The old adage "time is money" might be cornier than a Barry Manilow love song, but it really is true, especially as it relates to the complexities of the manufacturing arena. Time savings typically is generated by properly aligning people, process and technology. Based on a handful of new product releases, technology unsurprisingly is a top-line enabler for companies not only to become more efficient but, globally competitive as well.

Kuka Robotics, for instance, recently announced a new injection molding package that aims to reduce engineering and installation time to integrate robots with injection molding machines. Kuka customers now have the ability to integrate robots into any injection molding machine (IMM) from 100 to 6,000 tons with less installation and engineering time.

"In today's competitive global market integrators are demanding more functionality in their automation building blocks to reduce installation, engineering and start up costs," says Joe Campbell, director of strategic alliances for Kuka Robotics Corporation. Campbell also says that this package is the only package currently available to meet those demands.

To get really, really technical, the new Kuka package includes an SPI interface between the IMM and the robot, a Festo Device Net Valve stack with vacuum generators, a complete energy supply and pneumatic tubing from the base of the robot to the sixth axis faceplate. End-of-arm tooling can be connected with no additional accessories. The company's six-axis robots range from 3kg to 500kg payloads, and 635mm to 3700mm reach, all controlled from a common PC-based controller platform. (For the record, Kuka Robotics Corporation along with its parent company Kuka Roboter GmbH's annual production volume of industrial robots is approaching 10,000 units, and an installed base of more than 60,000 units.)

And on the not-so-technical side, yet still just as valuable as a robot add-on, is the almighty hand pallet truck. The Jungheinrich Lift Truck Corp., a warehouse logistics technology provider, has a new one for you to check out that specializes in manual transportation of goods over short distances.

It's dubbed the AM 2200, and this new warehousing "work horse", as they refer to it, handles an impressive maximum load capacity of 5,500 lbs and includes a tiller handle that allows for effortless and safe maneuvering of the load by either right- or left-handed operators — even with only one hand on the tiller. Maneuverability in confined spaces is also a snap, as the head-length of the truck is a mere 14.7 inches. The truck's optimally designed hydraulic system allows operators to pump a pallet clear off the ground with only three strokes of the unit's differentiator mechanism, while a mere five strokes will take the load to the truck's maximum lift height of 4.8 inches. "A fast-lift feature like this will save your operation time and money," says the press release.

Ah-ha! The theme emerges. But we're not done yet. This last example is more of a process than it is a technical gizmo. It deals with the keys to lean product development and the role that Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) plays. Aras Corporation is the company behind this latest revelation into saving time and money.

Aras provides enterprise product development software solutions and thus insight into helping companies successfully implement "lean development" supported by a PLM solution to do the following: improve new product quality; shorten development cycle times; and boost product margins. Although the "lean" concept is nothing new, very few companies to date have successfully implemented lean in the product development process. The obstacles to implementing lean in product development often stem from difficulty applying the lean principles in engineering, as well as a lack of understanding of the different approaches: lean engineering, lean design and lean development.

One of the fundamental issues with software technology when implementing lean in product development is that individual tools — such as CAD software and simulation tools — optimize individual operations without regard to the overall process of product development. PLM software brings it all together by combining business processes like phase-based new-product program management, while document, file and data control also plays an essential role in enabling lean in product development.

For a full description of the different "lean" approaches, download Aras' paper Lean in Product Development.