Every manufacturer’s goal is continued growth and sustained profitability. To achieve this, those primarily in the robotics and automation industries strive to cultivate client loyalty, develop high-quality products, and endure disruption in volatile global markets.

Therefore, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software is an invaluable asset in modern manufacturing. This software enables manufacturers to meet their complex needs by providing the tools they need to streamline operations, extract valuable information from data, and uphold fruitful business relations with partners and clients.

Competitive Benefits of ERP Software

Robotic component manufacturers of all sizes are increasingly contemplating what they should modernize first now that digital transformation is a reality, and ERP is frequently considered a high-priority choice for tech adoption.

An ERP solution offers a complete set of supply chain management tools that go far beyond supplier relationship management tools. These tools include:

  • Purchase Management
  • Inventory Management
  • Manifesting and Freight Management
  • Supplier Connect
  • Warehouse Management
  • Advanced Material Management

An ERP system enables you to manufacture more effectively than your industry rivals, resulting in higher profit margins and a surefire competitive advantage. Here’s how:

Well Managed Manufacturer-Supplier Relationship

Small and medium-sized manufacturers frequently depend on outside suppliers to provide specific parts for manufacturing operations, which prevents them from being self-sufficient. The immediate issue is that if a manufacturer’s sole supplier of parts fails or is incapable of providing what is required, production stops, and the company is unable to fulfill orders.

Companies must adopt a systematic sourcing strategy to maintain profitability and efficiency at their peak. The supplier relationship tools provided by ERP software make this job easier for the manufacturer.

Some of the advantages realized from supplier relationship tools include:

  • Lower Cost: Dealing with new suppliers can be costly; however, a supplier relationship management program can often reduce or eliminate those costs.
  • Consolidated Supply Chain: The more the manufacturer and supplier are aware of one another’s businesses, the more likely they collaborate.
  • Continuously Enhanced Operations: Suggestions and feedback shared between a manufacturer and supplier will help streamline the supply chain, cut costs, and improve customer service simultaneously.
  • Outsourcing Activities: ERP’s supplier relationship tools bring about trust. This enables the organization to permanently delegate to the supplier non-core tasks like maintaining inventory and providing customer support.

Enhanced Automation of Processes 

Spreadsheets with user-entered data previously went hand in hand with past ERP systems. Modern ERP software connects to technologies like robots and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors via the internet. This seamless integration enables automatic, real-time data capture and processing to identify business needs proactively.

Robots improve ERP’s strengths of automating repetitive tasks and incorporating transactions between various departments but also eliminate human intervention necessary for data entry and routine departmental follow-ups. 

For instance, in the past, automation enabled automatic reordering whenever stocks reached a predetermined level, but it still required an employee to manually input changes in the inventory level. With current ERP systems, however, modern robotics constantly monitor inventory levels and automatically transmit real-time data to all business operations.

Modern ERP systems receive real-time data from IoT sensors as well. They can continuously gauge motion, acceleration, pressure, proximity, water, temperature, and other variables that can be measured remotely. The data is autonomously entered into the system, and the relevant departments are alerted.

Employees can handle more productive tasks that directly contribute to achieving the company’s goals by integrating robots and IoT technologies into present-day ERP systems. Additionally, it lessens accidental double entry and human error, saving time and lowering operating expenses.

Improved Performance and Productivity

Manufacturers are acquiring faster and more detailed insights into their production line operations by relying on real-time data from enterprise resource planning. In addition, they can identify which aspects of availability, performance, and quality significantly impact productivity. 

By analyzing production processes and cycles, ERPs help you better understand how your organization operates. As a result, you’ll realize which operations on the factory floor need to be changed to boost productivity and get more out of your production line.

Likewise, an ERP will provide you with production statistics such as worker productivity and machining time, improving your performance metrics and providing a new perspective to your organization. 

Further, what previously required hours of careful data collection and report creation can now be completed automatically with an ERP. To maximize the capacity of your plant and boost throughput, you can use this information to optimize your plant’s equipment, workforce, and production schedules.

Boost in Business Efficiency

To increase efficiency and profitability and address labor issues manufacturers are automating processes and integrating robotics. This is driving a need for more Make-to-Order (MTO) and Engineer-to-Order (ETO) Robotic Solutions necessary for customization and streamlining production. 

According to a recent ERP study, an impressive 49% of organizations in the survey stated that implementing enterprise resource planning in their business drastically improved all business processes. In comparison, only 5% didn’t realize its benefits. 

Enterprise resource planning gets its name by emphasizing unifying business processes into a single system, eliminating redundant, unnecessary, and isolated processes. With ERP, businesses can organize their departments company-wide and prevent common inefficiencies caused by departmental isolation by integrating every computer system of an organization, including sales, human resources, planning, finance, marketing, and more.

How Automation Addresses Labor Shortage

In the era of Industry 5.0, automation is one of the most efficient tools for increasing manufacturers’ productivity. Through ERP software, manufacturing automation is combined with cutting-edge technologies like robotics and robotic process automation to further boost productivity.

