Smart Manufacturing Driven by Innovation
Those in the manufacturing sector face significant disruptions in many key areas, including regulatory changes, cost pressures, rising customer requirements and much more. Initiatives around digital Transformation and Industry 4.0 also impact the sector and are more than a fleeting trend. Industry 4.0, as the name implies, is widely thought to be the 4th industrial revolution. It’s the culmination of automation, big data, cloud computing, and connected machines. The idea behind the innovations is to do more faster, cut waste, improve quality and compete in the face of unprecedented change. The Industrial Internet of Things The Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) refers to the ability to connect machines to the internet, each other, and to larger systems. It used to be that machines used PLC’s to report data to a manufacturing execution system. Today, sensors can be added to monitor almost any aspect of production. The sensors are cheaper, more reliable, and can capture cycle times, units, temperature, pressure, and any other imaginable data point. They report production in real time much like PLCs of the past. But with so many other data points IIOT enabled shops have a new wealth of information. It helps maintenance software understand the conditions that result in breakdown and become more predictive – preventing expensive breakdowns and repairs. It can also help systems run smoothly, adjusting individual machines to ensure inputs and outputs are kept in sync. Cheaper optics and cameras can perform real time, in process quality checks on every unit produced – slowing production only when there is a real issue and in real time. Sensors can also improve safety – informing operators when a machine is running too fast, or the oil is too hot A Customer Focus Another aspect of Industry 4.0 is an ever-increasing focus on customers and experience. Customers in all markets are demanding better, more personal experiences and services. Even in complex industrial manufacturing, there is room for improving customer experience and customer service. IIOT plays a part in this as well. Consider a recent example of a complex manufacturer producing industrial equipment. The final units now include dozens of IIOT sensors – monitoring all aspects of the equipment and its operating environment. The producer can access this data and provide their customer, the user, information proactively. They can suggest how to improve performance, or suggest an engineer come onsite for calibration. Manufacturer or Service Provider? This data allows the producer to become a service provider – increasing revenue and providing real value to their customers. By integrating this data with traditional elements of enterprise asset management and field service, they can provide not only the product, but the service to sustain it, and help inform the repair/replace decision for their client. IIOT and Industry 4.0 will see complex manufacturers move from just producers, to becoming service providers, and ultimately trusted partners for their customers. Smart Manufacturing Session Andrew Bolivar, the Director of Ultra Consultants Center of Excellence, will be reviewing these issues and more during a Smart Manufacturing breakout session – taking place bright and early at 8AM on day one of FABTECH. Session attendees will understand that a key element of “digital transformation” in the manufacturing and distribution sector is the effective use of enterprise technology to fully streamline business processes. Andrew will review a proven approach that defines the step-by-step activities necessary to maximize business potential and fully realize the benefits of technology investments. We see this as an opportunity for organizations to undergo business process transformation to- Drive best-in-class process performance in the Industry 4.0 era
- Promote an organizational culture that embraces change with a mindset for continuous improvement
- Improve product quality, service delivery, and customer satisfaction performance
- Activate more advanced tools, processes, and change for greater efficiency, decision confidence, and business success
