cutting software, Flex3d, in an aim to address the great range of tube formats, designs and cuts demanded by the market. ...
The arrival of the IoT on the market was a watershed moment in terms of how we relate to technology. It revolutionized everything, from smart homes to connected cars, to systems for smart cities, 5G innovations and, of course, industrial advancements made with the industrial internet of things (IIoT). ...
Digitization is changing the way we manufacture, simplifying and improving the production processes of the sheet metal and metal industry with digital solutions that optimize manufacturing. And the machining sector is no exception. ...
Thanks to artificial intelligence, automatic learning (Machine Learning), Big Data and the Internet of Things (IoT) we’re able to carry out plant maintenance in a more intelligent way, using the available resources more efficiently, as well as anticipating possible failures using predictive techniques (predictive maintenance) with the consequent sa ...
When a company decides to go ahead with the digitization of its processes, it tends to be aiming for greater visibility, traceability and optimization, which generally implies improvements in efficiency and decision-making. ...
When facing the current environment of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity (VUCA) which is also highly competitive, the digitization of industrial material is an essential differential value in order to quickly adapt to market requirements. It’s a must in order to optimize plant production and respond to new consumption habits that re ...
Incorporating intelligence into factories is necessary in order for any industrial plant to compete in the 4.0 ecosystem, increase productivity and offer a personalized product and/or service, but this implies dealing with new vulnerabilities and, consequently, new security threats because machines, processes and information systems have to be in o ...
2020 was quite a turbulent year. The main factors needed for steel production (and the whole ecosystem surrounding it) were not entirely favorable. ...
Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) has become a trending topic in the industry due to the implementation of numerous algorithms by groups dedicated to academic research on artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years. AutoML is a tool for streamlining the development of AI solutions in the industry by providing explainable and reproducible results ...
Covid-19 has highlighted that, without the digitization of processes, it’s difficult to maintain business continuity, that supply chains are fragile and information is unreliable, exposing a digital divide between more or less digitized companies. Those who fail to cover this gap fall by the wayside, which means that accelerating transformative pro ...
The modern industrial design is supported by different CAD 3D software suites. These platforms allow the user to design everything from small parts to large structures made up of thousands of components (pieces of folded sheet metal, tubes, generic components, etc.). ...
The pandemic has empowered people even more, humanizing companies in terms of their relationship with their stakeholders. Clients, suppliers, employees, partners... Now more than ever, it’s obvious that the biggest asset of any organization is its people, how they feel, how they act, how they relate, how they think. This is what we call the Interne ...
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a key technology for the optimization of production processes and can be especially useful in sheet metal cutting factories from the automation of processes to the creation of quotes, cost control in real time, management of the cutting process or through expert guidance, using AI, of the machine configurati ...
Let’s think for a moment about the high volume of data generated by companies. Data about customers, suppliers, productivity, human resources... Information that, in many cases, is not integrated into all business departments so there is no overall vision or, what is worse, it is not even digitized. Both weaknesses stall decision making and/or can ...
There is significant competition in the market between different cutting technologies, whether they are intended for sheet metal, tubes or profiles. There are those that use methods of mechanical cutting by abrasion, such as waterjet and punch machines, and others that prefer thermal methods, such as oxycut, plasma or laser. ...
Countless studies have noted that, for the first time in history since the Industrial Revolution, businesses currently play host to employees from up to five different generations.
Research has only gone further to confirm that there are more similarities than differences between these generations. Indeed, each generation sees itself as adaptable a ...
Wiechmann Ketten- u. Kettenräderbau GmbH in Edewecht, Lower Saxony, processes around 8,000 tons of raw material annually in its sheet metal processing division to produce parts for a wide range of purposes and industries. Some are also assembled into complete components, including interim external processing. With Lantek software, all processes are ...
In the sheet metal industry, preparing the quotation for an order is complex, not only because the customer wants the quotation as soon as possible, but also because it involves several variables that, like a puzzle, must fit together perfectly to maximize the use of the material and adjust the offer to the customer profile with an adequate margin. ...
As plant manager or head of production, how much do you know about your factory? Have you identified and located every last piece of information? Do you know the efficiency of each machine? How about the workshop? Of each business area and the plant as a whole? ...