Manufacturers are automating and integrating robotics to drive efficiency and profitability and solve labor issues. Automation solves the labor shortage problem by:

  • Improving retention and cutting recruitment costs
  • Increasing production while improving safety
  • Freeing the workforce for less repetitive tasks
  • Increasing production quality

Download our Free Epicor Kinetic Catalog for Manufacturing

Invest in the knowledge you need to accelerate business momentum and growth while future-proofing your manufacturing operations. In our Free Epicor Kinetic Catalog for Manufacturing, learn how to unlock cloud ERP’s true potential and manufacturing expertise to boost your business’s growth and profitability.

Our Epicor Kinetic Catalog is built with you, for you. Trust our expertise to maximize your capabilities to compete, scale, and recruit top talent!


To succeed in Make-to-Order (MTO) and Engineer-to-Order (MTO) manufacturing, you must meet your clients’ diverse needs efficiently and quickly. Today’s customers are increasingly sophisticated, demanding more personalized and configurable products. Consequently, every savvy manufacturer strives to implement innovative processes that beat the obstacles of mass customization. The right technologies can help you address your business and client’s needs and gain a competitive edge. In this pursuit for excellence, an aggressively proficient tool can come in handy. You need a production scheduling solution that can handle special job requirements, visibility, and inventory control. This is where Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software comes in.

This detailed guide will take you through the basics of this revolutionary software, including how it works and how manufacturers can use it to enhance their MTO and ETO robotics components.

The Need for ERP for Robotic Manufacturers

In the current era of the human-centric Industry 5.0, manufacturers are getting the most out of automation to drive efficiency. Companies nowadays make even more significant productivity gains by combining manufacturing automation with advanced technologies like robotics.

Generally, every modern manufacturer strives to achieve sustained business growth and increased revenue. Common strategies include:

  • Producing high-value products.
  • Establishing a loyal clientele.
  • Navigating the disruptions typical of today’s dynamic global markets.

But juggling all these simultaneously isn’t as cut and dried. The solution lies in acquiring basic comprehension of the most accessible and potentially impactful automation aspects. Fortunately, you can seek refuge in a reliable ERP solution.

The Benefits of ERP Solutions

At its core, Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP tools comprise integrated business management processes and tools you can use to oversee your company’s data.

The tool manages your daily operations like procurement, supply chain operations, accounting, compliance and risk management, and project management. Moreover, you can connect it to your machines for better insight into your worker’s and equipment’s performance.

This purpose-built manufacturing tool offers numerous capabilities and features geared towards a competitive advantage. Companies already getting the most out of these tools report the following benefits.

Visibility And Projection Flexibility

These tools offer around-the-clock visibility into your entire manufacturing process and product scope. They save each project’s data, enabling product prediction while allowing you to make appropriate adjustments to your strategy and on-the-fly changes to the company’s supply chain.

Improved Lead Times And Less Waste

This human-centered technology ensures optimal productivity by simplifying processes. The ability to leverage data from previous projects can significantly reduce waste as you’ll be implementing lean strategies.

It Aids In Project Management

ERP’s integrated project management facilitates phase planning and budget creation, storing your data in one location. This includes variance chance orders, task management, invoices, sales orders, purchasing, project-based scheduling, and manufacturing job views.

Advanced Analytics

These tools offer around-the-clock access to real-time production data. They record and review your product’s entire lifecycle, including project purchase records and audit trails. So you can always be sure of backed metrics to aid your decision-making – even if you have to decide on the go.

Aids Scheduling And Planning

ERP solutions inform you of each order’s real-time status, providing superior operational oversights to help you address problems, meet deadlines, tweak workflows, track capabilities, and boost collaboration using the social networking tool. By including manufacturing-focused tools in scheduling and planning, you’ll streamline your process to ensure clients receive the highest quality products on time.

Compliance

By automating your compliance process, you can be sure that you’re always on the right side of the law. The software also provides a comprehensive compliance standards trail for delivery, sourcing, production, and design stages.

Seamless Communication

Besides being a proven streamlining framework for business processes, this tool enables seamless product information communication with complete workflows. This includes client sign-off at all the vital stages, from concept design to provide the final estimate.

Serialization 

Most tools fail to address the crucial aspect of manufacturing: serializing finished products and their components. But an ERP tool will keep you ahead by taking care of serialization, returns, and warranties.

How ERP Software Works

In the most basic sense, Enterprise Resource Planning software simplifies business processes by decentralizing your information database and automating routine tasks. It meets complex needs by supplying the right tools to refine operations, obtain actionable insights, and maintain great partner and client relationships.

ERP streamlines processes to meet demand without increasing costs or sacrificing quality, improving your business performance.

Typically, small and medium-sized entities aren’t self-sufficient. So they rely on external suppliers to support operations. But what happens if your sole source of manufacturing components goes belly up or fails to deliver the vital parts? Your operations will probably come to a halt, and you’ll fail to yield on your orders.

Managing your supplier relationships and maintaining a network of reliable collaborations is crucial. This is your best way to maintain the consistency and quality your client depends on. ERP software provides great supplier relationship tools for this job. It automates vast supply chain processes and empowers manufacturers to make informed decisions and get an edge in the competitive landscape.

The system can serve as your single source of truth or repository for all records, helping you preserve accuracy, fix redundant data entry, and streamline workflows. It supersedes supplier relationship management capabilities to offer a complete suite of supply chain management tools, including the following:

  • Purchase Management
  • Manifesting and Freight Management
  • Advanced Material Management
  • Warehouse Management
  • Supplier Relationship Management
  • Supplier Connect
  • Shipping and Receiving
  • Inventory Management
  • Handhelds

Enhance Your Supplier Relationships and Supply Chain Management

At Encompass Solutions, we understand the role of automation and robotics in manufacturing. Thus, we provide the right solutions to help you excel and scale your processes to meet the demands of today’s growing market.

