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Updated April 13, 2022
When is it risky to wait? When everyone else is moving forward. Utilizing smart manufacturing technology sooner rather than later is the smart choice. Industry Week reported that most manufacturing companies have been working on at least one smart manufacturing project since the end of last year and that "moving to smart manufacturing can help you reach and serve customers better and more profitably." They also said that many businesses are experimenting by adding sensors to their existing equipment. Why not give it a try?
Smart manufacturing is the concept of using real-time data to deliver actionable insights that drive process improvement, process optimization, increased equipment utilization, and highly flexible responses within smart manufacturing systems.
The concept of smart manufacturing has been around for many years, but technology is now making it a reality. It’s rooted in the growing adoption of digitization in the manufacturing process. As mass-production systems grow to meet supply consumers' needs in a growing global economy, data created by the merging of cyber-physical systems is increasingly used to improve overall operations.
Manufacturing equipment is connected by sensors or devices to monitor and collect data during the manufacturing process. This data may be directly streamed to the cloud, or it may employ edge or fog computing to process it before being sent to the cloud. The data received by the cloud uses a host of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), advanced data analysis, robust machine learning algorithms, and machine monitoring platforms. It then transforms the data into actionable insights that can be used for sharper decision-making.
The arrival of smart technology in the manufacturing industry is changing how companies do business. With intelligent manufacturing, an entire manufacturing business can transform into a leaner data-driven company that reaps significant benefits and revolutionizes business processes.
Let’s look at the development of industrial equipment and review each successive revolution that ushered in enormous gains in productivity.
A collection of emerging technologies is now powering the fourth industrial revolution known as Industry 4.0. It consists of a suite of technologies such as the industrial internet, artificial intelligence, machine learning, additive manufacturing, edge computing, robotics, augmented reality, and other smart technologies.
| What is Industry 4.0? Industry 4.0, also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or 4IR, is an all-encompassing term to refer to the way computers, data and automation are evolving and coming together to change the way work happens, and in particular, manufacturing. Read the Complete Guide. |
What is Industry 4.0? Industry 4.0, also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or 4IR, is an all-encompassing term to refer to the way computers, data and automation are evolving and coming together to change the way work happens, and in particular, manufacturing. Read the Complete Guide.
These technologies allow manufacturing plants to leverage the vast data created at every piece of equipment to improve efficiency, enable smart services for added revenue, and deploy cyber-physical systems that increase operational efficiency and impact growth strategy.
Here are some key areas where smart manufacturing relates to Industry 4.0:
Supply chain management is vital for manufacturing. Smart manufacturing's use of sensors, edge computing, and the industrial internet allows many Industry 4.0 technologies to improve supply chain performance. Advanced data analysis means companies can set reliable MOQs. It also enables them to determine the need for buffer stocks and optimize buffers accordingly. Demand planning can be modeled to provide accurate forecasts, and systems have the analytical strength to allow robust "what-if" contingency planning to stay ahead of disruption.
Smart manufacturing's potential is vast. Intelligent factories with attached devices can deliver data in real time and link to analytics engines using cloud-based computing. This connection makes a smart factory more responsive and flexible.
This potential is already proving itself through results. For companies utilizing Industry 4.0 technology to develop smart manufacturing, 88% report higher productivity, 74% report higher profitability, 43% report an increase in customer satisfaction, and 42% report an increase in machine uptime. These benefits cannot be overstated.
MachineMetrics unlocks real-time, accurate production data for instant visibility into operations, enabling smart manufacturing from the shop floor to the top floor.
There are many benefits to a smart factory implementation:
Traditional manufacturing processes can hit a ceiling, but a smart factory increases productivity. As big data capabilities are brought to bear through advanced Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platforms, companies immediately realize areas for process improvement.
Real-time data insights can be put to work to increase OEE and efficiency. Optimized manufacturing processes also mean raw materials are utilized more efficiently and quality is improved. All these forces converge to raise productivity.
Smart factories will usually experience an immediate drop in operational costs. Data automation as part of a digital transformation helps improve manufacturing performance and enable more efficient production. This efficiency gain leads to lower labor costs, less scrap, higher throughput, and reduced inventory costs.
Greater visibility also results in reduced equipment failures. Real-time data is turned into advanced maintenance strategies centered on data-driven details of machine health and condition. This visibility extends to raw materials and the entire supply chain for end-to-end visibility across the enterprise.
Smart manufacturing utilizes advanced analytics in a comprehensive platform that includes AI-driven analysis, machine learning, digital twin technology, and more. It also integrates seamlessly with legacy software through APIs and apps so all systems have access to real-time data.
Immediate visibility enables business processes across quality, maintenance, finance, planning, and more to be optimized using the same tools and data used on the production floor.
Traditional manufacturing processes were siloed and disconnected. Smart factories leverage data between departments to remove silos and create collaborative manufacturing systems.
One example is change management, where design specs or change orders often require a chain of approval. By automating approvals, changes are available as soon as they’re approved. This reduces confusion and lets departments run with higher confidence that what they’re producing is the correct product in the correct volume.
Smart machines result in happy customers. Smart manufacturing facilitates this by reducing lead time, unlocking hidden capacity to meet growing demand, and producing schedules that meet or exceed quoted delivery times.
Capital equipment is one of the greatest expenses for any manufacturer. With AI-enabled machine monitoring and condition monitoring, smart factories open the door to advanced maintenance strategies.
These strategies include predictive maintenance, which uses real-time data to monitor machine health and prescribe maintenance. It also monitors machine health so repairs can be made before they become a problem, reducing breakdowns, part costs, and downtime.
Like all revolutions, progress to full digitization will take time. Along the way, several obstacles must be overcome. These may include:
With a high level of autonomous or semi-autonomous machines, many workers may fear losing their manufacturing jobs. This fear is also true of IT professionals who fear being overwhelmed with deploying a radical new system only to be let go and replaced by a robot.
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) offers an enormous opportunity to achieve smart manufacturing powered by Industry 4.0 technologies. MachineMetrics offers out-of-the-box functionality to make this a reality. Our platform also enables advanced analytics, machine learning, and the connection of devices across a factory (including new OEM and legacy analog manufacturing equipment).
MachineMetrics understands that smart manufacturing doesn’t need to be cost-prohibitive or ad hoc. By utilizing the best-in-class platform, companies can realize the benefits of smart manufacturing and capture unprecedented cost savings, higher productivity, better quality, improved processes, and a competitive edge in their smart manufacturing environment.
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