mere.dev / manufacturing automation
Frank Gilbreth didn't optimize the worker — he eliminated wasted motion. That distinction matters. Automation that serves the craftsman produces better work. Automation that replaces judgment produces defects at scale.
Let's TalkThe Foundation
In 1910, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth broke every physical task into its smallest atomic units — search, find, select, grasp, transport, position, assemble, use, disassemble, inspect, pre-position, release, transport empty. They called these units therbligs (Gilbreth, backwards, roughly).
The insight wasn't to make workers move faster. It was to identify which therbligs were necessary for the work and which were artifacts of a poorly designed process. Remove the unnecessary motion and workers do more with less effort, make fewer errors, and go home less exhausted.
The goal is never to work faster. The goal is to work less on the parts that don't matter.
I apply the same framework to modern manufacturing: instrument first, identify the waste, then build automation that removes it — without removing the human judgment that makes the work good.
What I Do
Process Audit
Map the actual workflow — not the one on the whiteboard. I time-study operations, identify the therbligs, and separate necessary work from inherited habit. You get a clear picture of where time goes before we touch a single line of code.
Instrumentation & Measurement
You can't improve what you can't measure. I design lightweight instrumentation into production processes — cycle times, defect rates, tooling wear, throughput by station — without adding overhead that slows the work down.
Automation Design
Automation scoped to the actual problem, not the most impressive demo. Sometimes that's a simple jig that eliminates a positioning step. Sometimes it's a CNC program. Sometimes it's a software tool that puts the right information in front of the right person at the right time.
Small Shop Focus
Enterprise MES systems are built for enterprises. Small shops need tools they can own, understand, and maintain without a six-figure support contract. I build for that reality.
Get In Touch
If your shop has waste you can feel but can't quantify yet, that's where this starts. Let's find the therbligs.