With years of experience serving manufacturing companies, we understand the industry and all underlying factors that drive Automation tooling and robotics. Moreover, we know how an ERP solution can address your labor and supply chain issues to drive efficiency and enable growth. So you can count on us for valuable insights.

All that said, don’t hesitate to download our Epicor Kinetic Catalogue for Manufacturing. It’s absolutely free!


Manufacturing has had one wild year and, in the wake of COVID-19, many industry experts, boardroom executives, and men and women on the production floor are “shopping” their theories for 2021 manufacturing trends.

Theories for what 2021 will hold run the gamut, but there is plenty of crossovers shared among contributing voices. Here are some of the most often mentioned subjects we are sure will emerge as the most impactful 2021 manufacturing trends.

The Reshoring of Manufacturing

When the mechanisms of manufacturing all but ground to a halt in Q1 of 2020, it became vividly apparent just how dependent nations were on the capacity and capabilities of a select few manufacturing powerhouses. A year on and COVID scarcity has driven the prices of raw materials up 100-200% when compared with the same period last year.

In the wake of this glut, more than one-fifth of US manufacturers surveyed by BDO are committed to the reshoring of operations as a top priority in 2021.

While both the current and previous administrations are pushing for consumers to “Buy American”, the same sentiment is ringing loud and clear through the EU, Japan, South Korea, and many other leading nations.

The world bought cheap and abundant labor out of China for decades, which left supply chains around the world bottlenecked and vulnerable. Today, diversification of the supply chain is widely regarded by manufacturers as a must-have, and countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Mexico are raising their hands to offer the capacity and talent to meet the needs of more local-focused supply chains.

Addressing The Education And Skills Gaps In Manufacturing

With decades of reliance on external manufacturing capacity, US-based manufacturers have seen an ever-increasing skills gap needed for their operations at home.

A tremendous contributing factor is the perception of manufacturing as a Triple-D sector. That is, dirty, dangerous, and dull. Whether on the shop floor or at the engineering desk, manufacturers are struggling to fill a gap in skilled jobs that Deloitte expects to reach nearly 2.5 million positions by 2028. Fortunately, according to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), manufacturers are willing to pay to close that gap.

Chad Moutray, NAM Chief Economist, said “Manufacturers consistently cite the inability to attract and retain talent as their top concern, and as this survey underlines, they are taking strong proactive steps to overcome it.” The Institute surveyed US manufacturers on their spending in the sector, which totaled more than $26 billion targeting training programs for new and existing employees.

Trade schools, analytics, sensor technology, robotics, AI, VR, etc. are garnering considerable investment to draw in the talent required to fill the deep need these manufacturers are experiencing.

Experts say that simply throwing money at the problem is not enough. Manufacturers and institutions need to share in the investment and collaborate to ensure that what students are learning now is what will be relevant in the manufacturing sphere by the time they graduate.

Talent simply cannot be trained to meet the needs of businesses because tech is changing at such an exponential rate. Agreements between schools and manufacturers will have to provide work experience opportunities while studying to close the gap.

In Encompass’ backyard, Guilford Technical Community College has received both considerable financial investment and buy-in from regional manufacturers with the institution’s recently opened Advanced Manufacturing Facility in Jamestown, NC. There is just as much investment from other manufacturers around the country who are hungry for an engaged and talented workforce produced locally.

Global Shortages Of Computer Chip Manufacturing Hit Home

With climate change, a topic of ongoing significance globally, the reliance on regionally produced tech has put the entire world’s supply of computer chips on thin ice.

Regional environmental conditions are now playing a much larger part than before in how we view the risk associated with the supply chain. For example, the majority of the world’s motherboards are manufactured in Taipei, Taiwan. This region is categorically prone to massive and disruptive weather events and earthquakes. For decades, this has been a reality the US, and frankly, the rest of the world accepted as part of navigating a global supply chain.

Initially, when the coronavirus pandemic first hit, semiconductor factories shut down, causing delays in the supply chain. Because it can take up to several years for these factories to reach their previous production levels, the shortage will likely persist for some time.

Everything from TVs to cars is affected by the shortage of chips, which effectively function as the brain of electronics. To put it in perspective, Apple, the phone manufacturer with a $2 trillion value and semiconductor budget of $58 billion annually, could not get enough of these in-demand chips for their iPhone 12 launch last year. The result was a two-month delay and things are only getting worse for manufacturers big and small.

According to Mirabaud tech analyst Neil Campling, “There is no sign of supply catching up, or demand decreasing, while prices are rising across the chain. This will cross over to people in the street. Expect cars to cost more, and phones to cost more. This year’s iPhone is not going to be cheaper than last year.”

Med Device And Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Look Pale

Such supply chain bottlenecks as mentioned above exposed overreliance on external manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and medical devices over the last year, as well.

Supply chain resiliency, through redundancy and duplication, is a costly and time-consuming effort. However, manufacturers are increasingly adopting a shift in thinking to ensure they can avoid the pitfalls COVID-19 has exposed.

