Test your Manufacturing IQ

NCC Automated Systems recently sponsored a research paper on  by an independent research group on major trends impacting the manufacturing industry and ways to deal with the changes.

As a result of this research, we discovered the “7 deadly Mistakes Manufactures make and the 6 Next Generation Strategies for Companies to Thrive” and created an over 90 page report with the findings.

This quiz is based on the findings.  You will also receive access to the Report Highlights when you submit the quiz.

See how you scored and gain insights on the answers.  You will also receive the Highlights of the Report when you submit the quiz.

To learn more about this material:

Download the Free Report or Schedule a Customized Presentation around your company’s needs.

There is so much information on the internet now it is sometimes difficult to find exactly what you are looking for.

Perhaps you are looking for a conveyor with certain features or maybe you are looking for specific type of automated system.

There are some useful search features that many do not take advantage of using.

Here is a quick list of tips to Search Google like a Pro.

Microsoft’s Bing has grown quickly and offers an alternative to searching with Google.

Here are some tips to Get the Most out of Bing.

Enjoy!

• Are your projects coming in way over budget?
• Are you missing critical deadlines and costing your company money?
• Are unplanned downtimes and slow change overs plaguing you?
• Are quality control breakdowns in your face?
• How long are you going to let those things happen?

You need to conquer these challenges to stay competitive. You CAN run your operation smarter, easier, more efficient, and with a whole lot less stress!

Would you like to know exactly what you need to focus on and master to prevent those setbacks from occuring?

We are providing a FREE Report that covers the biggest problems you deal with all the time and research findings on the precise solutions you can employ to stop the madness.

Learn how to get a jump start on your competition.

Interested in Scheduling a Custom Presentation?

1. Integration is a systematic process – not just a buzz word
   • Integration eliminates the concept of “islands of automation” and provides one coherent system that is easy to understand and easy to use
   • Integration provides one central point to control and monitor the system
   • Integration incorporates people and materials movement throughout the system

2. They’re not “just conveyors” – Don’t treat them as an afterthought!
• Conveyors are the veins that carry your product through the body of the system
• When not selected correctly they will cripple your system performance
• The wrong type of conveyors will negatively impact the final quality of your product
3. OEE should be projected in the planning phase – Do not just hope to achieve after startup!
• To achieve high OEE you need to minimize changeover frequency and minimize the downtime during a changeovers so select equipment and options accordingly
• Early investments in the planning phase can yield 10-fold paybacks with higher OEE
• Going “cheap” on equipment quality will kill OEE when equipment is down repeatedly for maintenance
4. Line down time to install a new line is a huge investment– Minimize production loss!
   • One of the biggest costs for a system is the amount of production loss that is created when installing and commissioning a new system
   • Installing a complete pre-assembled and pre-wired system may cut your total installation and commissioning schedule in half
   • Extensive equipment testing at the manufacturers locations will assure the system comes up to full production capabilities on an accelerated schedule
5. People are as much of a system as the equipment – Care about your people!
• Your operators will make or break your system so you want them to be part of the solution and not part of the problem
• If you involve your operators in the planning phase, they will have ownership in the system and be excited about the positive outcome
• When you care about your people deploying ergonomic systems their comfort will yield greater performance levels and higher production yields
• Properly trained operators will keep your system up and running to maximum potential so look at training as one of the most important investments in your system

Management Team

Kevin Mauger- President

• Started at NCC in 1994, the day after graduating college
• Purchased into company in 2006
• Has a keen understanding that we are in business to service our customers and help them succeed in their endeavors
• Has a deep desire to continuously improve the company, to perfect the process and to in turn provide more value to our customers
• Understands the value of our employees and rewards enthusiasm, innovation and superior customer service

Les Patkos – Director of Custom and Packaging Systems Integration

• Involved in the conveyor and material handling industry for over 20 years with over $50 million in sales volume
• Oversees system responsibilities on major projects by managing the project engineers assigned to the projects
• Oversees the communication between customer and NCC personnel to assure system design compliance
• Shop inspection of equipment prior to shipping and follow-up trips to customer’s location after project completion is a normal part of his routine

