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.