COVID-19 has evidently marked a before and after in many areas, from healthcare to social worlds, including that of business, forcing companies to change the way in which we work, both with our team and with our clients, the most important aspect of any business. ...
When we write the history of this decade, 2020 will be remembered as the year that marked a turning point, imposing important changes on our lives and on our jobs. ...
We are quite often faced with a recurring question from our clients, companies that have made the complicated decision to buy a laser cutting machine but have no clear criterion or contrast data to help them find out which is the right machine for them. ...
Typically, a second machine tool is added to plants in an attempt to increase production and/or diversify. However, we are also seeing it as a phenomenon aimed at resolving the issue with small series. This occurs when there’s a machine with a large automated production capacity which is expensive to interrupt in order to manufacture small series. ...
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us the importance of making decisions that are based on objective and accurate data. The reliability and quality of said data is fundamental and we must know exactly which data to use in order to justify decisions and add value. But we can’t just use any old data. ...
Even before the pandemic, the automation of processes in sheet metal plants was a lever for competitiveness, but now, following the impact of Covid, it has become an indispensable competitive advantage for any factory that wants to survive scenarios as disruptive as the ones that we are witnessing. ...
The Digital Factory is much more than a concept or an increasingly widespread expression, it’s a methodology aimed at the 21st-century company, a company that simply must be linked to technology and digitization. ...
In this era of pandemic, connectivity has shown just how valuable it is. Following lockdown, manufacturers adapted their workflow and the way they operated in order to continue producing. Those that were able to work remotely did so to maintain safety distances. But... what are the differences between factories with varying levels of connectivity? ...
The process of selling a new product or project is a particularly delicate one and bringing it to fruition depends, in many cases, on having carried out a correct cost analysis. Experience shows that accurate quoting in a sector such as sheet metal and metal is not a simple task. Many parameters and variables must be considered and if any are misse ...
As we saw at the start of the pandemic, digitized companies have been those best able to overcome the limitations of confinement. They have also had, and continue to have, the greatest potential to succeed in these times of uncertainty. In times of coronavirus, the value of connectivity has been recognized for its ability to enable productive activ ...
The industrial sector is a country’s growth pillar, it’s the competitive advantage of an economy that is able to generate quality employment opportunities that are stable and well recognized both professionally and in terms of salary. However, to sustain these strengths, we need to innovate, renew ourselves and anticipate the progress that is avail ...
Not so long ago we were asking ourselves whether the industry was mature enough to deal with digitization processes. It wasn’t long before the market gave us its response, just like in many other areas, those that were ready were few, the majority found themselves in the middle ground waiting for others to get going to see whether the digitization ...
“I need to integrate my (ERP) Enterprise Resource Planning system. How do I do it?” This question is more common that it might seem and, despite the fact that the customization of products and services is commonplace in the metal and sheet metal industry, at Lantek we wanted to provide a solution for those that already have a corporate ERP and need ...
The final consumer uses it daily, at least, during their working day. We take for granted that our residential buildings, offices or businesses have it, as do airports, hospitals, factories or ports, even means of transport. Ultimately, every building or infrastructure of a certain size that relies upon automatic movement inside it to facilitate th ...
Financial planning is one of the most important activities to ensure the smooth running of a business, and more so in the metal and sheet metal processing industry. There are many elements to take into account within this planning process, but it would be fair to say that preparing quotes is one of the most critical. The quote is like a map for a t ...
Manufacturers in the metal and sheet metal industry need technological solutions to improve and optimize their production, making it fundamental to have tools that make the automation of tasks and remote working possible. ...
The on-demand subscription model has spread through the metal and sheet metal industry opening up the door to an enormous range of software services for companies to access via the Cloud. ...
There’s a timely saying that states: "there is no such thing as too much knowledge", that may be true for knowledge but not for data and, in a world where data is multiplying, managing it properly and precisely when making decisions can mark the difference between the success or failure of a project. ...
From the Latin, patella, which is a large round metal pot or vessel, boilermaking (pailería, in Spanish) or boilerworks is a technique used for cutting and joining pieces of metal or sheet metal in order to produce metallic deposits to store and/or transport materials, be they solids, liquids or gasses. They tend to be large pieces which are shaped ...