Chuck MacGregor- Director of Optical Systems

• Involved in Optical Systems Automation for 10+ years
• Oversees system responsibilities on major projects by managing the project engineers assigned to the projects
• In charge of all optical business for the company – 100% dedication to the Optical Industry

Jason Link – Operations and Engineering Manager

• Over 15 years of entrepreneurial, leadership and engineering experience
• Manages large integrated projects involving multiple equipment suppliers, contractors and NCC production of custom equipment
• Leads cross functional teams of engineers, manufacturing and project managers to successful order fulfillment
• Leads the organization to improve execution, efficiency and profits

Project Engineers and Project Managers

Bob Nettleton- Applications/ Installation and Commissioning Manager

• Involved in the packaging, conveyor and material handling industry for over 25 years
• In his 6 years with NCC, he has managed and designed small custom systems up to multimillion dollar projects
• Responsible for design layout and integration of multi-line and multiple process packaging systems, coordinating integration and communications of all components in the projects

Wayne Snyder – Sales/ Application Engineer

• Joined NCC in March 2010 as a Sales engineer
• Involved in conveyor manufacturing for over 25 years
• Ran family business, Valley Forge Conveyors, Inc.
• Held positions In design, engineering, purchasing, & inside and outside sales

Brian Grochowalski- System Sales Engineer / Designer

• Responsible for various equipment designs, project management and oversees equipment design by conversing with the customers on conceptual ideas for their needs on a system or single piece of equipment for their plant
• Designs conveyors for all phases of production and packaging lines. Management of multiple projects overseeing integration, implementation and installation

Jeff Reiche, PE- Project Engineer / Project Manager

 

• Over 25 years of experience in the packaging equipment, conveyor systems and system integration for the food, consumer goods, pharmaceutical and numerous other industry sectors
• Brings closure to all customers’ requirements and facilitates and resolves any challenges that may occur during the life of each assigned project
• Accountable for the day to day customer satisfaction of each phase of the integration project, from the finalization of the information gathering for the design requirements, through the final start-up and commissioning of the equipment at the customer’s site

RJ Moyer- Project Engineer / Project Manager

• Disciplined project manager with strong financial acumen, project methodologies and diversified exposure in the food and pharmaceutical industries
• Responsible for the needs assessment review, procurement, scheduling, commissioning, financial accountability, installation and project start-ups in support of organizational business strategies
• Experienced in designing custom material handling equipment using AutoCAD, primarily for the FDA & USDA industry

Len Longo- Project Engineer / Project Manager

• Brings project leadership and vast experience from the food and materials handling industry and has a strong background in project planning, engineering design and project management
• Field support for customer acceptance of large scale food processing system
• Works with Engineering, purchasing and manufacturing to optimize part order quantities for conveyor projects

David Bedillion- Project Engineer / Project Manager

• Coordinates all activities relating to design, manufacture, installation and start-up of a project. He assumes product line management responsibilities for multiple product lines.
• Responsibilities include being subject expert of the product lines and being responsible for project scope, budgeting, application, schedule and inventory management.

Nicholas Swauger- System Engineering / Project Manager

• Responsibilities include: follow through with the development of a sale by coordination of all activities related to design, manufacturing, pre-engineered equipment procurement, contractor bid processing, acceptance testing, start-ups, GMA compliance and acceptance of a project
• Directly involved in implementing risk assessments, case histories, applications analysis, robotic utilization analysis, gripper evaluation, reach studies, field dimensions, system layout designs, system approval drawings and FAT/PAT

John Stefany- Project Manager / Installation and Commissioning Manager

• Former president and founder of Automated Concepts Inc
• Lead Mechanical and Field Service Engineer with an extensive history of success in designing, manufacturing and servicing automated machinery
• Reputation for exceeding client expectations by providing advanced expertise and training while servicing, modifying, installing and building diverse machines
• Possesses advanced mechanical and electro-mechanical troubleshooting skills

Mechanical Designers

Marty Zona- Mechanical Designer

• Joined NCC in 1998, bringing experience in the design of material handling systems.
• Responsible for various aspects of conveyor design, project management and fabrication supervision.
• Designs packaging conveyors for food industry – product, carton and case handling systems.

