Testimonials

THe ERS 6th Man has your 6.

From Fra Burmeister og Wain's Iron Foundry, by Peder Severin Krøyer, 1885.

The Challenge

empowering the modern factory

ERS Automation’s 6th Man empowers a manufacturer to meet the modern demands of the factory floor. ERS personnel seamlessly complement your engineering and maintenance staff to prevent a challenge from becoming a crisis. Today, plants use in-house staff, temporary staff and outside contractors but there solutions have limitations: 

Full-time specialists can be pricey. While in-house staff are “yours,” in the sense that they know the systems well, they represent a significant fixed cost for expertise that is intermittently needed.

Temps save money at the expense of expertise. Temporary staff save money, but they don’t know your system very well, and they rarely are technically ready for the modern, complex automation challenges of today's factory floor.

Contractors save money at the expense of broad expertise. Outside contractors also save money, but their expertise is usually limited to “per machine” or “trade specific.” They work on only specific brand or type of machine or, like electricians, have a relatively narrow area of expertise.

The ERS Difference

ERS 6th Man is different.

• Sixth Man does not incur the fixed costs of an employee.
• Sixth Man brings much greater technical capacity than temp staff.
• Sixth Man knows your employees and the factory’s overall systems.
• Sixth Man offers a broader scope than the traditional outside contractor.

This covers two sets of conditions. Whether your technical requirements rise or your in-house capacity drops, Sixth Man is ready for:

• Machine breakdown.
• Sudden need for customer-driven change in production that require more work than the regular staff can accomplish in the time allotted.
• Vacations, illness, retirement, unplanned separations.
• Adding new equipment or work area.

Is ERS 6th Man a threat to in-house staff, temp staff or contractors?

ERS Has your 6

No.  ​The ERS 6th Man service is not a threat to in-house staff, temps, or contractors. 
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6thMan is critical help, not a professional threat.  When options 1 through 5 are not a good fit, ERS has your 6. ERS provides this service to even union plants who recognize the cost effective value to both management and workers.

How does ERS 6th Man work?

ERS 6th Man works with you

Periodically (weekly or monthly, per preference) ERS technicians collaborate with your people to build and maintain the working relationships and factory familiarity. This can include checking comprehensive maintenance like ensuring that program backups are up to date, spares ordered, prints have been updated, and the like.

The checklist is updated as necessary and some task or project is accomplished.

The checklist to make the 6th Man concept most effective:

• Plant-specific safety requirements.
• Machine program and prints location of machine programs and prints.
• Spare parts location .
• Purchasing procedures.
• The “go to” personnel and their contact information for each area in production, maintenance, engineering, etc.
• Any required access badges, codes and passwords needed to accomplish the task.
• Sign any Non Disclosure Agreements.

Case Study: Sabotage

ERs 6th Man fixes sabotage

After closing a plant moving its production to other factories, company ABC discovered that its equipment had been sabotaged. ABC called ERS 6th Man to repair the machines and leverage our extensive vendor network. ERS 6th Man staff worked on site for weeks to fix the equipment and return to operational status.

Case Study: Confidential Market Research

ERs 6th Man Discreetly researches

An electrical equipment manufacturer needed market research conducted without tipping off competitors. The company quietly retained ERS Sixth Man to procure equipment, document sales channels, negotiate price points from prospective vendors, research actual lead times, and more. ERS had previously built equipment and used the customers products, making the research seamless and not raising any “red flags” in the process.

The Key to Success

Saving costs. Deliverying value.

The ERS Automation 6th Man program of regular engagement with staff and equipment plays a critical role in responding as swiftly as your company needs. When companies must use in-house staff, temp staff or contractors, the results are usually more painful and less successful. ERS 6th Man gives both management and workers peace of mind by backing up both critical personnel and skill sets.