1. Use the SmartDispenser to  specify an enterprise wide fluid dispense program   from a remote desktop to a SmartDispener. This sets the dispense program, syringe, dispense tip, cycle time, target dispense weight and tolerance for worldwide operations.  The program specification can then  be saved and viewed on the SmartDispenser™ screen.

2.Monitor SmartDispensers™ worldwide and  Access any SmartDispenser™ via the port 80 product LogMeIn and with a click of a mouse download production reports.

3. Production Managers can upload work instructions to all SmartDispensers™ globally. Upload an audio file and insert a link or multiple links into the work instruction for further explanation. Create a short cut on the Home Menu for easy on-screen viewing. Operators can review work instructions at the start of the production day or any time a question arises.

4. Quality management can use the installed SmartDispenser web cam to verify the syringe and dispense tip adhere to the Programming Specification and to watch the production run in real time. Remote viewing can happen over the cloud via Glance Networks or via the secure internal server via Windows RDP.

5. Air free Fluid Dispensing eliminates the need for compressed air lines. No need verify that all sources of compressed air used in global manufacturing facilities are the same( they never are!). The SmartDispenser™ universal power supply and electrical design assure that every SmartDispenser™ is powered exactly the same worldwide regardless of location. Therefore, one dispense program can be used worldwide for a given assembly process.

In today’s global economy, manufacturing and assembly functions are often carried out in plants and factories across the world; thus, maintaining uniform worldwide standards of quality becomes a particularly difficult mandate. Fishman has introduced “Smart” AirFree^® technology that allows the same dispensing parameters can be set at all your facilities, across the country or around the world, and those parameters will not fluctuate.

Perhaps this is most eloquently reviewed by Forbes contributor Ben Kerschberg in this article, Manufacturing Moneyball: Using Big Data and Business Intelligence To Spur Operational Excellence

It is a great article,well worth reading.  He highlights 9 points that quickly resonated with me. They mirror Fishman’s customer’s requests for data from our SmartDispenser.  I took the liberty of linking what Ben says below, back to  how the Fishman SmartDispenser provides our manufacturing customers with the data they need.   

1. Data transparency that allows data from different manufacturing functions to be integrated. This allows executives to form a holistic view of the processes never before possible.
2. Process visibility that allows managers to see how processes unfold as they happen, which allows for real-time adjustments.
3. Data visualization. As analytics are applied to Big Data, the output must be analyzed mathematically and represented visually so as to allow end users such as plant managers to actually see the hidden data and its value. This is especially important in light of the fact that the data is dynamic in real time.
4. Margin Recovery. Savings are regularly found in reduced material costs and system capacity recovery….
5. Product Quality and Safety. Teams are better equipped to understand and eliminate the true root causes of product risk. They can thereby actually address and fix these shortcomings at the start of process rather than merely discarding low-quality output based on post-production testing. Product quarantines can be established based on specific, objective data rather than subjective approximations.
6. Eliminating overlapping investment and personnel support. Identifying overlap should result in the proper allocation of resources—both people and technology. Yet it is critical to emphasize that the human element of the manufacturing processes cannot be decoupled from even the most advanced analytics.
7. Measurable ROI. Moving from the sort of traditionally unstructured approach that characterized previous manufacturing reporting processes to a modern solution built for data collection and analysis enables management to develop consistent, new methods that can result in greater efficiencies, yields, and production flexibility. Such gains allow manufacturers to take new products to market up to 30% faster than before, a remarkable achievement with significant effects on profits and losses.
8. Collaboration.The synergy of BI and Big Data provides both macro and granular views of information that allow management, operators, and engineers to work together based on quick feedback in a data-driven environment. This is not the siloed manufacturing industry of the past.
9. Monetizing Assets. Corporate attitudes with respect to monetizing corporate assets such as intellectual property have changed dramatically over the past five years. In manufacturing, this move towards using BI to mine Big Data has shifted the view of those assets and the systems that generate them as profit-enabling centers rather than just insurance and a cost of doing business. This is a profound change with significant effects on an enterprise’s bottom line.

I would be remiss here if I did not refer to one other discussion of Moneyball and its’ parallels to business;

“Innovative Productivity: Moving Beyond “The Way it’s Always Been Done”

MBA Professor Shannon Anderson of UC Davis. She has been using the “Moneyball” case in her MBA classes for several years.  