Many medical devices and pharmaceuticals are only sourced through specific geographies. As a result, strategic goods and services will need to be tackled first in a new wave of focus from US manufacturing industries and policymakers. Luxury and consumer-driven products will have to take a backseat until those top-shelf items can be secured at home.

Shifting Trade Policies From Corporate To Congress

US manufacturers are driving the demand for diversity in a capacity beyond East Asia. However, many of the west’s manufacturers, big and small, are making moves to end reliance on the East Asian manufacturing hubs. Recent upsets in trade policy, like free trade agreements, Brexit, tariffs, the repositioning of NAFTA, etc. all impact these efforts.

While not directly parallel, policymakers and legislators are approaching the problem from their perspectives. Regulators’ opinions on the evolution of the supply chain are translated through a different lens than manufacturers. Geopolitical relationships and national security may not translate into the most favorable outcomes for businesses back home. Manufacturers want speed, efficiency, and capacity to deliver products to the hands of consumers. The government will view its priorities through a different lens.

Digital Taxation and Role Reversal

As the border between big tech and manufacturing become more blurred, digital taxation and who does what are the new hot topics. With an increase in digital cross-over into the material realm, the mechanisms of how to handle taxation have not quite caught up.

Namely, this involves the lines between tech and tangible and where the border between industries is truly defined. Perhaps the broader question is, can it be defined?  With companies like Facebook, Google, Apple, and others, who traditionally created digital products, now constructing marketplaces, and investing in tangible goods, like autonomous vehicles, are they considered the new pioneers in manufacturing?

Where does that leave traditional processes and discrete manufacturers? As discrete manufacturers create IoT and IIoT solutions to complement their tangible goods, like sensor and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) software, do they share the profile of Big Tech? The waters grow muddy. One thing is for sure, the landscape of both tech and manufacturing is sharing more overlap than ever before.

Access to Cash and What it Means for SMBs

Borrowing and access to capital is a defining issue for smaller manufacturers. With interest rates low for manufacturers, questions about effective tax rates, trade relationships, and capital expenditure have been conservative. Fortunately, trade talks with the Biden administration and China have started to take shape, vaccinations are rolling out, and outlooks are generally optimistic.

One leading indicator of this upward trend is found in the number of bankruptcies experienced by manufacturers over the last year. Not nearly as many bankruptcies emerged as were predicted by researchers, analysts, and economists. The big change may have been the fact that banks do not want to become owners like after the 2008 housing crisis. There is simply too much to manage in manufacturing and rather than take on the headache of industry banks may not know enough to run effectively, they opted to work with businesses in the sector to find solutions that worked for both sides.

Robotics and Automation

Robots and automation have been four-letter words for decades, essentially scaring people away from manufacturing. Unfortunately for fear mongers, the need for skilled labor is even more necessary with the inclusion of these advanced technologies. More engineers, more cobot operators, maintenance personnel, and even truck drivers to fuel the internal distribution networks of the United States are in high demand. There will certainly be an upset in the world of manufacturing as these technologies proliferate. However, the timeline by which that proliferation overtakes a human workforce grows ever longer as technology proves to be just as reliant on us as we are on it.

The New Contract Manufacturers

New methods of manufacturing, such as 3D printing or additive manufacturing, are upsetting the traditionally held roles in Industry.

Take, for instance, the effect these technologies have bestowed on traditional distributors.

Third-party logistics providers (3PLs) like Fed Ex, UPS, and others are entering the manufacturing arena, cutting out a space for themselves, and cutting off competitors, in some cases manufacturers, by assuming certain aspects of manufacturing. By leveraging additive manufacturing technology, these logistics providers can cut out the middleman to handle the production and delivery of simple parts and components on a decent scale. You can send your CAD file directly to the 3PL, who will then print out the part and ship it directly.

For the recipient, potentially a manufacturer, in this case, there is a degree of control that is relinquished. Depending on your product, at some point, you will need to verify that your vendor (3PL) is meeting your quality requirements. While the approach is in its infancy with a foundation shaky enough to keep some at arm’s length, it could be a trend that picks up steam quickly. If these providers can achieve the quick turnaround they promise and meet the quality standards that manufacturers and consumers demand, there could be a real shift on the horizon.

Green Materials Propagate in 2021 Manufacturing Trends

Sustainability has never been a topic weighing as heavily on consumers’ hearts and minds as it is today. This puts more weight squarely on the shoulders of manufacturers.

If consumers want more environmentally conscious products and production methods, it’s up to manufacturers to adapt and educate their customers about the changes taking place.

Take for instance the textiles and plastics being replaced by renewable and eco-friendly materials, like mycelium.

Major global brands like Dell Technologies and IKEA have already committed to adopting a Styrofoam packaging replacement made by Ecovative Design.

Indonesian manufacturer MYCL will soon launch a series of sneakers, sandals, wallets, luggage tags, and watch straps made of its mycelium-based leather, Mylea.

The trend has even proliferated into the world of high fashion, with U.S. manufacturers Bolt Threads and MycoWorks aiming to make mycelium-based leather products more widely available this year.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, or renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Recent technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), analytics, the cloud, the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, mobility, and robotics have the potential to connect billions of transactions to and from disparate systems, to smart machines, and unimaginable amounts of data.

