Walking the floor of the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago—between the 100,000-plus attendees and the thousands of booths—it was impossible not to notice the ongoing trend towards speed and automation in every aspect of manufacturing. It’s no different in metrology, as more manufacturers look to automate their inspection processes.
“We have seen a very big upswing in applications that require automation,” says Mitutoyo Solutions Manager Ken Myers. “As you know, with the reshoring of manufacturing taking place in the U.S. and North America as a whole, there is still a concern about labor cost, which is what pushed it overseas in the first place. So we see many manufacturers utilizing their skilled labor in more productive ways to achieve higher throughput, while still keeping labor costs to a minimum.