Helping Factories Get Back to Work

Bright Machines announces the Factory Resiliency Fund, up to $50M to help manufacturers put our automated microfactories to work and not be constrained by their access to capital.

While the desire to manufacture locally is now stronger than ever, few if any are willing to pay the higher labor costs that will come with it. That’s why in order for manufacturing to reshore, the industry must shift more of its operations from expensive, manual assembly to flexible and resilient robots.

As the corona virus has spread, worldwide supply chains were interrupted, followed by an unprecedented shift in product demand and most recently by mandated factory shutdowns imposed on non-essential product manufacturing lines. The author discusses the impact of these disruptions and explores how we can mitigate these forces that threaten to destabilize manufacturing.

Bright Machines team members in our Tel Aviv office engaged in an opportunity to put their engineering expertise and our technology to use by collaborating with Ichilov Hospital Laboratory,  Impact Lab and iCobots to establish a non-human testing line for Covid-19.

One networking equipment manufacturer found itself running into a (fire)wall as it fielded a team of human operators for heat sink assembly. Using a Bright Machines Microfactory it re-imagined and re-energized manufacturing processes.

As the world feels the full weight of the Covid-19 crisis, we should individually prioritize the safety of ourselves, our families, friends, neighbors and communities. But in times like these, I believe companies also have a special responsibility to support their employees, communities and customers. Coronavirus poses a serious and immediate concern for companies around the world and directly affects the health and safety of tens of thousands of people.

In the past, networking equipment manufacturers looking to automate their assembly lines may have balked at the implementation times of first-generation automation solutions, which typically took 12-18 months to implement. Today’s next-generation automation showcases radically better implementation times.

Reskilling an entire workforce is no small feat and not the responsibility of any one party. Success relies on support from a complex web of institutions from government, to industry, to academia. Still, technology companies can play a more proactive role by considering the following factors.

No matter how big or small, possible disruptions can impede your manufacturing operation at any time. In order to ensure a healthy supply chain, one that can seamlessly weather uncertain storms, it’s imperative for today’s manufacturers to incorporate local-first strategies.

By Greg Eden, CMO, Bright Machines Automation is good for manufacturers and, ultimately, the people buying and using the products being made. So, why isn’t it much more pervasive in today’s factories? […]

As speakers have evolved from music players to multi-faceted smart devices, including the voice user interfaces of a growing legion of digital assistants, their presence at home and work has grown. Audio devices of all shapes and sizes, built by a variety of manufacturers, are everywhere.

Bright Machines Microfactories increase production and lower cost per unit.

In 2002, Diagnostics for the Real World (DRW) began with a lofty but admirable goal: to tackle the world’s most serious infectious diseases through breakthrough point-of-care diagnostics. Led by Dr. Helen Lee of the Diagnostics Development Unit at the University of Cambridge, our mission from day one has been to bring these technologies to resource-limited regions that otherwise lack access to advanced medical care. Throughout the years, we’ve managed to remain small and nimble, focused first and foremost on maintaining the quality and accuracy of our SAMBA diagnostic instruments and test cartridges. After all, when developing critical diagnostic tests for remote areas, the product performance simply cannot be compromised.

By Bartosz Mazurek, VP Electronics Segment, Bright Machines Electronics manufacturing has seen a good deal of transformation in the last few decades – the implementation of advanced pick and place was a […]

Automation technologies are nothing new. Since the dawn of time, new inventions have been introduced into society with the ultimate goal to help improve our lives. From the wheel to the printing press, the powerful impact of automation is inevitable in shaping our future. And whether or not we welcome these advances with open arms, these forms of automation have had a profound impact on the way we produce, purchase and participate in our society.

Last month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a new report which outlines a set of guidelines workplaces can follow to keep employees safe as COVID-19 sweeps the globe at an alarming rate. With automated assembly and inspection, manufacturers become less reliant on human operators so that they are better prepared to handle any disruption. In reducing the need for manual labor, infection risk associated with these on-site factory roles is also reduced. In this context, the new OSHA guidelines, become easier to implement.

Now is the perfect time to automate. It’s bold advice, as so many in the sector grapple with uncertain futures – and to be sure, the future is indeed uncertain for all of us in manufacturing. But if your uncertainty is around when and not if your factory will reopen and production will kick off again, now is the time to make important changes that will take your manufacturing operations from vulnerable to immune as we brace for the next inevitable disruption.