To remain competitive, manufacturers must deliver high-quality, innovative products and get them to market faster. By making better use of data, manufacturers can better predict customer demand, quickly adjust to changes in the marketplace, accelerate the engineer-to-order process, and communicate more efficiently within an optimized value chain.

 

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm specializing in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


We came, we saw, it was awesome. Encompass Solutions’ participation as exhibitors and speakers at Automate 2019 gave us the perfect vantage point from which to experience the show and deliver an Automate 2019 recap.

an image of the encompass solutions booth team at automate 2019

Automate 2019 At a Glance

Produced by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), the show featured more than 500 exhibitors in the massive 160,000-square-feet exhibition space at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. In addition, the show hosted five educational tracks that included practical training in How to Automate, Automation Solutions & Innovation, Collaborative & Mobile Robotics, AI, Digitalization & Smart Manufacturing, Certified Vision Professional (CVP) Basic, Certified Vision Professional (CVP) Advanced, Certified Motion Control Professional (CMCP), and Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Updates. These tracks included content from introductory level to advanced topics for users, students, educators, and operators. While we delivered an introductory seminar on current automation types, robotics in use on the factory floor, and how you can get started implementing in your facilities, we attended several breakout and advanced sessions. During each of those talks, one theme emerged over and over–ours is the age of automation.

Here are just a few more happenings from Automate 2019 regarding new advanced robots and robot vendor developments that are rolling out into facilities worldwide.

Automation 2019 Key Takeaways

There were too many things we learned at Automate 2019 to list in one post. However, we want to share a few highlights that we think everyone needs to consider moving forward:

  • Automation is here and it’s only gaining more momentum as advancements in hardware, software, and utilization become more refined.
  • If you are not thinking about leveraging automation and robotics, you are already behind.
  • While many are expecting an economic downturn between 2020-2022, now is still the best time to begin investing in these technologies.
  • Start small. You don’t have to outfit your entire operation to remain competitive. start with one robot or one instance of automated assembly. build from there.
  • Empower your staff and involve them in the transformation that is coming.
  • Focused Automation and Robotics specializations for employees will be necessary, as there will be less and less room for unskilled staff in modernized facilities.
  • Upskilling current staff will be of greater benefit and lower cost for employers than training and onboarding new staff.=

It’s going to be a hard-fought battle to outpace competitors as automation becomes more affordable and more accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises. Start training and experimenting with automation today and you’ll be ready to weather the bout.

ERP At Automate 2019

We spoke with hundreds of users and manufacturers thinking about robotics and automation during the weeklong Automate 2019 event. While the robots and automation enclosures were captivating, to say the least, one thing few seemed to consider during that time was how they were going to connect those robotics and automated systems to the rest of their enterprise. In short, the answer is an ERP solution.

It’s one thing to install a robot on your factory floor to install windshields, make welds, or assemble PCBs. However, what are you doing with that data from your manufacturing processes? Are you even tracking it? By plugging your robotics and automation data into your ERP system, you are getting more detailed accounts of performance, quality, material and time optimization, maintenance cycles, and so much more. Everyone we spoke with, from attendees to exhibitors to organizers, agreed that ERP connectivity is an essential component of automation and robotics on the factory floor. We look forward to carrying those conversations further and urge everyone looking to automate processes or install robots in their facilities to consider the necessity for visibility and connectivity when evaluating such technologies.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions, Inc. is an ERP consulting firm and Epicor Gold Partner that offers professional services in business consulting, project management, and software implementation. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems or addressing emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. As experts in identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Encompass Solutions is proud to announce it has been selected to deliver an educational Automation and Robotics presentation at the largest Automation conference and trade show in the United States, Automate 2019.

an image of the automate 2019 announcement as part of January 2019 News And Updates

About Automate 2019

The event will take place April 8-11, 2019 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. Featuring the latest in automation technology and solutions for manufacturers and businesses, Automate 2019 is looked forward to by tens of thousands of industry professionals. Whether you are looking to buy automation technology, learn about the latest trends and applications for businesses, or simply want to admire the innovations advancing manufacturing in the United States, this show is an exceptional experience that you won’t want to miss.

Come visit Encompass Solutions at Booth #9245 to discuss what your business can do with clear direction and clear results.

an image of the encompass solutions booth 9245 at automate 2019 floorplan

About The Encompass Automation And Robotics Presentation

This presentation, developed by senior consultants and industry experts at Encompass Solutions, is designed to be an educational breakout session for manufacturers who are interested in learning more about automation and robotics on the factory floor. Topics covered in the presentation include:

  • Types of automation used in manufacturing processes
  • Types of Robots used in Manufacturing processes
  • Concepts and components that are peripheral to these topics
  • What steps to take as you begin implementing Automation, Robotics, or both in your business

The presenter for this event is Jason Claggett, Encompass Solutions’ Managed Services Manager. Jason is an infrastructure and information systems professional with more than 20 years of experience. With particular expertise in process improvement and business systems, such as ERP and Manufacturing Execution Systems, Jason regularly presents to software user groups throughout the Midwest and southwest regions regarding the latest technology and innovations available to manufacturers.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of Industry.


