Innovation in the sheet metal industry, especially as it relates to HVAC and duct forming, is what continues to push productivity and design capabilities forward today. That innovation, says Mestek Machinery's own Senior Vice President of Sales Mike Bailey, is largely driven by industry trends. One of the biggest trends currently influencing our own machinery developments is digital transformation, which aims to not only automate the fabrication process but also put more powerful software in the hands of contractors while eliminating the pitfalls of both designing and troubleshooting on paper in the fab shop.
In this video from the 2024 SMACNA Product Show, Bailey explains why this trend is at the forefront of Mestek Machinery's development strategy for the coming year and beyond.
In many of his recent presentations at industry events, including the SMACNA Product Show as well as the SPIDA annual meeting, Bailey has said machine automation and data analysis enabled by BIM software are some of the key developments allowing contractors to be more efficient in the shop today. By collecting production data, more technologically dialed-in contractors are able to pinpoint bottlenecks in shop flow and/or productivity issues with more accuracy than contractors working primarily on paper.