At Lantek, we have an obsession - increasing our clients’ productivity day after day. With each evolution of our products and with each small innovation, our whole technological plan is aimed at achieving one objective: to make manufacturing better every day. Better budgeting, better analysis, better planning... ultimately, to never stop working! ...
The number one question any good business is going to ask when having a discussion for a new business investment is “What is my Return on Investment on this?” It is not only a common question, but it is also a very fair question. ...
The challenges placed before us by Industry 4.0 in attaining a digital factory with optimum results require solutions that will help us to overcome them in solvent and error-free manner. Conscious of these challenges, Lantek has developed solutions that make it possible to gather and analyze plant data in real time and, in parallel, to improve deci ...
There’s still quite a way to go in the industrial sector’s journey towards digitization. Many companies, especially the smallest ones, don’t have segregated IT (Information Technology) and OT (Operational Technology) networks, instead, all of the equipment is connected to one single network which leads directly to the Internet. In others, generally ...
For many companies, the journey to the cloud presents itself as a challenge. Its enormous benefits are obvious: cost reduction, access from anywhere and any device that is connected, immediate and unlimited scalability, integration of programming languages... Advantages that imply such substantial savings and efficiency that it’s impossible to igno ...
The industrial sector, like many others, is facing a period of uncertainty as the economic and business scenario has been radically transformed over the last few months by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. One thing’s for sure: emerging intact from such a delicate situation doesn’t just depend on ourselves; there are many intervening factors and ...
Cost-effective and likewise high-quality fiber laser cutting machines for the processing of metal and sheet metal including all services – that´s the offer of Xteg. The laser machines come from their Chinese partner HGTECH, where currently and after the shut down due to the corona epidemic in China production picks up speed rapidly. The quality com ...
Imagine a sheet metal factory. Hundreds of processes are taking place at the same time and all of them generate (or can potentially generate) a huge amount of invaluable data. That data can be processed and fed into the data analysis pipelines that Lantek is developing to provide advanced services targeted at improving the efficiency and performanc ...
The industrial sector is the powerhouse behind a country’s growth due to its ability to enhance the competitiveness and internationalization of an economy. The driving effect that it has over other activities, the quality of the work that it generates, the constant innovation and the speed and flexibility with which it adapts to different situation ...
In mid-March, when lockdown had only just started in many countries, we were writing about the digitization of supply chains to place value on the importance of using Industry 4.0 enablers (Digital Factory). ...
Lantek, pioneer in the digital transformation of companies in the metal and sheet metal industry on a global scale, has released its 2020 version which provides our clients with new and improved software solutions outlined in the release of version 40. and focused on working remotely and the efficiency of processes. ...
There has been a considerable amount of publicity about the advantages of cloud computing and rightly so. The advantages are clear as it removes the need to have skilled people to set up and run complex in-house computer networks and also takes away the need to invest in expensive equipment and continually reinvest to keep it up to date. ...
Lantek’s MES solution for sheet metal manufacturers is designed to help companies get on the path to digitization. This software helps managers to maintain control of their manufacturing operations, delivering high quality products on time at a profit. The system additionally makes it possible to use data from the workshop to make decisions about i ...
Humans have been manufacturing goods for centuries. What began as people making tools for personal survival has turned into highly automated processes producing consumer goods on a global scale. Now that we’ve become efficient in manufacturing at scale, the market is demanding customized products. This changes the way we think about processes throu ...
In this Industry 4.0 era, the new integral production strategies adopted thanks to the implementation of artificial intelligence and machine learning cloud solutions; at the plant, in terms of the sensorization of machines and processes and the Internet of Things (IoT); and in products, in terms of 3D modeling and simulation systems (Digital Twins, ...
Competitiveness and the capacity to adapt have become the axes that support the success of any business. Nowadays, the many changing intrinsic factors in each region and sector, macroeconomic trends of a hyperconnected global market, specific regulatory aspects in each country, or the consumer’s own behavior, can have a positive or negative impact ...
It’s the new manufacturing paradigm developed thanks to the possibilities offered by connectivity and the cloud. An increasing number of companies are offering their software associated with Cloud Manufacturing, such as ERP, CRM, MES. ...