Automation is hitting the food and beverage packaging industry hard, with a recent report from the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies revealing half of the companies it surveyed substantially increased plant automation over the next three to five years. That said, those food and beverage manufacturing professionals surveyed admitted that while they knew automation had to be adopted, they didn’t know where to begin when it came to the implementation of robotics, automation, or ERP software.

a photo of a robot in a food and beverage manufacturing facility where chocolate is made.

Advances in agriculture, food, and beverage processing automation and robotics technologies have been drastically changing how these industries operate.

Advances in agriculture, food, and beverage processing automation and robotics technologies have been drastically changing how these industries operate. The benefits to progress these technologies provide are too numerous and too significant to ignore. However, the trend is at odds with the very nature of these industries, which are among the most highly controlled and restrictive in the world. This is one of the main reasons these manufacturers have only now been able to build momentum in modernizing operations.

Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director at EU Automation attributes the shift to the decrease in implementation costs as well as improved performance provided by more refined technologies in the sector. These manufacturers are ready to adopt new technology now that it has been proven to offset the rising costs of raw materials and the energy required in production.

Food And Beverage Manufacturing Advice From The Experts

Nigel Smith, CEO of industrial robotics specialist firm TM Robotics, has some choice advice for those in food and beverage manufacturers looking to adapt their operations to the rapidly changing manufacturing landscape. By incorporating the latest in robotics and advanced automation technology these enterprises can improve performance and overall value. Smith highlights a few key factors that will boost potential ROI and minimize the headaches associated with integrating new systems into existing infrastructure.

Plan With Purpose

No two systems are the same. Whether canning kombucha or creating ready-made meals on an assembly line, assessing the specific needs of a food and beverage manufacturing operation before implementation is essential. The right robots and associated hardware to complement them will make or break your automation efforts. The software powering the backend is an often-overlooked element to consider, as well. Operating systems for your robotic workforce, trained human counterparts, and ERP software all come together to create a manufacturing floor working with precision, driving productivity, and optimizing operations. Once the creation of goods is complete, what about distribution and order fulfillment? additional components of the sales cycle come into play long after your goods are packaged and ready to go. The right technology to compete in a modern distribution environment is essential, as well.

a photo of glass beer bottles on a bottling line in a food and beverage manufacturing brewery - encompass solutions.

Whether canning kombucha or creating ready-made meals on an assembly line, assessing the specific needs of your operation before implementation is essential.

 

When it comes to installation, designers and consultants need to think beyond the process, like their manufacturer, to understand the importance of consistency, compliance, and presentation. Partnering with the right system integrators and ERP consultants and managed services can make or break manufacturers’ modernization efforts.

Personalize Performance

Once you’ve completed the broad strokes of selection, you’ll need to zero in on the supplementary components of your plan to drive ROI.

food and beverage manufacturing in a grain sorting plant

Calibration is another key component that needs to be considered and deemed precise when handling products to ensure waste is kept to a minimum.

Let’s say you’ve got the SCARA machines to pick and place ingredients for each batch in your process, but do you know which grippers to use to ensure minimal damage to those ingredients? What about the right vision system to properly identify those ingredients or potential defects? Calibration is another key component that needs to be considered and deemed precise when handling products to ensure waste is kept to a minimum. These details are exactly why food and beverage manufacturers looking to modernize should work with experienced and reputable integrators and consultants to bring operations up to a competitive pace.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions, Inc. is an ERP consulting firm and Epicor Gold Partner that offers professional services in business consulting, project management, and software implementation. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems or addressing emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. As experts in identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


AI and Robotics

With discrete and batch process manufacturers already taking full advantage of advancements in robotics and machine vision technology to improve operations, winemakers and agricultural industries are increasingly leveraging AI and Robotics to improve processes in the vineyard. Coupled with modern ERP systems, these manufacturers are better equipped to weather disruption and establish their foothold in a competitive marketplace.

Manufacturing, packaging, and production are already quite familiar with automation, vision systems, and collaborative robotics. Now, the more traditionally manual and complex areas of agriculture are beginning to feel the influence of these powerful technologies.

Automation In Agriculture

For example, Researchers at the Agriculture and Biological Engineering Group at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are making big pushes for robotics and automation proliferation in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. The group has outlined its vision for the influx of robots, machine vision, and AI on three levels. Initially, robots will utilize machine vision technology to survey and collect data that provide insight into a variety of environmental factors. A follow-up with more specialized robots will prepare and maintain sites, performing field operations such as weeding, picking, and pruning. Once a suitable location has been established and the land prepared for operations, third-generation robots and autonomous systems will emerge to automate the complete process from seeding to packing. The vision may still be years from coming to fruition, but examples of second-generation robots are already in the works. Take the California wine industry for example, where robots and irrigation technology are working in tandem to make more efficient use of watering practices in the drought-stricken state.

A Robot Workforce Uprooting Global Wine Industries

The vineyard might be one of the last places people imagine the latest advancements in technology are being utilized. However, the applications of machine vision, AI, and robots are disrupting the winemaking industry to such an extent that the benefits of their incorporation are too great to ignore.

Take California’s wine country for example. In a state with one of the most sizable wine industries in the world, while at the same time plagued with drought, innovators have answered the call with Robot-Assisted Precision Irrigation Delivery (RAPID). RAPID uses precision monitoring technology to deliver water through specialized emitters attached to irrigation lines laid throughout a vineyard.

