Quality Drives A Smarter Plant Floor: 2017 Manufacturing Vision Study

Zebra Technologies commissioned a global study to analyze trends and challenges that impact manufacturing companies. The survey asked 1,100 executives from automotive, high tech, food, beverage, tobacco and pharmaceutical companies for their insights on adopting technology on the plant floor to increase their competitive position.

Quality Isn't An Option

In the not-too-distant past, manufacturers frequently looked for ways to save money on labor, overhead, and supply costs to effectively compete in the global marketplace. However, the rising number of product variants, the growing price of materials and rising customer expectations are shifting that model. Today, forward-thinking companies are embracing a quality-minded philosophy, and it is paving an alternate route to growth and profitability. New processes and technology advancements are enabling companies to focus on quality and reap the rewards that an automated and connected plant floor can deliver.

According to the survey, manufacturers are introducing quality checkpoints and automation at more stages in the process. After all, checking the status of a product after it’s assembled and finding an imperfection not only slows down production and increases costs, but it also makes it significantly more difficult to identify the point- of-failure.