Manufacturing Automation’s New Leap into the Future

September 12th 2017 11:00:08 AM

Have you heard the exciting news? Your manufacturing automation potential is about to get a turbocharge boost because Scanco recently acquired JobOps (also known as Sage Manufacturing for Sage 100 and Sage 100). Now, in addition to the great flexibility you have with Scanco, you can look forward to more time-saving automation tools for your shop floor and beyond.

Are you a reseller or JobOps software user? Get all the information you need about how Scanco’s JobOps acquisition impacts you when you visit the acquisition update page or when you contact Scanco online.

What Is Manufacturing Automation?

If you hear the words “manufacturing automation” and instantly think of robots in the workplace, it might be helpful to clear up some misconceptions about automation.

In essence, automation includes any task that can be streamlined so it can be accomplished with less human involvement.

These tasks include:

• Data syncing across programs and devices
• Automatic updating
• Click-free report creation and sending
• Inventory balancing
• And more

Of course, these tasks are only the beginning steps in the business world’s journey to highly effective manufacturing automation. This recent acquisition has got the teams from Scanco and Synergistic Software Solutions (the developers of JobOps) excited about future possibilities for even more Sage 100-integrated software for your manufacturing operations.

What’s the Future of Manufacturing Automation?

While robots can certainly save time and increase accuracy for repetitive processes, the future of manufacturing automation will be about a whole lot more than delegating our boring tasks to robots. After all, robots were a technology envisioned as far back as the ancient world. Two millennia have passed since humans came up with the idea of robots and, honestly, it’s time to come up with better ideas than using mechanical slaves.

The most exciting automation technology is a combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). Let’s unpack those terms.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be loosely defined as “machines and software applications that can learn to think.”
• The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to our newfound ability to connect physical objects such as doors, soil, socks, or chairs, to the Internet using sensors and transmitters. If you’re not sure why connecting chairs to the Internet is important, you may want to watch this fabulous TED Talk that clearly explains IoT.

By incorporating logical reasoning capabilities into physical objects that can sense the world around them and communicate important data, we can move toward a future of manufacturing automation that speeds up the production and ordering processes through built-in inventory-tracking and counting. When we don’t have to focus on counting, we can do more important things like ensure customer satisfaction and push the limits of innovative design.

Take Advantage of Manufacturing Automation Now

If you’re as excited about manufacturing automation as we are, you’ll be glad to hear that you don’t have to wait for the future to implement automation tools on your shop floor. Your business can streamline processes and improve productivity right now with the powerful solutions you already have at your fingertips.

Find Out If Automation Is Right for You

When you’re interested in streamlining processes at your company with manufacturing and warehouse automation, get in touch with the automation experts at Scanco. We’re happy to explain the many options available that seamlessly integrate with your ERP.

Of course, with this new acquisition of Synergistic Software Solutions, Scanco is swiftly becoming one of the leaders in automation in the Sage marketplace. We’re already hard at work coming up with innovative ideas that will make your operations better, so call us any time you want a direct line to the future of manufacturing automation. Reach us at (877) SCANCO-1.