The project was funded with a $1 million grant from the Department of Agriculture and headed by UC Merced professor Stefano Carpin. The unmanned ground vehicle, equipped with GPS can map routes throughout vineyards.  Relying on drone and satellite images, the vehicle will have a continuous view of weather conditions in real time. Additionally, the robot will utilize a “grasping hand” to turn the water emitters in such a way that increases or decreases the flow of water. This system improves on the current irrigation setup considerably, since the irrigation watering systems currently in use deliver a constant flow of water across the entire system. With the more efficient use of water in the drought-stricken region, RAPID can improve vineyard yield, reduce waste, and even customize the watering process dependent on a vineyard’s variety of grapes. Carpin hopes to have a fully functional test system available by 2020.

Pruning With Precision Machine Vision Systems

Wall-Ye V.I.N is France’s answer to one of the most labor-intensive components of running a vineyard, vine maintenance. Pruning, de-suckering, and clipping fruitless shoots, to be more precise. Understanding which vines need to be pruned and to what extent is considered a sacred charge in many winemaking circles. Nevertheless, tremendous advancements are being made to automate these laborious and time-consuming tasks. The creation of Burgundy-based inventor Christophe Millot, Wall-Ye V.I.N. has even the most scrupulous winemakers nodding in approval as the economic value the robot presents is undeniable. Take for instance the human component of pruning. It takes somewhere near three years to fully train a pruner to man the vines, whereas Wall-Ye V.I.N. promises to be ready to prune in a fraction of the time. Still, the robot will not be capable of taking on all the associated tasks its human counterparts are responsible for and instead take on a collaborative role within the industry.

Meanwhile, across the globe, California-based Vision Robotics is hard at work creating a system considerably larger than Wall-Ye V.I.N. to tackle pruning tasks. Canterbury University’s Australia campus is developing a similar pruning robot as well. All three projects have a common imaging system that feeds into an AI that is focused on 3D modeling to determine which vines are cut.

Robotics Helping Harvest

Once the cluster-heavy vines are ready for harvest, machine vision, AI and robotics come into play in a big way. Identifying which grapes are going to produce the best wine is an arduous task made easy with the incorporation of modern technology. Take for instance the robots in place at the Hall Vineyards in Napa Valley, California. Once grape clusters have been harvested, the robots on location are fed the clusters to identify which cut and which do not. Taking more than 10,000 photos a second, the robot is capable of analyzing each photograph virtually instantly.

The operator inputs what parameters the robot uses to identify what is acceptable and what is not. All acceptable specimens proceed to a “good fruit” bin at the end of a conveyor, while the rejected fruit is blasted off the line with a precision burst of air. This is just one way that robots improve the efficiency of vineyard operations and enable winemakers to create even more satisfying beverages.

Another example emerges in the EU project, VineRobot, which uses color cameras, Infrared thermography, and GPS techniques to obtain agronomical and physiological data from the vineyard in real-time. By combining all the necessary data to conclude, VineRobot can alert operators and other staff of nutrient deficiencies in plants and ready for harvest fruits based on pigmentation. Throughout the process, Vine Robot is creating a complete representation of the vineyard’s crop quality as a result of the data gleaned from its sophisticated vision sensors and systems.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm specializing in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


‘Daisy’, the disassembling robot, is Apple’s answer to reclaiming the valuable materials that go into the creation of nearly every Apple mobile and tablet device. Aluminum, cobalt, gold, silver, platinum, and many other valuable metals and rare earth can be extracted using this useful technology. Daisy’s efficiency is punctuated by an exceptional rate of recovery, disassembling, and collecting materials from outdated devices at the rate of 200 iPhones per hour.

Not only has the recycling robot enabled Apple to recover these valuable resources, but the machine’s creation process has yielded valuable information on recycling many of these materials in a cleaner and more efficient manner. New processes have eliminated the need to introduce contaminants and other dangerous substances into the recycling process, leading to an unsullied recycling process all around.

Daisy is not the first iteration of a mechanical recycler, though. Liam was the predecessor announced by Apple back in 2016. A very specialized robot, Liam was designed to specifically disassemble iPhones to access the recyclable materials inside. Some of the crucial components Liam sought, and Daisy seeks, out in each iPhone carcass include cobalt and lithium from the phone’s battery, gold and copper from the camera, silver and platinum from the device’s logic board, and aluminum from the enclosure.

Additional Charity With Apple’s GiveBack

Alongside the Daisy announcement, which coincided with Earth Day, Apple has announced the commitment to match customers’ turn-ins of devices with charitable contributions to the Conservation International environmental non-profit based in Virginia until April 30th. Some devices being turned in will even knab in-store gift cards and credit for those donating.

The press release detailing Daisy and Earth Day campaigns from Apple, along with all media associated with the announcement, can be found in the Apple Newsroom.

Cleaner Streams Of Recycling With Material Recovery Facilities

Daisy’s announcement is just one of the many emerging advancements taking place in the world of Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs). The recent WasteExpo 2018 in Las Vegas highlighted many of the recent advancements in the world of cleaner recycling and material recovery in electronics recycling, cleaning and sorting equipment, and municipal recycling endeavors.