What do we ask of our factories? Efficiency and maximum quality. To do this, we need a plant data collection program at the operator’s post, the objective of which is the monitoring, control and validation of each one of the manufacturing processes, from reception of the order to the completion of production. And all of this, of course, in real tim ...
It seems that new computing methodologies are released every other year. In recent years much of the focus has been put on converting legacy systems to cloud solutions. Widespread adoption of cloud technology in all industries has helped to drive the cost of these solutions down. While cloud solutions are helping enterprises and individuals stay up ...
Planes, trains, boats, buses, trucks or cars are means of transport where concepts such as safety, precision, optimization and the integration of software that gives us full control of the manufactured parts’ production cycle are key in order to make us more productive and competitive in terms of deadlines, quality, costs and price. ...
If there’s one type of technology applied in the business world whose effectiveness is unquestionable, it’s Big Data, which has significantly revolutionized the way that companies approach markets by establishing the practical use of information and its efficient analysis as a base. ...
The tendency in today’s world is to manage in an increasingly intelligent way and, unsurprisingly, this affects the industrial environment, the plants and industrial facilities in which the real-time planning and optimization of productive processes is fundamental for a business’ competitiveness. In practice, this is made possible through the incor ...
The raison d’être in industry is the transformation of raw materials into suitable products that satisfy people’s requirements and, by extension, those of the market. The quantity of processes performed and the parties that have to intervene to make this transformation possible vary depending on the sector or the purpose of the product. Coordinatin ...
Food display cabinets, refrigerators, endcaps, shelves, display cases, etc. The world of point of sale equipment in the retail sector is as diverse as are its requirements. Retail establishments require customised equipment, designed according to the specific characteristics of each premises and the type of food and drink to be preserved, with diff ...
The updating and reformulation of technological solutions is a crucial element in solving the design, nesting, machining and manufacturing needs of companies in the metal transformation sector. This involves the monitored use of new tools, which present new challenges in the programming field to achieve the most urgent or unexpected processes. ...
Digital transformation is making increasingly decentralized environments possible. As well as mobile devices and software tools that interconnect machines and processes while capturing data, storing all of the information generated by factories in the cloud makes it possible for us to take greater advantage of all of the information in a more strea ...
Hundreds of visitors spoke with experts at our booth and attended numerous speaking sessions about streamlining manufacturing operations by creating a digital thread between CAD/CAM, MES, ERP, and analytical systems with Lantek solutions. ...
Established in 1996 in Shenzhen, South China, Han’s Laser Technology Industry Group Co., Ltd was successfully stock listed in 2004. By 2010, it had already grown into a big group of companies with 6000 employees and, by 2017, it had achieved more than 1.6 billion US dollars sales turnover.
Lantek has been working with Han’s Laser for a considerabl ...
It is generally quite difficult to know exactly how much each process contributes to a product’s value chain. The sheet metal world is not immune to the difficulty of estimating the right price for the product. There is an infinite number of processes that add value to a product: material used, scrap generated, cutting time, consumables used, labor ...
Lantek recently developed a new algorithm called ICA “Intelligent Collision Avoidance ) in order to minimize potential collisions between the head and unstable contours. When the new algorithm detects which contours pose a potential risk of falling and being positioned on top of nearby contours, the system automatically assigns a micro-cut at the e ...
Until not very long ago, machines were totally dependent on orders from people. They were not autonomous and did not communicate amongst themselves, slowing production and thereby also making them more vulnerable to manual operating errors. Now, in the era of smart & digital factories, MES (manufacturing execution systems) continue to be the backbo ...
Project-based management is increasingly common within the world of software. The increasingly digitized environment requires comprehensive software solutions that provide relatively simple solutions to organizations’ productivity issues. This has forced partners like Lantek to offer customized solutions that efficiently respond to its customers’ ...
Accompanying our customers throughout their digital transformation involves constantly adding value. Only through innovative products and services adapted to the needs of each customer can the level of competitiveness required by a smart factory be reached. ...
Nowadays, practically all organizations have a number of technological plant management solutions that they use to resolve certain issues. Each one delivers, although in response to new needs, multiple tools are being incorporated, creating more complex environments that sometimes complicate plant control. ...
