Manufacturing knowledge,
built for the people doing the work.

Ideas, guides, and field-tested results on getting manufacturing knowledge to the people who do the work. We cover work instructions, visual execution, the digital thread, and AI built for the floor.

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Hand-picked highlights across the topics we cover, from authoring work instructions to bringing AI to the floor. Refreshed regularly.

Work Instructions

Five Work Instruction Challenges Every Manufacturer Faces

Manufacturing work instruction programs fail the same five ways. Too many documents to manage, too slow to create, too poor in quality, too static to consume, and out of date before the ink dries. Here is what is actually happening and what to do about it.

How to Implement Interactive Work Instructions in 10 Steps

Interactive work instructions cut scrap 15% in a U.S. Department of Energy study and reduce training time. Learn what they are, why "paper on glass" falls short, and how to implement them in 10 steps.

The workforce demographic cliff: how Operations Leaders are preparing

When experienced manufacturing workers retire, they take decades of process knowledge with them. Here is what the data shows about the knowledge transfer gap, and what Operations Leaders are doing about it.

Work Instructions

Work Instructions Articles

Work Instructions

What breaks first when manufacturing scales is the authoring

Informal work instructions hold up at four people in one room. Scale breaks the authoring first, and this is what to fix, in the order it breaks.

Electronic work instructions, from the PDFs and models you already have

Electronic work instructions take three forms, depending on whether you start from a document, a video or a 3D model. What each one gives the worker.

Why manufacturing work instructions fail and what good looks like

Manufacturing work instructions fail in five specific ways, from an engineering change nobody can trace to a step that asks nothing of the operator.

Visual Execution

Visual Execution Articles

Visual Execution

Don't Settle for Sub-Standard Work Instructions (The Cost of Static PDFs)

Sub-standard work instructions are costing the manufacturing industry billions. Here’s why you can no longer afford to work with paper or PDF work instructions.

Knowledge Transfer

Knowledge Transfer Articles

Knowledge Transfer

The workforce demographic cliff: how Operations Leaders are preparing

Capturing Institutional Knowledge: Do You Have a Plan?

Institutional knowledge is a major asset for manufacturing operations. Here’s why you need a plan to capture it.

Digital Work Instructions - Training the New Manufacturing Workforce

You have weeks to bring a new hire to competence on a process that took their predecessor years. How interactive digital work instructions accelerate onboarding, improve knowledge retention, and reduce errors on the floor.

Digital Thread

Digital Thread Articles

Digital Thread

PLM work instructions: getting governed engineering data to the workforce

PLM governs your released engineering data. Turning it into interactive work instructions that reach the workforce, and routing execution data back, is a different job. Here is how that connection works.

DoD 5000.97: What Digital Engineering Means for Manufacturing Work Instructions

DoD 5000.97 mandates digital engineering across the acquisition lifecycle. See what it means for your shop floor work instructions and where to start.

Unlocking the Power of Autodesk Vault with Canvas Envision: Transforming Frontline Operations

Autodesk Vault customers have long relied on its robust capabilities to manage and protect their design data, ensuring a single governed repository for CAD files and associated documentation. Now, by integrating Vault with Canvas Envision, organizations can elevate their investment and deliver unmatched value to their teams on the factory floor.

AI in Manufacturing

AI in Manufacturing Articles

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Manufacturing knowledge, built for the people doing the work.

Three places to start.

Five Work Instruction Challenges Every Manufacturer Faces

How to Implement Interactive Work Instructions in 10 Steps

The workforce demographic cliff: how Operations Leaders are preparing

Work Instructions

What breaks first when manufacturing scales is the authoring

Electronic work instructions, from the PDFs and models you already have

Why manufacturing work instructions fail and what good looks like

Visual Execution

Don't Settle for Sub-Standard Work Instructions (The Cost of Static PDFs)

Knowledge Transfer

The workforce demographic cliff: how Operations Leaders are preparing

Capturing Institutional Knowledge: Do You Have a Plan?

Digital Work Instructions - Training the New Manufacturing Workforce

Digital Thread

PLM work instructions: getting governed engineering data to the workforce

DoD 5000.97: What Digital Engineering Means for Manufacturing Work Instructions

Unlocking the Power of Autodesk Vault with Canvas Envision: Transforming Frontline Operations

AI in Manufacturing

See your engineering data become interactive work instructions.

Manufacturing knowledge,
built for the people doing the work.