For the past decade and since its inception in 2013 Fori has participated in Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) in Macomb County. But what is MFG Day and why is it so important to Fori and the communities throughout the nation?
Manufacturing Day is a national day where high school students learn about modern-day manufacturing career options and current technologies in manufacturing. Students visit local facilities and gain hands-on experience in a range of careers. MFG Day connects classroom learning to on-the-job skills. Careers in manufacturing today are much different than years ago. Today, the manufacturing industry utilizes automation and cutting-edge technology to create and build its products and produce solutions.
The Macomb Intermediate School District (MISD) in conjunction with the Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development (MCPED), works with local businesses and organizes MFG Day each year. For 2023 their goals were for 2,000 students from all 27 high schools in Macomb County to participate in MFG Day. Each year students are on-site for roughly two hours. MFG Day host sites, like Fori, welcome a group of chaperoned students and provide them a chance to see the industry in action by offering tours that showcase different processes as well as the careers involved. This year Fori welcomed Chippewa Valley High School whose students visited our machine shop, drove and demoed some of Fori’s Automated Guided Vehicles, and learned about 3D printing and how Fori incorporates 3D printing in our manufacturing processes.
Along with Fori local businesses like Kuka, Ascent Aerospace, BAE Systems, Paslin, and more opened their doors so students could take part in this educational opportunity.
Why is this day so important?
In Michigan and across the nation there is a trending manufacturing skills gap in the U.S. which could result in 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030, according to a new study by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute.
As an automation manufacturer, we believe it’s important to promote the value of manufacturing and skilled trades in our county, state, and country. While many people have a negative view of jobs in manufacturing many of us also know manufacturing offers fulfilling and rewarding careers. MFG Day encourages young minds to take a closer look at manufacturing and what this industry offers.
We are grateful to participate in this enriching program that promotes manufacturing and automation in Macomb County, Michigan, and across the United States.
Almost every organization wants employees who trust and have confidence in their employer. Nothing demonstrates that trust more than longevity. This past Friday, November 18th, we celebrated three Fori employees with who have been with the company more than several decades. Thank you to all who planned, attended and helped us celebrate these three exceptional individuals.
Calvin Visser celebrated 30 years with Fori Automation and was praised for his can-do attitude and his willingness to take risks.
Stojke Misovski who commonly goes by "Steve", a machinist and another 30-year veteran of Fori was credited with his ability to come in get the job done and his vast knowledge of the equipment. And, last but certainly not least Paul Schumann celebrated 20 years as part of the Fori team. Paul was commended on his dedication, capability and efficiency. A company is only as strong as its' workforce. We are proud to have such a solid and committed team.
The Manufacturing industry supports much of the U.S. economy. It's a backbone in Southeastern Michigan and pivotal to Macomb County but many in the manufacturing workforce are aging and retiring. Most schools no longer offer skilled trades, apprenticeships or promote manufacturing jobs as viable career paths. That's why Macomb County implemented Manufacturing Day more than ten years ago. The purpose of Macomb County's Manufacturing Day is to help students learn about modern-day manufacturing careers. Through Manufacturing Day students are able to visit local businesses that specialize in manufacturing and either learn more about careers they're familiar with or gain exposure to something new.
Today, careers in manufacturing are different from years past. Now, the manufacturing industry utilizes technology to create and build the latest and greatest products. And manufacturers need skilled workers who understand that technology. A skilled manufacturing team is essential to Fori's long term growth and the future of manufacturing in Southeastern Michigan. Fori's Vice President Paul Meloche gave his insight into Fori's experience with the event.
"Fori has been actively engaged in Manufacturing days since 2013, when County Executive Mark Hackle toured Fori with the media. We then attended a roundtable discussion with Mark and various local manufactures in an effort to raise awareness about the lack of young people entering the field of skilled trades. It was on that day that Manufacturing Day in Macomb County was established," said Paul.
In Macomb County Manufacturing Day has been around for almost a decade but the idea of this day isn't unique to Michigan. Manufacturing Day or MFG Day for short, is a national movement to inspire younger generations to take up careers in modern manufacturing. MFG Day is an initiative of The Manufacturing Institute, with the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association as a founding partner. Across the country cities, schools and businesses come together through a series of events to promote and educate students, parents and teachers on what careers in manufacturing can offer.
Manufacturing Day 2022
This year Fori hosted over 75 students on Friday, October 7th. The students were divided into groups and then rotated through five stations each on a different aspect of manufacturing. The students stopped by Fori's Machine Shop where they saw the machines used to create and fabricate parts.