Thirty years ago, the global distribution of sheet metal cutting machine-tools was dominated by the oxycut variety (large thicknesses) and, to a lesser extent, the plasma variety (small thicknesses). There was a niche for punching machines along with water jet and laser machines. The latter were aimed at thicknesses less than 5mm and were expensive ...
Transporting water, protecting cables, channeling energy... There are round ones, square ones, rectangular ones or open profiles. They’re everywhere, from electrical appliances to awnings, including canopies, trailers or all types of machinery for the industrial sector. They are also manufactured in different materials, but the one we’re interested ...
It has taken more than two centuries for us to travel from the First Industrial Revolution to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and be able to truly refer to advanced manufacturing. Yes, manufacturing which generates and applies knowledge and experience, combined with state-of-the-art technology and innovations that enable products, production proce ...
Two years ago, Hollandsteel started producing metal parts for the Dutch market in a brand-new factory. Its machines are running 24 hours for an ever-increasing number of clients and its concept could be trendsetting for the industry. An interview with Ruud Appel of Holland Steel and Christoph Lenhard, sales director of Lantek Germany. ...
Shop floor control is a key component that substantially affects the decision-making process of any company. In this article, we will analyze the scope of efficient resource management and its related activities to help companies successfully transition from planning to reality. ...
Industry is changing at high speed, enabled by new technologies framed by Industry 4.0 and IIoT. New approaches for software systems and machines are being unveiled all the time. Different hosting possibilities for data and software could make us think that communication is a recent development, but it is not. In this article we will show that Lant ...
Material waste and a lack of agility in nesting or the nesting of parts are two of the most common problems faced by metal processing companies which slow down the company’s response time for its clients and make the process more expensive. This is due to them not using the appropriate technology in order to fully exploit each piece of sheet metal ...
Many manufacturers agree: it is extremely difficult to produce an accurate quote in a timely manner. Regardless of your industry experience, or how extensive the Excel sheet is that you use, you need to account for many variables to generate the most accurate quote. ...
One of the most highly technologically-developed fields in the industry is tube manufacturing, with regard to the development of both machine operations and software solutions that solve a plethora of issues customers face. The key, of course, is the ability to respond to and solve a multitude of potential scenarios, considering that there are a nu ...
We hear it daily from manufacturers: “I would love to become more digital, but I am just too busy.” While being busy is great for your business, and carving time to implement new technologies can be difficult, it is becoming more and more essential. Not only can it be difficult to find the time to implement, it can be particularly difficult to unde ...
Identifying behavioral patterns to increase sales, foreseeing possible problems in order to resolve them before they happen, managing stock in a much more efficient way or redistributing the workload automatically. These are some of the many smart manufacturing possibilities offered by this new concept in the Industry 4.0 era. ...
"How does the DQ Reporting Service work?" "What is Data Quality?" and "What value does it add?" are some of the questions that customers ask. This article was written to answer these questions. ...
A sheet metal workshop is a complex environment. Regardless of whether it’s a large or small workshop, every day there are materials, orders, and tools constantly moving from one side to the other. Without proper organization it’s easy for everything to quickly fall into chaos. As a result, all workshops have their own way of organizing and managin ...
Washing machines, dishwashers, ovens, kitchen construction, industrial machinery for the food sector, etc. Technology with the Lantek seal is making its mark on the consumer goods entering homes, hotels, restaurants or educational and work centers all around the world. It involves the use of the sheet metal manufacturing software in the home applia ...
We are international, and not only because we have a physical presence in more than a hundred countries and provide support in almost twenty languages, but also because our desire to assist clients as they move toward a Smart Factory leads us to strive for uniform and standardized processes from the outset so that machines can collect information a ...
In an environment where everything is increasingly interconnected and processes are fed from this exchange of data, the orchestration of the systems in a factory is becoming ever more important. This refers to the need to organize, order and coordinate production within the company, a balanced distribution of tasks in which every element must parti ...
Historically, different material cutting technologies have been developed for different sectors of the market, each with its advantages but also disadvantages and limitations. Usually they have been developed around a single type of cutting, but for some time now combined methodologies are being used, such as water and plasma, punching and laser or ...
Business Intelligence systems are increasingly part of the daily reality of our business as a tool to make better real-time use of the data we handle so that we can make better decisions, prevent errors, anticipate new needs and develop new business models. ...
