In April 2022, agricultural equipment maker Art’s Way, Armstrong, Iowa, was named a recipient of the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s (IEDA) Manufacturing 4.0 grant, a program created to infuse more technology into Iowa manufacturing businesses after the pandemic. In the year following, the company says it has spearheaded improvements to work through the company’s largest supply-chain backlog in history.
“We’ve implemented three new collaborative weld robots, called cobots, to vastly improve our product weld quality, consistency and output for our customers,” says Brian Wrightsman, Art’s Way vice president of operations. “Amidst ongoing labor shortages, it’s a huge advantage to have cobots that can produce consistently placed welds every time while increasing productivity.”
According to Art’s Way, the company has also implemented a high-definition plasma (CNC plasma) system for cutting thick metals, further increasing efficiency while producing tighter tolerences. Art's Way uses dual CNC lathes for finish machining spindles, axles and shafts with increased productivity and quality.
Art's Way CEO David King, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Art's Way Director of Sales Michael Loux discuss technology improvements at the Art's Way Armstrong, Iowa, facility. (Source: Art's Way)
In total, the Manufacturing 4.0 grant has allowed Art’s Way to:
- Increase productivity by 21% through cobots.
- Reduce energy needed to heat the facility by 24% year over year.
- Reduce scrap production by 20% year over year.
