The transportation equipment manufacturing industry is a leading contributor of production, innovation, and advancement. Our world is constantly evolving, and professionals rely on this industry to provide timely, quality products that advance our communities. Whether your production contributes to transporting people or goods, a document management system can help you cut back on your paper processes and focus on where your expertise really lies—producing quality transportation equipment and keeping the world running.
What Is Transportation Equipment Manufacturing?
Manufacturers in the transportation equipment sector produce equipment for transporting people or goods. Transportation equipment is considered a type of machinery. Examples of transportation equipment include motor vehicles, trailers, aerospace products and parts, railroad rolling stock, and ships and boats. NAICS categorizes the different groups of transportation: road, rail, air, and water. The significance of this industry is tremendous because of its economic implications throughout the country.
The document management processes for the transportation equipment manufacturing industry need to be carefully monitored throughout your organization. Companies in this industry gain profit based on the quality of their products produced and how efficiently that company can provide said products. Between keeping track of the different processes and all of the industry-specific rules and regulations, your company’s document workflow has to be impeccably managed.
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What Are the Main Manufacturing Processes?
Manufacturing processes in this industry include bending, forming, welding, machining, and assembling.
Bending
Bending is a manufacturing process that’s used to produce a V-shape, a U-shape, or a channel shape along a straight axis. Bending is most commonly used for metals using brake presses and other specialized machine presses.
Obviously, bending cannot be used without carefully considering the type of material and the desired shape. For example, using too much pressure may cause the material to break instead of bend. Fortunately, document management software allows you to keep the necessary information handy.
Forming
The forming process is based on the use of suitable stresses to cause the deformation of certain materials into the desired shape. Forming processes include forging, extrusion, and rolling. The stresses that are used can include compression, tension, shear, or a combination of all 3. It’s possible to form a variety of materials, including metals and plastics, with the appropriate forming processes.
Welding
Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials such as metals and thermoplastics by causing fusion. Welding is an inherently dangerous process, which is why it’s very important to wear correct protective gear. Of course, the use of machinery and new equipment can help make the welding process safer for your employees.
In addition to that, your company should create and make available safety procedures that your employees must follow at all times. Our document management software (DMS) can even allow authorized users to access the files they need from their phone. This means not having computer access is no longer a reason to skip reviewing the appropriate safety procedures, which may result in increased compliance with safety regulations (and therefore fewer accidents) for your company.
Machining
Machining is a very broad term because it includes a variety of processes that reduce a raw material into the desired shape and size. The three principal machining processes are turning, drilling, and milling. Every process may use different types of tools, depending on the type of raw material and the desired end product.
Assembling
During assembly, metal or plastic parts are put together into components and finished products. A manufacturer may produce some of the individual components, but it’s quite likely that many of the different parts are ordered from another manufacturing company.
Depending on the particular equipment that is being produced, assembly may take place on an assembly line or not. In some situations, high-end or specialty items are more likely to be assembled by hand. However, using an assembly-line setup is often the most efficient way to produce a large volume of transportation equipment.
Process Challenges
Every process poses different challenges for the manufacturer. From metalworking to assembly, it’s important to follow correct manufacturing procedures. Additionally, manufacturing companies need to institute quality control to ensure that the final product meets applicable safety standards.
Many of the challenges of the transportation equipment manufacturing industry can be met by implementing document management software (DMS). Each stage of the manufacturing process requires documentation which needs to be managed. This is important for quality control and audits. Fortunately, the workflow of these documents can be directed in a way to increase efficiency without adding further complications.
Document Management in Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
Manufacturing transportation equipment is a tremendous task. While manufacturing nuts and bolts requires minute precision, putting together transportation equipment requires even more vigilance. After all, if there are any deviations from the norm, the equipment may not work properly and consequently endanger a large number of people.
In order to follow industry norms to the “t”, your company should consider using Revver’s document management software.
Here are a few advantages of using our document management software to improve your manufacturing processes:
- Ensure consistency throughout your manufacturing plant
- Share documents with other plants throughout the country
- Enable supervisors to monitor employee activity
- Encourage internal and external audits through audit trails
- Save time by having important documents accessible and searchable
- And so much more
Learn more about how our document management software can improve efficiency at your company. Discover Revver.
