Image: Argolytics
Just one year after Innovation Park-based Argolytics released a tool to help small manufacturers move toward Industry 4.0, it’s released TRENDABLE™ 2.0, making the leap into IoT even more affordable and accessible.
Argolytics founder Tamela Serensits says the company is committed to bridging the gap in automation for small and medium-sized manufacturers.
“Some manufacturers are finding it hard to keep up with the technological innovations associated with Industry 4.0 and using tools like IOT sensors and AI algorithms,” she says. “Unfortunately some of the smaller facilities do not have the expertise or budget to leverage these new technologies. If a manufacturer is manually taking measurements of a part, writing those measurements on paper and then filing the paper away, they cannot learn from that measurement data or see how the part measurements are changing over time.”
Image: Argolytics
But with TRENDABLE™, machine operators can type part measurements directly into the application, either on a computer, tablet or even their smartphone and the measurement is plotted on a graph so the operator can see immediately if the part is within the acceptable tolerance range. Then, after the operator’s shift, quality managers or shift supervisors have an electronic copy of all measurements taken on the shop floor and can do further analysis of the production statistics — all within the TRENDABLE™ app.
“We made TRENDABLE™ 2.0 even more affordable, giving small and medium-size manufacturers the chance to monitor their production processes and part quality without a huge investment. Once they are comfortable with the power of data and statistics, then they can invest in bigger integrations. There is no other tool available to help small manufacturers make this transition — it’s currently all or nothing.”
Serensits says that version 2.0 of the app features updates based directly on customer feedback. “With this version, manufacturers can not only monitor the quality of the parts they are producing, they can also monitor the calibration of the instrument they are using to take the part measurements. Imagine going to the doctors office and getting weighed by a scale that is 10 pounds off. Or getting pulled over by a police radar gun that is inaccurate by +/- 5 mph. Accurate calibration of measuring devices is the first step a manufacturer can take to ensure they are shipping a quality product.”
She says Argolytics’ special sauce is the ability to partner with small manufacturers and help them take the first step to digitizing and modernizing their production processes.
“Ultimately, the jump from ‘paper and pencil’ data collection to Industry 4.0 tools is too great for some small manufacturers,” Serensits says. “Sensors and robots are expensive. We made TRENDABLE™ 2.0 even more affordable, giving small and medium-size manufacturers the chance to monitor their production processes and part quality without a huge investment. Once they are comfortable with the power of data and statistics, then they can invest in bigger integrations. There is no other tool available to help small manufacturers make this transition — it’s currently all or nothing.”
Serensits credits Happy Valley for fostering the growth of her startup. “The Invent Penn State initiative has been integral in providing us with the connections and resources we needed to get started,” she says. “We participated in the Happy Valley LaunchBox Accelerator and Summer Founder’s programs. Through those programs, we launched the first versions of TRENDABLE™ and hired our first employee. Ben Franklin Technology Partners has been our advisors and initial source of funding. The closeness to Penn State allowed us opportunities to work with students and do grant-funded research [and] we are currently working with Penn State’s Department of Industrial Engineering on a research project funded through the PA DCED Manufacturing PA Innovation grant.”
Image: Argolytics
She also says Happy Valley’s central location makes it easy to collaborate. “We are working with partners we’ve found through connections with the Williamsport MRC, Harrisburg ASQ, South-Central PA Manufacturers Association and the MANTEC office in York. Argolytics is a member of the Pittsburgh Technology Council and we have been invited to speak as a woman-owned business roundtable at the Philadelphia ASQ meeting next month. If we were not so centrally located in Happy Valley, these opportunities to participate in organizations on both the east and west sides of the Commonwealth would be harder to find!”
For more information about Argolytics, a 100% veteran-owned, woman-owned small business, and TRENDABLE™ 2.0, a lightweight and affordable quality control solution built specifically for small and medium-size businesses, visit https://www.gotrendable.com/.
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