They visited Fori's Quality Department where students learned about the various tools and systems needed to check the engineering specifications prior to assembly. The Fori Quality Team went over a Faro arm details inspection, a laser tracker demonstration and a Zeiss CMM running auto, all processes used to verify precision and accuracy.
Students also had a chance to drive an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) and learn about the use cases for different types of AGVs. They viewed a presentation from one of our sales engineers about the quoting process and even stopped by our 3D printing department.
Fori's focus on MFG Day is educating students that walk through the door. We want to showcase the engaging, challenging and lucrative careers that exist within manufacturing, what skills are required to succeed and a day in the life of the Fori team. We do all of this through hands on experience and our employees, who are passionate and proud to share their work with others. It's truly rewarding when our efforts pay off.
"By far my most memorable moment was not at Manufacturing Day itself but when a young man entered my office early one morning wearing a Manufacturing Day t-shirt, (Macomb County provides an MFG Day t-shirt to every student that participates.) He came into my office to introduce himself and thank me for hiring him and for hosting Manufacturing Day three years prior. That was his first day on the job at Fori and he was excited."
Paul Meloche, Fori Automation, Vice President
To learn more about Fori Automation check out our site. For more info about Macomb County's Manufacturing Day, find it here.
Assembly of peripheral equipment for Ocado. The final customer is O’Logistique, a food industry under constant pressure to increase efficiency and improve quality, automation becomes the most sought-after solution.
The Fori Spain Team has performed the assembly of decanting station equipment consisting of 8 integrated stations. The operator(s) load the food product bins which are then stored by the bots into a grid system.
Assembly of picking station equipment consisted of 12 stations, in which the bots bring the products directly from the grid system to the pick station where the operator(s) prepare the customer’s order.
Assembly of bot charger equipment included 23 charging stations, where the robots came to recharge their batteries. The new line was installed in the third quarter of 2021. A second phase is planned for the second quarter of 2022.
The latest precision 3D wheel alignment provides for the high accuracy of toe and camber measurement as well as the best auditing of caster with the sweeping proves. Latest features of the Fori 3D technology prevent influence of temperature and have reduced the complexity of the electrical interface for PC top camera communication.
The specialized tooling for automatic front toe, camber-caster set and secure removes one operator from the pit, while providing the most accurate means for controlling alignment capability.
The specialized tooling for rear automation provides the capability to adjust and secure a small percentage of rear toe and camber on rear suspension modules. The tooling provides for a means of automatically adjusting the toe and camber once it is loaded on the suspension links and activated by operator to begin the adjust and secure cycle.
The headlamp aim audit system can be integrated with the production headlamp aimer. It is used to measure exact position of the location of the headlamp in reference to the bulb center. It can be used for verifying lamps are being aimed to tolerance and to assist with setting up new lamp models. It includes a high resolution camera to process and measure headlamps at 25 feet, a whiteboard that headlamps are projected onto, and a separate PC system for processing the lamps image.
In an industry with constant pressure to boost efficiency, improve quality and flexibility, automation becomes the solution most look for.
The Electric Power Pack (EPP) assembly from Fori Automation consisted of multiple pieces of equipment. Everything from lift assists and secure tooling to a servo controlled half shaft press fixture.
Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGV’s) were provided for conveyance of the product down the assembly line. This allowed operators full 360 degree accessibility around the power pack assembly.
The AGV’s were not only used for the assembly process but were also used as the transportation device to get the EPP to the line side location to complete the vehicle assembly.
The EPP assembly line was installed during the first quarter of 2020.
What does a typical day look like for you? I will get a line up from the Project Engineer and we will go through the quote and discuss what direction we want to go with the design. Then I will start designing the machine and we will have customer reviews and then finalize it, release it, and eventually get to see everything working properly on the floor.
What’s your favorite part about working for Fori? My favorite part about Fori is probably seeing the growth in the company. They are always trying to expand, try new things, and take on a variety of new jobs. It is also nice to see everything come together. A design starts off from just words on paper and then finally getting to see the machine functioning on the floor is really cool.
What has been the most exciting or important innovation at Fori you’ve witnessed? Well, I haven’t been here too long but from what I have seen, probably an Aluminum Ingot Transfer AGV that had to carry 250,000 pounds. It had to move aluminum ingots from station to station across the plant.
What is your proudest moment working at Fori? I don’t necessarily have a proudest moment, but I really enjoy working on the FEA’s - the stress analysis. We can take the machine, put it in the software, and replicate the working conditions and can see all of the stresses and deflections that are happening on the machine. We take that information and make it better and stronger. Then when we design something similar in the future we can take what we learned from that and avoid any problems.