An increase in the competitive pressure of the digital environment is forcing us to look for more time and cost effective means and greater productivity, requiring greater efforts in R&D to find innovative solutions in the metal and sheet metal industry. And in this search for better performance, two traditionally antagonistic technologies have joi ...
The Fourth Industrial Revolution has long since created an extensive network using innovation and technological progress to take advantage of all the capabilities offered to us. For some time now, it has also been proved that it brings many benefits to enterprises in all sectors, including those that may seem more complex and laborious to transform ...
One of the fields of greatest technological development of the sector is the manufacture of tubes, both the development of machine operations and the software solutions that solve the different cases that arise to customers. The key, of course, is the capacity to attend and solve the heterogeneity of possible cases, considering that there are a ser ...
The changes in the sheet metal sector start from the plant itself, connecting all the machines and areas in real time to make it more productive, thanks to the capacity of anticipation, prevention and prescription that the data emanating from the factory allow when visualised together. This optimisation is only achieved using advanced software, the ...
A favourable overall framework such as that of Industry 4.0, which encompasses a set of factors, extended to specific applications such as the connectivity of elements in the plant and the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), are leading the industrial sector to change at an unprecedented scale. ...
The digital ecosystem leads us to create collaborative environments in which we can grow as technological partners, sharing ideas from internal sources (the company itself) and external ones (customers, suppliers, the competition, the market) to develop advanced technological solutions. This is what we call Extended Digital Transformation, a concep ...
In the age of digitization, a company’s ability to customize their offer is crucial to enable them to become the preferred choice of current and future customers. This is an adaptation which is necessary in every sector, and the metal industry is not exempt: how do you differentiate yourself from the competition? The key is not in the product, nor ...
If we look back in time, we will see that the machines of the future will follow the same paradigm as previous industrial revolutions, producing more at a lower cost. ...
In addition to the advantages of its products for the general market, Lantek nesting solutions offer added benefits like auto nesting, nesting of remnants via kits, with significant time and material savings. ...
Industry 4.0 requires the provision of intelligence and technology to the entire supply and value chain. Lantek has become a partner of reference in this area of innovation, without sacrificing progress in other state of the art projects, as Asier Ortiz, Lantek Technological Director, announced in this interview. Big data or virtual reality are imp ...
We all know that our goal is to achieve online connectivity between our IT systems and the real processes taking place in our factories. However, in reality, nowadays there is no single communication standard which allows us to communicate our IT solutions (ERP/MRP/MES) to any given machine from any given manufacturer and, of all these terms, it is ...
Lantek recently presented a set of applications that allow the path to digital transformation to unfold quickly and intuitively for companies in the sector.
These applications now make up the suite of cloud-based products called Lantek 360. Users of Lantek 360 will have applications with enormous capabilities, and will be able to access and process ...
Interview with Mr. Austin Jarret, Managing Director of the British company SSC Laser Cutting. SSC Laser Cutting has three plants and manufactures laser cut and folded parts for agricultural and body on to chassis manufacturers in the UK. The company has recently started its digitalization process. ...
Could you imagine a situation in which from anywhere of the world you were you could access in real time to your plant’s information? Wouldn’t it be perfect to control your company’s production from any device? Even if you are at your own plant, wouldn’t be a huge technological advantage to manage any process from anywhere? And yet more relevant, b ...
Throughout the manufacturing process, it is very important to understand the impact that all operations will have on said process, the dependencies among them, the sequences they follow, etc. Having this under control is key to avoiding problems of overload in work centers, unnecessary shutdowns, and incorrectly assigned tasks. This is where the ne ...
Manufacturing’s digital landscape is shifting dramatically making it essential to take inventory of your shops digital assets. To improve your shop’s operations and become more digital, you must start with understanding what comprises your shop’s digital thread. From computers to machines, and the software that operates them, now is the time to tak ...
This Industry 4.0 technology enabler is real, so real that if you want to be competitive in the new digital ecosystem, there is no other option than to use the Cloud in your business strategy. ...
One of the biggest advantages of using cloud-based IT systems is that it allows access to company data from anywhere, at any time and using any device. Until recently this was not possible, since the information was generated, stored and consumed in the work centers. Lantek’s new value proposition is based on cloud solutions and aims to solve this ...