Gary Killion- Mechanical Designer

• Designed devices in the packaging, conveyor and material handling industry for over 15 years
• System Design & Layout of numerous conveyor systems using special devices including tray turners, shuttles, elevators, chutes, pushers, diverters etc.
• Optical Systems design expertise having automated 50+ labs

Ron Schwar- Mechanical Designer

• Innovative designer with extensive experience using SolidWorks, AutoCAD and other 3D-modeling tools
• Experienced in developing systems suitable for the food and drug industry
• Extensive experience working with clients in product development to improve manufacturability
• Expertise has led to him taking a direct role in the project coordination scheduling and management of critical projects

Controls Engineers

Richard Afflerbach- Electrical Engineer

• Responsible for the design and code development for complete systems incorporating all aspects of the project
• Provides installation and startup support not limited to electrical and controls but including mechanical installation and on site modification and fabrication
• Very knowledgeable with several Engineering Software Packages including: Allen Bradly’s RS Logix 5, 500, Control Logix, Panel Builder 32, Auto CAD, Solid Works

Brian Potter- Electrical Engineer

• Over 15 years of controls and 20 years of engineering experience
• Design and programming for complete packaging line controls incorporating container handling, filling, weighing, feedback, labeling, cleaning, inspection and bulk product handling

Our technical staff includes:

• 9 Mechanical Engineers
• 3 Electrical Engineers
• 3 designers on staff with technical degrees
• 5 technical project managers and application engineers

Project Assembly and Installation

• 2 full time Electricians
• 8 full time Mechanics
• 2 full time startup and commissioning managers

Project Support

• Dedicated employee to handle logistics in the shop
• Dedicated purchasing manager to coordinate part orders and shipping

Management

• President- Kevin Mauger
• Director of Custom Systems and Packaging Line Integration – Les Patkos
• Director of Optical Systems – Chuck MacGregor
• Operations and Engineering Manager- Jason Link
• Manufacturing Manager – Eddie Santiago
• Controller – Steve Summer

Check back soon…

Group shot of current and former NCC employees

Several honored guests who shaped NCC  joined the Celebration

• Ruth Santiago- One of NCC’s Founders
• Frank Solitario- One of NCC’s 1st hires and Kevin Mauger’s 1st boss
• Bill & Karen Stotler- Previous owners of NCC
• Frank & Debbie Winterer- Father and Stepmother of the late, great Bob Winterer who was a valued employee and friend

Employees and honored guests enjoyed a taste of traditional dishes from around the world

• England Room- Served a variety of cheese and crackers and Bass ale
• Italian Room- Served bruschetta, antipasto, and red wine
• Puerto Rican Room- Served mofongo and mojitos

Yearly Recap- Key Non-Project Related Milestones

• A milestone year, in terms of excellence of performance, commitment to growth and innovation.
• 3 new hires for new positions
• Solid Works initiative – harnessing the power of the software

Project Highlights

• Produced widest conveyor ever – 16’-0” wide x 37 ft long.
• Successful installation of over 500 feet of conveyor in two short weekends.
• Seamless installation and startup for one of the largest optical lab in the country
• Three large packaging line startups
• Incredible success in the solar market

Employee of the Year Award

• Marty Zona received the award due to his “workhorse” work ethic.
• Voted for by employees
• Immortalized with an engraved name on the plaque
• $250 gift card and $2500 to reinvest in company in his / her choice
• Based on can do attitude, hard work, diligence and boundless energy
• Marty was also last year’s winner of the Pay it Forward award.

Pay it Forward Award

• Richard Afflerbach received the award due to his willingness to go above and beyond job description
• $250 for winner and winner chooses their opinion of most the most deserving employee
• Richard chose Roger Benscoter our Senior Electrician

NCC Counting our Blessings award

• A family in need receives $1000 as a random act of kindness
• This year’s recipient recently lost the father of the household in a tragic accident at home

Plans for 2011

• Focus on project management
• Social media marketing efforts
• Completion of Solid Works initiative
• Focus on Packaging Line Integration

To see more photos visit NCC’s Facebook Page