Using Manifest for Workforce Training and Retention

PBC Linear is a company that has developed an extensive portfolio of linear motion products. While we have continued to remain strong in all areas of design and production, there is a human element that has come into shorter supply of late--a reality that effects the entirety of manufacturing in the United States. Our number one asset, the experienced machine operator, has been part of a shrinking talent pool. Much of this results from lack of educations programs and the general stigmatization of the manufacturing field.

As we move into the third decade of this century, manufacturing is beginning to experience signs of a manufacturing renaissance. These signs are revealed in the use of precision-based automation, collaborative robots, and digital spaces that implement augmented reality (AR). This article focuses on augmented reality, and how training software like Manifest, developed by Taqtile, is changing how we shape our workforce to be more productive, flexible, and most of all, more rewarding.

Training: Then and Now

As recently as ten years ago, PBC Linear enjoyed a full lineup of employees that had accumulated twenty or even thirty years each of machining and manufacturing experience. This breadth of experience allowed us to bring in new hires and match them with an experienced mentor for training. Typically, the training on a machine would require four to six weeks to reach an acceptable proficiency. As this experienced workforce has retired and potential young recruits have chosen other career paths, a shortage of seasoned employees has ensued, making our training process much more difficult.

Taqtile LogoManifest software from Taqtile has begun to solve two prongs of the machinist talent drain. The first is its ability to use a gaming type platform that many young recruits can relate to. They are not versed in the pen and notebook, but rather the digital world at their fingertips. This not only makes their training methods more engaging, but also more attractive as a career.

The second remedy is the ability to extract on-the-job knowledge from experienced operators, and then create a program that can be indefinitely reused or tweaked for maximum effect. As Tim Lecrone, Director of Manufacturing Engineering explains, “After being introduced to Taqtile we were able to grasp the concept that we could take this tribal knowledge, make an instruction on it, and duplicate it when needed.” These complicated processes are broken down into simple tasks, allowing the new hire to observe focused and specific instructions in a document at their pace. This helps the student avoid a potential botched translation from the mentor, or know that they can always revisit the program if they forget a particular step in the sequence.

The Cost of Training

There is a substantial trickle-down effect with regards to not having a properly trained workforce. As a part travels through several different sequential operations within the shop floor, the cost to make that part increases, and subsequently so does the value. For instance, if we have a newer operator running a machine where that part is at its last operation before completion, a mistake can lead to a failure of that part and be rather costly.  In essence, a $200 part can become scrap. If we have fifty or sixty parts that end up being scrapped within one shift, the losses on a $200 part can rise dramatically.

Compare that to having a software tool like Manifest from Taqtile. Here, the operator can access the software to first look at a photo of the part, and then do a quick inspection to make sure the machine is operating correctly. The new employee’s learning process is relatively autonomous, freeing up time the would have been co-opted from an experienced worker.

Click here to see the Forbes article Augmented Reality: The New Knowledge Management

Augmented Reality: The New Knowledge Management

The COVID Effect

After a full year of dealing with a punishing pandemic, manufacturers have learned many valuable lessons. Much in the same way that technology has aided office workers with stay-at-home options, Taqtile has become integral in continuing employees’ training regiments while adhering to strict social distancing protocols. Employers have realized that new tools like Taqtile’s Manifest software can help employees learn and incorporate other new technologies like collaborative robots, which have also become more ubiquitous as a result of COVID. As the factory of the future comes into fuller view, small to mid-sized companies are finding the tools to create a flexible, safe, and engaging work environment while honing their competitive edge across markets. In fact, there is much evidence to support the conclusion that these new technologies are combining to create a renaissance in manufacturing that will inevitably lead to the reshoring of factories here in the United States.

PBC Linear is continuing to explore how we can continue to attract and retain employees. By using Manifest training solutions, we will have the capabilities to both train them very quickly and make their work more engaging. Most importantly, we can continue to get our parts to customers on time. As Tim Lecrone states, “I am really excited about where this tool will take us!”

Build your complete automation package
from Applied Cobotics!

Build your complete automation package from Applied Cobotics

Discover your future automation solution:

Click here to calculate your ROI

See other related information that showcases how PBC Linear is advancing manufacturing: