Cleanliness is a big part of Industry 4.0, says manufacturer

KAM emphasizes cleanliness in its shop because people don’t want to work in dirty factories, said owner Brad Keselowski. Brian Lipchik/The Additive Report

When I first walked into Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing, I thought, “This place is cleaner than my house.” I’m confident I’m not the only visitor to KAM who has thought that.

The walls are spotless, the floors gleam, and the air is as fresh as the countryside around Statesville, N.C., where KAM is located. Combined with the gentle hum of machinery, the factory is, well, serene.

KAM describes its facility as the “factory of the future,” meaning all its major systems—from the front office to the shop floor—are connected by a digital thread. Another characteristic of the factory of the future, or Industry 4.0, is cleanliness, said KAM’s owner, NASCAR champion Brad Keselowski. “Being clean is one of the most important things about Industry 4.0.”

He cites two reasons clean factories are important. One is that much of the equipment KAM operates—3D printers, CNC machines, and metrology equipment—is computerized and, therefore, susceptible to foreign object damage.

The other reason is the workforce. “We live in a time and age where people don’t want to work in dirty factories,” said Keselowski. “They don’t want their kids to work in dirty factories. If industry is going to recruit top talent, which is necessary for the digital thread to be successful, we’d better have a nice work area.”