While living here in the Northeast Elva worked for the Bose Corporation for 11 years as both a Group Leader and a Quality Assurance Technician.  Among her innumerable tasks and accomplishments was the direct supervision of assembly workers, meeting internal production and quality goals, maintaining a calibration database for component standards, providing technical assistance to an international customer and supplier network, direct auditing of production facilities in North America and working as part of a core team supporting a production line transfer to a new manufacturing plant in Mexico.

 With mixed emotions her husband accepted a job transfer in 1998 and the two of them and their 3-year old daughter relocated to a warm sunny corner of southwestern Arizona.  Elva made the decision to remain out of the workplace to spend as much time as possible with her very active and growing daughter.  As a ‘stay-at-home-mom’ she managed a hectic schedule of soccer, gymnastics, painting and roller hockey.  During their years in Arizona Elva took courses in photography, English literature and writing at a nearby college, all subjects of interest for her.  Trips were made to the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest and other sites and locations to fully appreciate the grandeur of the American west.

After six years her husband accepted a transfer back to New England and, later in 2008, Elva returned to the workplace.  However none of her jobs were in manufacturing or Quality Control, an environment she loves.  Fortunately for Fishman Corporation we have found out what her previous employers knew:  she is a dedicated and talented employee who will work tirelessly to achieve the best results.  Elva has integrated herself into a busy, sometimes frenetic, work atmosphere and is quickly ‘coming up to speed’ with all the challenges she faces in her position.

Approximately 70% of all manufacturers have a compressed air system. These systems power a variety of equipment, including machine tools, material handling and separation equipment, and spray-painting equipment. Compressed air is one of the most expensive uses of energy in a manufacturing plant. About 8hp of electricity is used to generate 1hp of compressed air.”
— University of MN

All companies and individuals today realize the importance of preserving our planet, whether they are calculating their carbon footprints or carbon fingerprints……. 

• Our Work  Relatively small companies such as Fishman Corporation, to our customer, corporate giant Hewlett Packard, with 300,000 employees, take reducing their carbon footprint very seriously.  HP  works to reduce their  carbon footprint by responding to pressing issues, such as mitigating climate change and using energy more efficiently, by providing solutions that are transforming how people live, work and connect.
• Our Food  and a caterer’s carbon fingerprint…. I was reading recently about a catering company in DC, Haute Catering  and how they refer to their carbon fingerprint. These “fingerprints” can be as important a carbon footprint.  Thinking of  how much we Americans like to eat, it could be very significant!
•  Our Homes  A recent blog post from one of my Linkedin connections was enlightening   Ever wonder what happens to the yard waste, clippings and food scraps that you put into your green organics tote?

Fishman’s SmartDispenser™ is proud to be the first fluid dispensing system to say “no” to compressed air.

This video on the  evolution of dispensing to the point of eliminating the use of compressed air provides an interesting story.

Compressed air generation is one of the most expensive utilities in an industrial facility. When used wisely, compressed air can provide a safe and reliable source of power to key industrial processes. Users should always consider other cost-effective forms of power to accomplish the required tasks and eliminate unproductive demands. Inappropriate uses of compressed air include any application that can be done more effectively or more efficiently by a method other than compressed air. This DOE  table provides some uses of compressed air that may be inappropriate and suggests alternative ways to perform these tasks.

Originally I was going to ask; what do a catheter, a golf club and a cell phone have in common. However, now I need to add one more “item”.

So the question is, what do catheters, golf clubs, cell phones and hockey players all have in common? The answer is, that they are all put together using super glues, otherwise known as cyanoacrylates. Yes, it is true!  Like catheters, golf clubs and cell phones, these hockey players, and apparently many others before them, use super glue to close wounds. They use it because as soon as it is exposed to the air, it cures instantly and they can go right back into the game.

However, I have to say that knowing what I know about the chemicals in it, I can’t imagine putting it on my skin, let alone in my skin.  For the brave, watch this video and you will see one of these warriors being patched up. Wow, after a bit of a web search, seems like lots of pro atheletes skip the doctor and have been using this wound sealer for years.

