Digitalisation in engineering is here to stay – and harnessing the power of digital technologies will help you cut costs and keep your business ahead of the competition. 
This is especially true as we move towards Industry 4.0, with its focus on autonomous operations, and even beyond that into Industry 5.0. 

The shop floor of the future will require complete visibility and control of the supply chain, with autonomous management covering everything from tender selection to sub-contractor schedule creation and production, as well as real-time tracking. 
 
Understanding available resources across the business, whether it’s people, machinery, or consumables, is critical to planning and optimising your operations. There are countless digital solutions on the market to choose from, so at MSC we have done the hard work for you. 
 
Working with carefully selected partners, we offer a range of affordable, scalable technology solutions – covering everything from inventory management, machine optimization, quality, skills and tracking and traceability.  
 
These technologies gather data from across your business – then turn it into valuable, insight and information, driving best practices across your business and maximising efficiency and profitability. 
 
Best of all, our solutions are completely modular – you can take on the ones that are best suited to you now and add others as and when you need them. At every stage, they aim to improve visibility of your resources, and the journey starts with inventory management. 

ControlPoint is our inventory management solution covering everything from tooling and PPE to consumables. They are all accessed through on-site vending machines that come with controlled access so you have complete visibility over who has taken what and when. Not only can you track usage, you can also see - in real time - what is in stock. Ordering replacements can be generated automatically to ensure essential items are always available. 

Ideally complementing ControlPoint, our Granmax Info advanced tool management system (ATMS) is a unique solution providing a complete digital overview of tooling inventory. With Granmax Info, you’ll know instantly what products are needed for each job, what stage each job has reached, and when you are out of stock. It’s a truly agile solution, giving complete visibility of the shopfloor library alongside auditable traceability – and helping you manage both in-house and subcontract workflows. 

When it comes to programming, most manufacturers need a cloud-based CAD/CAM system. Autodesk Fusion 360 is a complete solution for 3D modelling, simulation and documentation for processes including machining, milling, turning and additive manufacturing. Rapid, efficient product design is complemented by simple machine programming, and data recording to guarantee repeatability. 
 
MSC engineers can offer remote assistance through this platform too, providing you with a truly consolidated manufacturing support service. 

Consistency and compatibility between CAD/CAM software and machine tools is critical to detecting errors and inefficiencies. Manufacturing and engineering business run at tight margins, and it’s vital to get things right first time. The Vericut collision avoidance system has an interface linking with Granmax Info, ensuring optimised quality, more rapid cycle times and overall cost savings. 

Eliminating human error from tool pre-setting is central to optimising efficiency. Tool pre-setting is a specialist skill which takes many years to acquire and even the most experienced human pre-setter may make an error. Evoset is an automated tool pre-setter which consolidates data providing complete consistency, down to micron level, for rapid, repeatable high-quality manufacturing.   

Optimised machinery is critical to maximising productivity, especially when it comes to milling, but human engineers can be conservative when it comes to making changes. Exclusively available to MSC customers, Millmaxâ interprets information from previous jobs to deliver the best possible machine settings – and therefore the continuous improvement which is vital to success on the shopfloor.