Problem: Developing a Proven Solution
Kenson Plastics is a family-owned business that has been manufacturing and assembling custom-made, precision pressure-formed plastics since 1972. You’re likely familiar with their work because they make the plastic seat backs for airplane seats, as well as the panels used in first class and business class.
Kenson was looking at how they could become more effective at doing high precision assemblies for their high mix, low volume production. With increased demand from their customers, Kenson thought that robotics may be able to help but didn’t know how to get started. This is a common problem faced by manufacturers of all sizes who need a proven solution and have limited capacity for operational and business risk.
Chris O’Leary, Vice President of Operations at Kenson Plastics, said that Kenson had been considering the use of robotics, wondering: “Are we really the right people to endeavor to make a novel robotic process?”
They were able to answer this question after attending the ARM Institute’s free manufacturer educational workshops where they learned that they could leverage the ARM Institute to develop a proven, customized robotics solution without the pressure to purchase equipment. This eased the pressure on their team and provided a path forward to get started with robotics with the backing of both the ARM Institute’s internal team of experts and our expert consortium.
Zooming Out: A Risk for Our Nation
The challenges associated with implementing robotics and physical AI solutions are prevalent across geographies, industries, and various sized manufacturers. Supporting small and medium-sized manufacturers on their automation journeys is particularly critical to our national security.
Small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) are the backbone of our nation’s economy. More than 95% of all US manufacturing firms fall into the criteria of being an SMM and our nation’s large manufacturers, particularly those in industries like defense, aerospace, and automotive, rely heavily on these SMMs as suppliers and subcontractors. SMMs also employ nearly 50% of all US manufacturing workers, representing millions of jobs and providing paths to prosperity for US families.
Robotics and physical AI hold the key to unlocking US manufacturing competitiveness. But with manufacturers lacking the resources needed to explore and implement these technologies and the manufacturing workforce gap continuing to widen, our supply chains and the resiliency of the US manufacturing economy is put at an extreme risk.
Kenson’s Solution:
Kenson Plastics was evaluating the phase of their manufacturing where they prepare parts for assembly. The challenge was the need for one robot cell that can complete tasks on one part, like preparing the surface or providing alignment features, then move and complete similar tasks at a different workstation on a fundamentally different part.
The ARM Institute’s solution was positioning one robot arm in the middle of several workstations. An operator could press a button to activate the robot to move the correct workstation, identify the part, and complete corresponding tasks. In ARM’s work cell, the robot maintains three distinct operations at once, supporting three different assembly stations. This solution development included a software package that leverages barcode scanning and a first-in, first-out algorithm for task identification and workstation queuing.
At the end of the project, the ARM Institute team delivered a full bill of materials and software code that translates directly to Kenson’s systems, easing any potential challenge with robot programming. Kenson then brought these materials to ARM Member Premier Automation for the integration on their manufacturing floor.
“By my estimation, the work that we did both at Kenson and with the ARM Institute, allowed us to take the risk out of robotics…It offset the development cost that probably a company like Kenson Plastics would never have the confidence to do absent that experience [working with the ARM Institute].” – Chris O’Leary, Vice President of Operations at Kenson Plastics.
Beyond impact for Kenson Plastics, the project addressed supply chain challenges for ARM Members in the aerospace industry with Kenson acting as a supplier to ARM Members. ARM Members also benefitted from the project with Premier Automation completing the integration and Kenson Plastics selecting a collaborative FANUC robot (cobot) that they saw in the ARM Institute’s physical Robotics Manufacturing Hub lab.
Zooming Out: Taking Manufacturers from Operational Challenge to Business Impact Win
The ARM Institute has worked with manufacturers of all sizes, Organic Industrial Base (OIB) facilities, and others to develop customized plans for automation success that leverage the expertise of our 500 member organization consortium.
The problems faced by Kenson Plastics and other manufacturers aren’t unique. Many manufacturers are grappling with how they can implement robotics and physical AI solutions, facing challenges that include:
- Resource and time constraints
- Not being able to keep up with new solutions coming to market
- Inability to test solutions without disruptions to existing operations
- Struggling with preparing their workforce for the changes created by robotics and physical AI
The ARM Institute’s Automation Assessment services address these challenges and others. Unlike other organizations that offer assessments, the ARM Institute isn’t selling you equipment – that means there’s no pressure to move forward or make a purchase. We act as your objective automation partner in helping you to understand what’s practical for your unique operations.
Following our assessment, we can also create a curated support plan, which can include:
- Engineering services to prototype and test robotics and AI solutions
- Customized Project Calls to our member consortium for customized solutions if existing products won’t address your needs
- RFP support to save your team’s time
- Program management services to deliver your solutions on time and in budget
- Connections to suppliers you may have otherwise missed in the market
- Ability to test solutions without disruption to your operations using our state-of-the art facility
See Where Robotics & Physical AI Can Take Your Business:
Ready to see how robotics and physical AI can help you? Schedule an Automation Assessment to get a customized plan for success backed by our expert consortium.
Schedule your Automation Assessment here or email us at [email protected] to learn more.
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ABOUT THE ARM INSTITUTE
The ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute is a Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense/War under Agreement Number W911NF-17-3-0004 and is part of the Manufacturing USA® network. The ARM Institute leverages a unique and robust consortium of nearly 500 member organizations and partners across industry, academia, and government to make robotics, autonomy, and artificial intelligence more accessible to U.S. manufacturers large and small, train and empower the manufacturing workforce, strengthen our economy and global competitiveness, and elevate national security and resilience. Based in Pittsburgh, PA since 2017, the ARM Institute’s mission is to assert the US as the leading nation in manufacturing output through the adoption of robotics and AI. For more information, visit www.arminstitute.org and follow the ARM Institute on LinkedIn and X.