What advice would you give someone who is thinking about a career at Fori Automation? I think it’s a great company with great people. It’s nice to work for a company that’s thinking about the future – always trying to expand and try new things. Since I’ve been here the last couple years, we’ve built a new facility across the street. And I hear we’re expanding globally. It’s always good to see a company trying to expand.
What is something most people don’t know about you? I don’t drink coffee!
What have you gained from working at Fori? I’ve gained a lot of knowledge on the manufacturing industry as a whole and just how everything works. The process behind everything going from a quote, to a design, to an approval, to a final build. Finally seeing it come to life is pretty cool.
How would you define success? Success to me is learning from your past mistakes or successes and building off of that and constantly pushing yourself to be the best you can.
When you’re not at work, what are you most likely doing? I am most likely golfing, snowboarding, or spending time with friends and family.
Fori Automation recently provided (2) high capacity Aerospace AGVs for the automated transport of a Mobile Paint System for aircraft painting and sealant.
The (2) high capacity AGVs are utilized as mobile platforms for the transport of a mobile paint system. The paint system is for painting and sealant applications within the general assembly area. The mobile paint system seals to the outside of the aircraft fuselage, allowing for paint and sealant activities in the general assembly area of the plant.
The AGVs were developed for the transport and staging of this system. Each AGV includes (4) powered drive wheels, (4) lifters and (8) suspended swivel casters. Once the AGV moves the system into position, the AGV and system are lifted and leveled. The mobile paint system is leveled in order to maintain a proper seal to the fuselage section for pressurization. After the paint and/or sealant apply is complete, the AGV retracts the lifts to lower the mobile paint system. Once lowered, the AGV and paint system are transported to the home position to wait for the next fuselage section to be loaded into the work position.
Each of the AGVs is outfitted with (4) powered drive wheels. The powered drive wheels enable omni-directional travel and fine positioning. The AGV is required to locate within +/- 5 mm at final position. The lifters are fully adjustable, including 6” of total stroke. The suspended swivel casters were provided in order to overcome the +/- 19 mm of floor variation in the plant. Suspended swivel casters also improve weight distribution across the entire AGV system.
Control of the AGVs & mobile paint system is completed via Siemens tethered HMI. The positioning, lift and level is completed automatically via preprogrammed sequences.
Fori Germany recently designed, manufactured and supplied a new rear suspension adjustment stand for the Audi Brussels plant.
The rear axle is delivered by an existing conveyor system and automatically raised to the setting position. Once located, the suspension is clamped and the measurement of the camber takes place without contact. After the suspension is located the installed vehicle force is applied to the module, force displacement is included within the equipment to simulate vehicle loading.
Once the measurement is complete, the required adjustment is completed automatically by appropriate torque units. After completing the adjustment process, the rear axle is placed back on the tool carrier and extended out of the protected area of the adjustment cell.
Consists of the following components:
• Protective safety fencing
• Rear suspension adjustment system
• Contactless measurement device
• Auto-torque for adjustment
• Device to simulate actual vehicle weight during adjustment
The Fori assembly system sequences and processes multiple variants utilizing Fori Flex Rail System assembly solution.
Integration of manufacturing execution systems (MES) with the Flex Rail System allows the value added assembler the means to create multiple variants of suspension systems. The product is sequenced and assembled as requested by the end user and ready for installation into the vehicle. Flexible configurations allow for the most cost effective utilization of plant floor and personnel when handling large volumes and variables of product.
The loop style conveyance system consists of (57) rail guided carts (RGCs) to transport suspension module components from incoming material dunnage thru the various assembly processes including:
Front & rear brake corner assembly system:
• Automatic hub bearing & rotor lateral runout test and assembly.
• Robotic assembly of knuckle to hub bearing and caliper to knuckle with vision inspection.
Front vertical assembly system:
• Automatic Front Coil over Shock assembly.
Rear suspension module assembly system:
• Automatic setting of camber and toe.
• Simultaneous auto-torque of all links in (5) link suspension with vision inspection.
• Robotic unload of completed module to shipping container.
Adaptive Driver Assist Safety (ADAS) centering cells are stand alone and can be placed in any audit or production facility.
The stand-alone ADAS cell was developed for the Faraday future electric vehicles that are eventually moving to a total autonomous Level 5 stage.
The project required the calibration of the vehicles long range Radar sensor, corner Radar sensors, front camera, (stereo vision) and surround view camera. Headlamp aiming (HLA) was integrated into this platform to best utilize the operator’s process time.
