Achieving Smart Factory initiatives requires a seismic shift toward data-driven processes, sensors, and advanced metrology solutions. Large-scale manufacturers bear the load of crushing backlogs and internal pressures to eke out more productivity. What are the roadblocks? Will existing measurement technologies get us there, or do we need to rethink the current path? What is the 10-year plan for technology?

These all-important questions led to the formation of the PrecisionPath Consortium (PPC) for Large-Scale Manufacturing , a working partnership of commercial-industry partners, the Coordinate Metrology Society, and UNC-Charlotte. This collaborative effort brought together key users, managers, and developers of metrology software and hardware for their first two-year project.

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