A typical sheet metal workshop can process dozens of orders daily, which translates into hundreds of operations on different machines and work centers. Managing such a large production volume is not a trivial matter. The production flow is usually interrupted due to problems such as unscheduled machine shutdowns, incidents related to internal logis ...
Alberto López de Biñaspre has been Lantek’s new Managing Director since mid-August. Born in Bilbao, over the last 16 years he has led working teams in different countries all over the world. He now wants to apply this experience to Lantek’s continued development. ...
As we all know, there has been much talk about automation in the manufacturing sector. Most of this automation has been geared toward replacing repetitive tasks, such as sorting of parts, by robots. Some manufacturers and employees in the field have expressed concerns and skepticism toward automation of these tasks. I pose the nay-sayers and skepti ...
In today’s world, one of the few sectors which cloud computing has not penetrated on a large scale is in industrial plants. Many companies are still wary of a remote platform which operates from outside their facilities, despite its undeniable success in other economic sectors and the tremendous advantages it offers. ...
Nearly everything we interact with is connected to the internet. This connectivity is spurring a widespread digital transformation. From our phones to our appliances and the machines that fabricate them, today’s level of connectivity was unimaginable a decade ago. ...
The digital transformation process brings with it a lot of uncertainty. How do I know what tasks and changes I need to carry out in my organization to transform it? It’s impossible to know beforehand. How do I know where I will end up in my transformation process once it is finished? It’s impossible to have a clear idea at the beginning. ...
Juan Ignacio Castro, a technology enthusiast with more than a decade of experience in aeronautical manufacturing, has been leading the digital transformation at Airbus’ Military Aircraft division. He has made it clear that the digital transformation implies an effort on everyone’s part: the company, the employees, and the suppliers. In order to ada ...
The correct identification and location of all the workshop assets is a necessary condition for the correct implementation of efficient and effective internal logistics that can help maximize productive
capacity. Traditional methods of identification and location are based on the human factor and are prone to error.
Lantek Workshop Radar is Lantek ...
In order for the company to stay at the forefront of development and the market, Lantek has provided an online portal to a customer which is fully automated both for sheet metal and for tubes/
profiles. This online store allows its users to receive a quote for fully automated laser cutting in a few minutes for 2D and 3D files. ...
CEOs ask themselves questions about how to improve their businesses. Why should I use Manufacturing Analytics in my company? Is it because it is a trend in the industry, and it is very cool to have it? Or, is it because of the ability to discover patterns and trends within our historical data and progress from reactive to proactive decision-making? ...
The prototype’s days are numbered. Yes, I know, it’s a hackneyed phrase, but this is the reality facing us thanks to the new possibilities Industry 4.0 has on offer. Nowadays there are software solutions able to generate a virtual design of a product or process we wish to test, thereby reducing labor hours and investment substantially. ...
Over the last several years, automotive companies have seen the need to drastically reduce the weight of vehicles and have therefore introduced materials such as aluminum, as well as new cutting and shaping technology. ...
Many manufacturers agree: it is extremely difficult to produce an accurate quote in a timely manner. Regardless of your industry experience or how extensive the Excel sheet is that you use, you need to account for many variables to generate the most accurate quote. ...
The competitiveness of our quotes in a world as demanding and global as today’s is a critical success factor. It can be the difference between the customer choosing our option or not. Being able to choose which quotes we want to prioritize and win and which are of little interest is what will contribute to ensure the profitability and survival of o ...
Smart Manufacturing. Digital Manufacturing. Advanced Manufacturing. Industry 4.0. Whichever term you have heard it called, we can agree it is the talk of the town. The catchy terms and constant spotlight may make it seem out of reach for smaller shops. That could not be further from the truth. ...
It is very common among manufacturing subcontractors to prepare multiple quotes for a single production. This makes the process expensive and complicated. ...
All companies must be prepared for the return of products for whatever reason. And a production plant is no different. Both the number and the reasons for returns or defects detected in production must be controlled if your company wishes to improve its reject ratio. ...
In the same way that the heart pumps blood in different ways according to the requirements of the body, the MES gives the production manager the ability to adapt to the pace and characteristics of the company, its customers and its production plants. ...