The ADAS system was developed using lower cost solutions for:
• HLA with the hi-resolution Fori camera box and manual positioning gantry
• Pneumatic “auto” positioning of the LRR aluminum target for Bosch Gen 5 radar sensor
• Pneumatic drop down positioning of the LDW target
• Fixed stanchions with corner reflectors for the corner radar calibration
• Pneumatic centering platform for a wheelbase range of 500mm.
• A self-contained control system with Siemens based s7-1200 series PLC for conducting all positioning and the adjust sequence.
• PC and software to interface with other plant provided systems that communicated to the vehicle OBDII.
The Axle Assembly System sequences and processes multiple product variants utilizing Fori's Automated Guided Cart (AGC) assembly solution.
Fori Automation's integration of manufacturing execution systems with the AGC system allows the value added assembler the means to create multiple variants of Axle Assemblies.
The single loop style conveyor system consists of (12) AGCs to transport Axle Assemblies from incoming material dunnage through the various assembly processes and (2) off-line turntables including:
• Automatic positioning of Axle housings for various fill and drain plugs, using (2) trunnions on a turntable.
• Robotic transfer from plug turntable to dowel weld turntable to AGC load.
• Semi-auto dowel welding
• Robotic sealant apply to a variety of Axle housing carrier shapes.
• Leak test while manual start of carrier bolts.
• Manual final torque of carrier bolts.
• Manual loading with assist of various Axle shafts.
Utilizing experienced resources, Fori developed a viable process, engineered the system, manufactured the equipment and integrated the assembly line at the end user.
Fori Korea supplied an Advanced Driving Assistance System (ADAS) to accommodate several vehicle platforms and test a variety of safety features.
Features:
Safety Testing: Lane departure warning, automatic headlights, over speed prevention, traffic signal recognition, distance warning
Results: Decreased infrastructure, increased production rate, accommodation of future vehicle models
ADAS test benches certify the operation of the vehicle cameras related to Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Automatic Head Lights (AHL), Over Speed Prevention (OSP), Traffic Signal Recognition (TSR) and Distance Warning (DW).
The ADAS system also validates functionality of the vehicles radar system which detects the moving elements in front of the vehicle from a significant speed and the operation of the vehicle. Examples include Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Advanced Emergency Braking System (AEBS) and Forward Collision Warning (FCW).
Another test completed by the ADAS is the AVM (Around View Monitor). This process is completed with four cameras (front, rear, two for side mirrors) and then displays the image captured by the cameras to the operator in their cones of vision (e.g., help for the blind spots, help for the car parking).
The ADAS system has reduced the infrastructure required for the various sensor testing that is completed on production vehicles. The system allows multiple tests to be completed in one station.
For more information about Fori Automation's end of line testing products, please visit our website.
raised to the setting position. Once located, the suspension is clamped and the measurement of the camber takes place without contact. After the suspension is located the installed vehicle force is applied to the module, force displacement is included within the equipment to simulate vehicle loading.
Once the measurement is complete, the required adjustment is completed automatically by appropriate torque units. After completing the adjustment 
process, the rear axle is placed back on the tool carrier and extended out of the protected area of the adjustment cell.
Consists of the following components:
• Protective safety fencing
• Rear suspension adjustment system
• Contactless measurement device
• Auto-torque for adjustment
• Device to simulate actual vehicle weight during adjustment
ctive utilization of plant floor and personnel when handling large volumes and variables of product.
The loop style conveyance system consists of (57) rail guided carts 
• Automatic Front Coil over Shock assembly.
Rear suspension module assembly system:
• Automatic setting of camber and toe.
• Simultaneous auto-torque of all links in (5) link suspension with vision inspection.
• Robotic unload of completed module to shipping container.
tereo vision) and surround view camera. Headlamp aiming (HLA) was integrated into this platform to best utilize the operator’s process time.
The ADAS system was developed using lower cost solutions for:
• HLA with the hi-resolution Fori camera box and manual positioning gantry
• Pneumatic “auto” positioning of the LRR aluminum target for Bosch Gen 5 radar sensor 
• Pneumatic drop down positioning of the LDW target
• Fixed stanchions with corner reflectors for the corner radar calibration
• Pneumatic centering platform for a wheelbase range of 500mm.
• A self-contained control system with Siemens based s7-1200 series PLC for conducting all positioning and the adjust sequence.
• PC and software to interface with other plant provided systems that communicated to the vehicle OBDII.
er shapes.
• Leak test while manual start of carrier bolts.
• Manual final torque of carrier bolts.
• Manual loading with assist of various Axle shafts.
ADAS test benches certify the operation of the vehicle cameras related to Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Automatic Head Lights (AHL), Over Speed Prevention (OSP), Traffic Signal Recognition (TSR) and Distance Warning (DW).
The