Horizon equipment is made by Horizon in Japan. Located in the US, our company has been a dealer of Horizon for several decades now. In December of 2019, I had the opportunity to tour their factory as part of the Smart Factory event that took place in Kyoto. Their entire approach to product design is something I truly admire.
Recently, they released a video that provides insight into the progression of the manufacturing complex. In the video, you can observe an amazing amount of changes over the years, reflecting how the factory has grown and evolved. When I toured the factory in 2019 I saw many distinct sections of the facility. Workers were performing specialized processes, giving us an up-close look at their commitment to quality and innovation.
Horizon is a vertically integrated manufacturer. That means they try to do as much of their manufacturing process as possible with as few outside suppliers as they can get away with. Usually vertically integrated manufacturers are the top-tier production sites with expert engineers. This facility will do everything from frame casting, robotic welding, sheet metal, injection molding, and they even their own printed circuit boards.
See Where Horizon Equipment is Made
Having all processes in one location is beneficial. It means minimal dependence on outside suppliers. First and foremost, there is control over product quality. Horizon maintains quality assurance from raw material to final product. Horizon is able to ensure high production standards since the equipment never leaves the site until it is complete. It’s more straightforward. Contract assemblers face challenges when relying on vendors. They often depend on outside quality to uphold their own product quality in massive orders.
In addition to quality control, there’s another advantage. It’s a stabilized production line. During recent shortages, clarity emerged. It was clear who controlled broad supply lines and who didn’t. Horizon stood out. As a vertically integrated manufacturer, they manage these issues. They do it themselves, making it more manageable.
Not only does Horizon control quality, but they also have other abilities. Users of Horizon equipment benefit from an entire ecosystem of common interfaces, parts, and process workflows. They can conduct back catalog production runs for any product lines. An ability to dynamically adapt what they manufacture on short notice is a big advantage. They align changes with shifts in market demands. These capabilities show Horizon’s strength and flexibility. It’s an illustration of how vertical integration can be powerful. It maintains quality and adaptability.
A True Example of a Smart Factory
Horizon is a perfect example of practicing what they preach. The entire iCE LiNK concept and idea was born out of their own operations. Horizon has turned their own facility into a smart factory. For a long time horizon has had computers on every production machine to report status. Information is collected and sent to a centralized management system where they can observe operations in real time.
The iCE branding is now common on most of the high end Horizon equipment. Any of these iCE branded products are compatible out-of-the-box with the iCE LiNK software suite. Owners can log in and see the real time status of their machines. You can also see the historical trends of your machines like what average speeds they run at or which operators are the most productive.