At Iron Supports, a humble beginning in a small garage with a vision for crafting bespoke brackets blossomed into a bustling business. With a foundation rooted in a farming background where every tool and technique was vital, the transition to industrial production wasn't just growth—it was a transformation. As demands surged and the call for custom products grew louder, the company stood at a crucial crossroads.
The team at Iron Supports found themselves at a crossroads. Faced with labor shortages and a skills gap in programming traditional welding robots, their ability to meet customer demands started to falter. It was a time for change. The company faced labor shortages and supply chain disruptions, which affected its production capabilities. Additionally, there was a skills gap in programming traditional welding robots, making it infeasible to have a full-time programmer on staff.
"We needed something simple that everybody could use. So when we were comparing other welding robot systems or packages from other companies, [one of the things] we were looking for was simplicity."
In their search for a welding robot system, Iron Supports prioritized simplicity, ease of use, and rapid deployment. Faced with critical decisions, the team huddled around the possibilities of automation. Their search took them through trade shows, extensive Google searches, and industry consultations. They evaluated various options and found that many systems required extensive programming knowledge and lengthy setup times. They needed a solution that was ready to go and could be quickly integrated into their production line.
Iron Supports ultimately chose the Hirebotics Cobot Welder due to its user-friendly interface and quick availability. The Hirebotics system offered the capacity they needed and was ready to ship immediately, allowing for fast implementation.
"All I was looking for was a robot that could do a wide variety of things very quickly and easily, and it had to be ready to go. We didn't want a six-month implementation. We just didn't have that time. And Hirebotics had these cells, had the capacity we were looking for, built and ready to ship."
The Hirebotics Cobot Welder was delivered and operational within a week. The setup process was straightforward, enabling the team to begin production within hours of receiving the equipment. The first production run was completed successfully, demonstrating the system's effectiveness and ease of use.
"We wired the money and had that thing up here in a week. And we were literally using it in production within two days of plugging it in. - Ryan Hansen
"The day we received the Cobot, it was the middle of the afternoon... By four or five o'clock, we had it running. It was operational. The next morning I came in after looking at some of the programming at night at home. And within, I would say, an hour, I was making welds." - Jeff, Shop Lead
The integration of the Hirebotics Cobot Welder had a profound impact on Iron Supports' operations. The cobot significantly boosted productivity, allowing the company to catch up on backlogged orders and handle new ones efficiently. The quality of the welds improved, leading to a reduction in scrap and rework.
"The impact the robot's had on our business productivity is pretty crazy. I mean, realistically, we [went from] having to literally not take orders or cancel orders because we couldn't keep up, to catching up with that backlog and working ahead."
The ease of programming and reprogramming the cobot enabled Iron Supports to quickly adapt to new product lines. This flexibility was especially valuable given the company's lack of a full-time programmer. The beacon app provided remote access and diagnostics, enhancing operational support.
"We can use the Cobot to program and test [a new] fixture, make any changes to the fixture, come back in the same day, and reprogram [the cobot] immediately. Any one of the welders can do that."
Overall, the Hirebotics Cobot Welder transformed Iron Supports' production process, leading to higher productivity, better quality, and increased capacity to handle orders. This technology has positioned the company for continued growth and success.
"As far as quality goes, it was night and day. You can only weld so many times the same part in a fixture by hand, you know, perfectly all the time. I don't have exact numbers, but I know that we have a lot less scrap now than we ever did."
By implementing the Hirebotics Cobot Welder, Iron Supports has demonstrated the impact of advanced manufacturing solutions on the welding process. The ease of use, implementation, and support provided by the Hirebotics package enabled newcomers to automation to make a leap in the productivity in their production processes.
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