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You may have heard the term Industry 4.0 bandied about in the media about factories and production lines like yours. You’re wondering how it affects your processes and whether you can take advantage of it to improve your productivity. At Bossard, we can help.

What is Industry 4.0?

Industry 4.0 stands for the next trend in the manufacturing industry. The first industrial revolution or Industry 1.0 happened in the 18th century when waterpower improved mechanical production. Then came Industry 2.0, which relied on electrical machines and the division of labor. Industry 3.0, which is where we are today, automates production with IT and electronics.

We’re now heading into Industry 4.0. The Industry 4.0 definition consists of smart factories with automated production and smart technologies that exchange data among devices. This trend includes the Industrial Internet of Things, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, sophisticated sensors, and advanced robotics. Like the ones before it, this latest fourth industrial revolution promises to increase efficiency, lower cost, and improve productivity.

Taking Advantage

Businesses that are well-positioned for Industry 4.0 share four characteristics: interoperability, decentralized decision-making, technical help, and information transparency. Bossard’s Smart Factory Logistics can help your enterprise achieve these characteristics with the following solutions:

ARIMS is an interactive platform that helps you manage your material flow. ARIMS consists of Analytics that gives you a summary of your entire process through graphs and reports, Interactive to submit change requests, and Mobile that lets you use your device to control all ARIMS functions. The result is full transparency of B- and C-parts and interoperability through machine-to-machine communication technologies.

Hardware systems like SmartBin, SmartLabel Cloud, SmartLocker, and SmartCard can provide real-time data and product information. They can also have replenishment orders delivered instantly to the point of use without having to go through a central decision-maker.

Expert support from Bossard specialists who can design, maintain, and optimize your systems based on your goals. We can customize our solutions to fit your needs and offer more consulting services, as needed.

We also offer more services for implementing Industry 4.0 technology at your facility including Last Mile Management, ERP Integration, and the Supplier Consolidation Solution. Get more information by sending us an email at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

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4 Inventory Management Strategies to Help Your Business Succeed

As part of its Smart Factory Logistics, Bossard has developed the Supplier Consolidation Solution to cut process costs. This strategy manages supplies by doing the following:

• Streamlining suppliers by merging existing B- and C-part suppliers into one supplier base.
• Coordinating information and material flow.
• Encouraging access to ARIMS analytics for examining, managing, and improving your supply chain.
• Letting one person manage the process and act as a single point of contact.

This simplifies administration and increases visibility and control. With the help of our experts, you can implement this to manage your inventory whether you use Smart Factory Logistics to manage supplies or as an order trigger system.

How We Manage Your Inventory

The Supplier Consolidation Solution takes care of your inventory needs as follows:

1. Kanban work and scheduling systems track current levels of stock to replenish orders as needed either automatically or with some manual procedures.
2. Our ARIMS interactive supply chain platform sends either an order proposal to your ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system or a replenishment order to the supplier.
3. Using the replenishment order, suppliers prepare the needed materials and identify them with the location of each item. Many materials may merge into one shipment, depending on your instructions.
4. The materials are then delivered to either the point of use or the dock.

Benefits

Our Supplier Consolidation Solution offers the following benefits:

• Guarantees the best supply management.
• Trims fat from the process to make procurement more efficient.
• Minimizes administrative effort.
• Improves delivery times and performance.
• Increases efficiency.
• Reduces inventory.
• It provides more time for you to focus on core activities.
• Reduces the Total Cost of Ownership.

Are you excited to implement the Supplier Consolidation Solution with your processes? Contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com to learn more.

Assembly Technology Expert services from Bossard can assist you in discovering the right fastening solutions for your production line. Bossard focuses on delivering the smartest solutions for all your fastening challenges. To cut costs and minimize your production time, they depend on three methods:

• Design for using fasteners to create perfect products.
• Optimize to hone your fastening processes.
• Educate so you gain expertise in the science of fastening.

These services consist of the following:

• Expert Walk to gain knowledge about your processes and products.
• Expert Education so you can learn how to use the right passengers when designing products.
• Expert Design focuses on how to create a reliable product.
• Expert Teardown disassembles your product to discover new fastening solutions.
• Expert Test Services uses state-of-the-art testing laboratories to ensure that your products meet the highest standards.
• Expert Assortment Analysis reduces your total cost of ownership and streamlines your bill of materials.

Incorporating Assembly Technology Expert services into your assembly process reward you with three main benefits.

Faster Time to Market

Making the best use of fasteners in your manufacturing process can affect the speed at which your product gets to market. When you’re the first to market, you gain a big advantage over the competition. Our Assembly Technology Expert services deliver techniques and hardware that provide advantages to your manufacturing through our fasteners.

Increased Quality and Safety

You can gain orders from current or new customers by exceeding their quality requirements every time and ensuring that your offerings are produced with no errors or delays. You’ll gain the best quality and knowledge from our Assembly Technology Expert services.

Higher Productivity

The contributions of our Assembly Technology services affect your assembly solutions for the better. Bossard’s goal is the same as yours: improve your productivity. Working together can only improve your manufacturing processes.

For more information about Bossard’s Assembly Technology Expert services contact us now at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

It can be a lot of fun to browse through a physical catalog, turning pages to look for products as you sip coffee. But you don’t have that kind of time. When you need a fastener, rivet, or some other hardware that is critical to your assembly, you need it yesterday and in great quantities. Otherwise, production at your facility stops and your goods do not reach the customer on time.