The Spanish industrial sector is facing an enormous challenge in order to become more competitive in the midst of digital transformation and in a market in which new consumer habits are pushing us towards a new form of manufacturing. The client in the digital era wants THEIR order (in capital letters because they don’t want what’s standard, they wa ...
The digital transformation has led us to review and reapproach our business, applying technology as a facilitator of change, but with the particular focus on the people in our organization, so that they can help us manage this transformation. ...
We’re told that the digital transformation consists of connecting the world of OT to that of IT, of sensorizing the machines in our factories and creating a hyper-connected environment to allow data to flow automatically, autonomously and allowing us to take more accurate decisions on the basis thereof. ...
In order for a plant to operate with the highest efficiency regarding deadlines and costs, and with total optimization of raw materials and processes, it requires advanced manufacturing management. Intelligent production that offers you, in real time, a global view of all the manufacturing processes and their automated planning. This is already pos ...
One of the biggest obstacles that the metal industry faces is cutting bevels or chamfers on corners. After months working on how to overcome the loop that is generated, we’ve developed Progressive Corners Beveling (PCB), an algorithm based on dynamic control of the 5 axes, which means that the head is progressively oriented with the angle of the ne ...
Nowadays, the customization of products and services is the priority for any manufacturer in the metal sector. As a technological company, making software that is 100 percent adapted to the sheet metal market available to companies is a key goal for Lantek. ...
We live in a global world dominated by information. Modern factories face new challenges related to this context and the metal sector is no different. The environment is increasingly competitive and complex: a multitude of clients, smaller batches and in higher numbers, more reduced margins, more demanding delivery deadlines... ...
In its effort to boost new technologies and as the leader in the international CAD/CAM market, Lantek has developed “Touch&Play” a Lantek Inside module encompassing more than 35 years of experience from Lantek in the sheet metal processing industry and new augmented reality technologies. ...
Companies in our industry are more conscious everyday about their need to digitally transform. However, they are facing the challenge of how it is to be adopted in their organization. ...
It was born out the emergence of bitcoin, to carry out monetary transactions within a closed community, not in an elitist sense, but in terms of security. Blockchain technology guarantees an impassable, hacker-proof system, which works because of the utmost trust between its users. ...
Data on operations, processes, logistics, personal data, financial data... Data, data and more data. Too much data. So much data, in terms of quantity and variety, that it can be overwhelming. What is the best way to collect and organize them so that they make sense? To know what to do with them, so that they boost the productivity and efficiency o ...
Tubular structures are becoming increasingly present in different industries, partly due to the slight lowering of the price of metals, but mainly due to the reduction in the costs associated with manufacturing (mainly due to the emergence of new and cheaper manufacturing machinery). Today many more companies have laser and plasma machines capable ...
The Internet of Things (IoT) will transform companies, corporations, opening a new era of economic growth and competitiveness. In the not too distant future, the interchange of people, data and intelligent machines will have a far-reaching impact on the productivity and efficiency of the industry. ...
The metal industry finds itself immersed in a phase of transformation. Digital technologies are at the epicenter of this change, allowing companies to connect their factories throughout the world. Although this brings clear benefits with it such as improvements in communications and greater efficiency in processes, it must also be said that this wi ...
Predictions for technology, and in particular those related to Artificial Intelligence (AI), have been repeatedly fueled in recent years, currently due mainly to the approach and paradigm of Industry 4.0. ...
Many manufacturers are struggling to transition their companies to Industry 4.0. The new era of manufacturing is focused on technology and data. This requires wholesale changes in the employees’ skill sets and processes. ...
We keep reading about digitization in manufacturing. But are we there yet? We might be closer than you think. Success now relies on efficiency and productivity to drive down operational costs. Companies that will be successful now, and in the future, understand the role digitization plays in optimizing efficiency and are transforming their business ...
No fewer than 90% of companies lack a digital strategy. According to a report by the renowned German strategic consulting firm, Roland Berger. Today however, these barriers can and should be saved, especially now that the fourth industrial revolution is here. It is unstoppable and there is no turning back. If you resist change you will be out of th ...
In recent years we have talked a lot about how technology and digital transformation have become an unstoppable
reality and how this is impacting business and industrial processes. ...
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