Robotics and Artificial intelligence, in particular, are assuming significantly larger roles in the advancement of recycling efforts, enabling greater efficiencies in:

  • Heavy lifting
  • No deviation due to fatigue
  • Repetitive tasks
  • Continuously high levels of concentration
  • Purity rates and consistent and accurate identification of products
  • Pre-emptively tracking and managing work
  • Maximal operating time
  • Evolutive identification of products and more meaningful data
  • Reproductivity of results
  • Reduced labor and training
  • Lower operating costs

While these innovations in the field of material recovery have enabled companies like CleanRobotics, and AMP Robotics to function with greater efficiency, difficulties remain within the variety of materials flowing into the recycling stream. The resounding answer to the challenge emerges again and again with machine vision.

Material Recovery Pushes Advances In Machine Vision Systems

Coupled with robots on recycling conveyor systems, machine vision systems identify elements and materials according to several characteristics. Once identified, the robotic component will employ suction, grippers, and grabbers to remove materials from the conveyor and sort them accordingly, for either direct recycling or further disassembly, if necessary. Eagle Vision and Bulk Handling Systems are two entities addressing the need for more robust machine vision systems in MRFs.

Interconnectivity between MRF system components read as the Industrial Internet of things (IIoT), allows devices to “speak” with one another across the facility. The results can be presented as simply as “I’m getting too much plastic” to which screens can be adjusted to narrow or expand the flow of specific materials, according to Nathanaël Lortie, co-founder, and president of Eagle Vision.

With accuracy rates reaching upwards of 85 -95 percent, these robots and their associated systems far surpass the public shoddy-by-comparison 30 percent accuracy.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions, Inc. is an ERP consulting firm that offers professional services in business consulting, project management, and software implementation. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems or addressing emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. As experts in identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Over the last half-century, robots have been relied upon as an integral part of manufacturing. Their presence offers incredible benefits, including enhanced production speed, accuracy, and tireless labor. However, they can’t do it all. As a result, robots have been increasingly prevalent in the manufacturing environment year after year. Engineered to work collaboratively alongside their human counterparts, these smaller and agiler implements on the manufacturing floor are referred to as collaborative robotics.

Breaking Down Collaborative Robotics

Rather than replacing a worker in completing a specific task, collaborative robots, more colloquially referred to as cobots, are designed to enhance a production team’s capabilities on the shop floor. With modern, plug-and-play functionality, cobots shed their larger predecessors’ bulky protective cages and lend precision, power, and agility to their teams.

a picture of a single arm robot and manufacturing employee working simultaneously as an assembly station where collaborative robotics are in use

As innovations in robotics make these tools more user-friendly and affordable, smaller manufacturing operations will benefit from their integration.

Coming in at around 3 feet in height, these lightweight additions to the manufacturing process are quickly becoming fast friends with their increasingly specialized human coworkers. This is due in large part to the shedding of misguided anxieties that robots will replace workers outright, which is quite unlikely to take place within our lifetime. It is increasingly recognized that collaborative robots elevate human workers from positions of mundane and repetitive natures to more specialized roles, valued more highly by both companies and individual workers alike.

Primary Cobot Operations

While cobots can certainly be designed for specific purposes and roles according to customer specifications, by and large, they are intended for specific types of operations within the manufacturing environment.

The most common utilization of cobots emerges in power and force limiting roles, whereby robots are near people and must remain continually aware of the power and force that humans can withstand at all times. This means the acceptable level of energy transferred through sudden impacts and collisions with people is maintained below a maximum threshold determined by the International Standards Organization (ISO).

A picture of a manufacturing floor robot arm where collaborative robotics are in use

By and large, collaborative robotics are intended for specific types of operation within the manufacturing environment.

Sensing and monitoring technologies come into play to enable safety monitored stop operation in cobots, where nearness to humans is the primary focus. In this case, the response to a human passing the proximity threshold is for the cobot to terminate motion. The same technology is used in speed and separation monitoring, whereby the speed and proximity of a human are tracked about a cobot’s position. Preventative measures are taken, namely a reduction in the speed of operation, as the worker draws closer to the cobot in operation.

The final common collaborative cobot operation resides in hand-guiding, which is reserved primarily for delicate production processes. In such operations, pressure sensing arrays enable cobots to learn from operators the proper orientation and speeds at which objects can be manipulated without causing damage.

Where Cobots Lose Sight

With such great market potential, collaborative robotics will no doubt be increasingly adopted by manufacturing operations of every size. Small and medium businesses will benefit substantially from the drop in supplier prices as the technology becomes more readily available, as well.

A picture of a worker and cobot working in manufacturing facility where collaborative robotics are in use

For cobots, working alongside often spontaneous and unpredictable human colleagues poses the greatest opportunity for incidents to transpire

While all this is true, there is still plenty of room for improvement when it comes to cobots. In particular, machine vision will make substantial headway for cobots in manufacturing, where working alongside often spontaneous and unpredictable human colleagues poses the greatest opportunity for incidents to transpire. Additionally, humans may complete tasks in several different ways and place the tools they use in different locations for later use. What experts see as the zenith of collaborative robotics resides in the ability for cobots to one day anticipate their human colleagues’ needs and provide the necessary tools or support to complete tasks in real-time. Machine vision is seen as the primary component in making this idea a reality. Those days are still a long way off, but the developments taking place now bring the possibility nearer with each passing day.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm specializing in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.