To make searching for our products, ordering them, and receiving them easier, more efficient, and more cost-effective, Bossard has developed an e-commerce site. You can access the site on any desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone wherever you are if you have an Internet connection.

You can begin your search by choosing from large categories or manufacturers and then refining your choice into smaller categories before you reach the main catalog page. You can then page through or filter the available products and either click on a specific item for more information or enter the number of items you want and add them to the shopping cart. When you’re ready to check out, click the Shopping Cart icon in the upper right and enter your delivery details as well as payment information.

If you need more information or have a question, you have two ways to contact us.

• If you need an answer now, use the Welcome to LiveChat window to type a message. A live support agent can respond immediately.
• If you’d rather look at the answer later, you can also leave us an email message and we’ll respond in kind. This method does require that you leave more details about who you are such as your name, email address, company, location, and phone number. This lets us know who you are, so we can tailor our response more accurately.

For questions or more information about Bossard’s e-commerce site, reach out to us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

Are you thinking about implementing kitting and assembly or currently doing it at your facility? If you outsource these processes to Bossard, you can receive the following benefits:

Speed

Outsourcing kitting and assembly results in faster production and, consequently, speedier shipping. Order fulfillment becomes more efficient because you’re preparing to ship entire kits rather than the individual items in a kit.

Flexibility

We have the flexibility to customize entire product kits and assemblies quickly and efficiently. Our operators are cross-trained in a variety of functions and depend on a highly adaptable production system. When you require a change, we can do it in as little time and with as few steps as possible.

Cost Savings

By having us take care of kitting and assembly, you avoid having to invest in developing an in-house production system, which takes time and costs money. This reduces your overhead because you do not need extra staff, equipment, and warehouses. Your revenue becomes more stable because of the immediate outflow in production.

Technology Access

You gain access to state-of-the-art technologies such as the following:

• Automated Production System boosts productivity and reduces the Total Cost of Ownership. Among the smart systems involved are SmartBins that integrate weight sensors to communicate current stock levels, SmartLabels that put all relevant product information and status on the product bins, and SmartLockers, which controls inventory by keeping them in intelligent lockers equipped with RFID security technology.
• Enterprise Resource Planning distribution system allows for complete monitoring of products whether they’re in stock or shipping to customers. Our distribution centers are aware of stock availability, pricing, and order and delivery status in real-time. This enables us to fill orders from stock and ship them on the same day.

For more information about Bossard kitting and assembly, contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

Bossard can assist you in improving production efficiency through kitting and assembly. Kitting bundles related products such as fasteners into one product called a kit, and assembly arranges all the parts of a kit so that it is ready for shipping.

We are well-equipped to handle all C-part kitting and assembly with one goal in mind: to fulfill your requirements efficiently, safely, and with the highest quality so that you receive products you need on time.

Capabilities

Our kitting capabilities include the following:

• Labels and bagging for simple kitting, or custom labeling and bagging for more complex kits with many parts. Custom packaging is available.
• Fulfilling complex work instructions that meet your standardization requirements.
• Assemblies that meet your Bill of Materials.
• Help with outside processing such as thread patching or plating.
• High-quality monitoring that covers the first article to the final inspection. Validation of all certifications occurs during receiving.
• Complete monitoring and accountability for all products that are either in stock or shipped to customers using state-of-the-art Enterprise Resource Planning for our distribution system.

Features

The following are some of our kitting and assembly features:

• For mass manufacturing, assure maximum financial capacity by evaluating processes and improving them.
• Add customer value by easing customer fulfillment and simplifying your Bill of Materials. Instead of dealing with many pieces, each with their own Stock Keeping Unit (SKU), you only have to track the kit SKU composed of the related pieces.
• Develop procedures to eliminate duplication and waste. These can include re-engineering product parts before production to create a more cost-effective design and resolving bottlenecks by predicting them ahead of time before they affect kitting and assembly.

For more information about Bossard’s kitting and assembly services, contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

If you’re still dealing with individual fasteners, cabling, and other components, you’re aware of how much time and energy is necessary to pick through and organize each piece so that it can fit into assembly operations.

Saving Time and Energy

You can avoid such cumbersome practices through two related strategies:

• Kitting puts together related pieces, such as a nut, washer, and bolt, into one set. Each piece is still deducted from inventory.
• Assembly arranges all the pieces of a kit into one item for shipping. For example, the nut, washer, and bolt ship as one fastener product.

Advantages

Incorporating kitting and assembly into your manufacturing process offers several advantages:

• Products can be mass-customized with different options and variations, allowing for greater flexibility when changes are necessary.
• Grouping individual pieces together enhances our commitment to lot integrity. We track customer Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) from raw material and works-in-progress to all related kits and assemblies.
• By following SKU rationalization to keep, add, or remove pieces from a kit, we can balance supply and demand within the product. By combining the many SKUs of individual pieces into one kit with one SKU, you only have to check the one SKU. Lead times go down and costs drop.
• Optimizing automated production systems help produce kits that can meet customer demand.
• Your field engineers receive upgrades and repair kits with pieces that are already packaged and organized. They do not have to spend precious time sorting and looking for necessary components. Because all necessary pieces are already packaged in the kit, there’s no chance of a repair delay because someone forgot to bring a small and rarely used item.

Want to know more about how kitting and assembly can benefit you? Contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com for more information.