Medical device and other manufacturers have been attracted to cyanoacrylate, also known as “CA” or “super glue,” because of its very short cure time and great bond strength. Available in thin fluids or gels, the adhesive reacts with moisture ions on the surface of the conjoining substrates, thus creating the bond. The bond strength is greatly impacted by the application of the adhesive to the substrates. Too much adhesive may keep the bond from curing properly while too little adhesive may cause the bond to fail.

The Fishman AirFree SmartDispenser is a positive displacement system that removes unreliable moisture-filled air from the dispensing process. It is used for most assembly applications where cyanoacrylates are the fluid of choice…..except in the NHL.

In fact, those manufacturers that have tried to dispense cyanoacrylate with pneumatics often come to us because their employees complain about how the air in and around the pneumatic fluid dispenser system causes it to cure on their hands!

As this short video on the  21st Century Manufacturing  points out, manufacturing sure has changed over the years. However, the need for trained, skilled, hard working employees has not.   

Many educators, parents, the US government and US  manufacturers are addressing this with students.  For example, the State of Washington’s website directly appeals to high school students and teachers regarding the opportunities at manufacturing giant Boeing;  

Did you know that manufacturing has gone high tech? Manufacturing apprenticeships give you the chance to work with cutting edge technologies and tools. Advanced manufacturing techniques are the wave of the future – and there are lots of opportunities  The Boeing Company offers apprenticeships for machinists and aircraft workers. Interested in learning to build an airplane? Boeing apprentices do that…….

 And it is a hot discussion  today amongst the Global Community for Manufacturing Leadership ‘Attacking the Manufacturing Workforce Issue’ 

Recently,  Fishman has been working on a variety of applications for fiber optic connector assembly. Some of these assemblies are used in mission critical aircraft. They have to be perfect, there is no room for error.  Too little or too much epoxy used in the assembly process can result in a bad part.  The use of our SmartDispenser provides the repeatability of fluid dispense. The unit’s  closed loop process control allows those cable assemblers trained in quality control to adhere to the tight guidelines and specifications required.

As you know, Rosie was the name given to categorize  the American women who worked long and hard in US factories during World War II while so many of our men were fighting overseas.  Back in the colonial days of the US, one of our Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin, got his start as an apprentice to his brother James, a printer, who taught Ben the printing trade.  Today’s manufacturers still need “riveters” (although using today’s advanced adhesives is a much better assembly method!) and manufacturers such as Boeing want to hire working apprentices.  Then of course we have Donald Trump and his apprentices….totally different.

When I was asked a number of years ago to write this article about attracting more woman into careers in industry, I remember thinking that it really was not just about enticing young women to pursue industrial jobs but about engaging a whole US younger generation to look at manufacturing as a career.  

Fishman Corporation   is a thriving,  mostly family owned  small business  now  poised for great growth.  Fishman has recently added a number of skilled men and woman to our team. This includes my favorite guy, an artist by heart, Grigor Kotnani.  Born in Albania, Grigor immigrated to the US with his family when he was 11 years old. In Albania, his family owned an auto parts store. Once they relocated to the States, his family bought a dry cleaning business. In both these businesses, Grigor helped out when he could and got his first experiences in business and customer service. I wonder if his parents paid him the way my father paid my 5 brothers for working all day at his tire store….with lunch. My grandparents all arrived here from Ireland when the were about 18 years old. Each loved this country and saw it as the land of opportunity. All worked in factories at some point and were proud to say so.  They felt they were contributing to a greater America for their children and grandchildren. Myself and my 9 siblings have all benefited from their hard work and their unwavering dedication to building this country; piece by piece, part by part, …

Gartner Group is projecting that by the end of 2014 there will be 185 billion Apps! Just like all those 20 something App Developers, they are researching for the next killer Apps. So just what is the next frontier for these amazing widgets? We at Fishman Corporation and many other companies such as BMW and Cognizant believe it is to be found on the factory floor. 

