Premium mattress manufacturer and retailer McRoskey Mattress Co., founded in 1899, recently installed a 21st-century smart manufacturing technology called Attology.
Now, at McRoskey’s 25,000-square-foot plant, the San Francisco-based company seamlessly blends traditional mattress manufacturing processes with the latest data collection tools.
McRoskey’s Attology installation includes vibration, motion and vision sensors used throughout the facility that monitor a number of things. For example, if there are racks of fabric rolls feeding into the quilter, sensors with computer vision monitor the amount of fabric left on each roll. Vibration sensors know when machines are running, have had a breakdown or are not in use.
“You can track the movement and operation of all your assets around your plant—even the movement of your forklifts,” said Rob Schoenthaler, Attology founder and chief executive officer. “Basically, a plant manager can manage their factory from the beach.”
A dozen sensors were installed at McRoskey in about an hour. The installation required no change to traditional equipment or artisan manufacturing processes, the company said. The sensors have enabled the manufacturer to streamline its production by identifying and monitoring performance and waste in the manufacturing process. And, production managers have easy access to all plant data on an intuitive dashboard.
“(Attology is) the only company that has the ability to provide continuous, unobtrusive and passive understanding of the key components of our operations—the interaction of our people, equipment and materials,” said Vanessa Contreras, McRoskey vice president of manufacturing. “This has resulted in significant savings in the first few months of use, and as important, streamlined efficiencies on our factory floor.”