It seems like such a natural progression;  Apps for entertainment, then on to Apps for home convenience, next up were the App tools to use at work… Apps started with fun things; who amongst us has not empathized with Alec Baldwin and his Angry Birds addiction?  They then trended to practical consumer uses such as instant flashlights, moving quickly on to Apps that make our work life easier. Being in Sales and working with Engineers, I know firsthand that these are so useful;   Sales and Engineering The latest “wow“App is the incredible technology of this App announced last week, built right into our cars;  ”Partnering with Autonet Mobile provides a massive market opportunity to bring Internet Apps into the vehicle,” said Juergen Peters, regional president, Car Multimedia North America, Robert Bosch LLC.  “Together, we’re enabling a whole world of applications that communicate with systems throughout the car – including the head unit, sensor networks and instrument clusters – to enhance the driving experience. Many of our SmartDispenser customers already have told us about what they want from our App store.  Additionally, Fishman customers in medical device assembly are well aware that their governing body, the FDA, is now approving all types of Apps for doctors and patients.

For example, a new mobile radiology application allows physicians to view medical images on Apple’s iPhone and iPad mobile devices.  The medical device manufacturers are now investigating how Apps used in their manufacturing processes can help QC, QA and Process Engineers facilitate FDA validation and FDA audits.

SmartDispenser customers in fiber optics are asking about training Apps for their factory floor workers. There is a real need these days in US manufacturing for skilled, technology savvy, trained workers.  Carl Bass, President and CEO of Autodesk, which develops 3D design software for manufacturing, engineering, and entertainment, sees three key developments that will define the new manufacturing jobs: new materials, new processes, and complex integration of automated systems. Not only is it possible to use Apps for training via the SmartDispenser,  but the SmartDispenser actually has a video libary where customized training and daily set procedures can be viewed at the touch of the screen.

We welcome your suggestions for App fluid assembly solutions.  Fishman is committed to providing  a fluid dispenser with all the  tools for manufacturing in the 21st century ….and we all know that means we have to have  Apps, Apps and more Apps…

Currently studying for her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Finance at Nichols College, Jennifer is scheduled to graduate in December of this year. Working her way through college, Jennifer has already had a fair amount of experience in the bookkeeping and accounting fields. For the past 7 years, Jennifer has worked at Direnzo Towing as the assistant to the bookkeeper. She has also worked at WPI as an accounting clerk.

An upbeat and pleasant individual, Jennifer is very social and looks forward to game night every Sat night with her friends. In addition, she has a four year old daughter who keeps her very busy. As a “mama’s girl,” one of Jenn and her daughter’s favorite thing to do together is to shop for shoes. When not exhausting salespeople in shoe stores, they also like to do many different types of arts and crafts together. This involves everything from puzzles, drawing, painting, and even cooking up “edible creations” in the kitchen. In addition, we would like to congratulate Jenn as the same week she accepted the position with us here at Fishman, she got engaged and is planning on getting married in May of 2013.

We hope you all join us in welcoming Jenn to the Fishman family. We are sure that both our customers and vendors will find her as pleasant and friendly as we all do.

No, it’s not about a man named Jed, poor mountaineer who barely kept his family fed.

No, it’s not the tale of a fateful trip that started from a tropic port.

It’s about the Evolution of Fluid Dispensing from 1975 to 2012. As they say in Hollywood, a picture is worth 1,000 words. Get your popcorn ready, it’s showtime….

As we say so long to Pam, we also welcome her replacement to the Fishman family: Brett Walsh. Brett is a graduate of Framingham State University where he received a Bachelor’s in Psychology. He has over 12 years of experience in warehouse management mainly in the telecommunications industry. Most recently he has worked at aWorld Networks and Comptel. Though his main responsibilities were in the shipping and warehouse areas, he performed a wide range of duties at both companies. A personable and energetic young man, he always takes pride in a job well done, especially when interacting with customers. Preferring to be active, he likes a job where he isn’t always tied to a desk and can be involved in many different areas of a company.

As an active person, in his spare time Brett loves to hike. Two of his most memorable hikes are Bryce and Zion Canyons in Utah. Closer to home, he loves to hike local spots such as Callahan State Park and the Quabbin Reservoir. Typically he hikes with a friend, but even when a friend doesn’t accompany him, he isn’t alone. He always brings his favorite companion along: his Siberian Husky Sky.

So as we say a tearful goodbye to one of our Fishman family members, we are sure that Brett will be a welcome addition to the family. We are confident that he will continue in the Pam’s tradition of handling all orders with care and attention to detail. Goodbye Pam, you will be truly missed, and welcome Brett, we look forward to your becoming a part of the Fishman family.