Connected processes are changing the game in manufacturing.
Smart technology doesn’t just refer to AI-powered dashboards in cars or wearable biosensors to monitor your health. Connected processes have entered the manufacturing space, and they are making an impact across the supply chain.
Imagine creating products that customers want, before they even know that they want them. Imagine machines that tell you they are in need of repairs, months before they break down. In factories across the country, these scenarios are happening daily. With cognitive ERP solutions, capable of mining and processing data and analytics for all aspects of your business, these innovations can be a part of your factory as well.
In short, it’s a connected workplace. Today’s smart factory leverages Industry 4.0 technologies to enhance manufacturing through timely and accurate data, which is crucial for real-time decision-making and operational efficiency. This approach leads to improved performance, better quality control, and more accurate predictive maintenance, while also addressing common data management challenges with effective solutions.
This modern workplace uses interconnected machines and sensors, essentially creating a self-adjusting system that collects and analyzes real-time data across the production line. Because of its use of data-driven insights, the smart factory is considered a key part of Industry 4.0, leveraging emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and the Internet of Things (IoT) to make key decisions and automate processes.
Let’s take a tour around the smart factory to review some key elements and capabilities.
Sensors attached to machines and throughout the production process continuously gather data to monitor equipment status, production rates, quality checks, material levels, and more.
Employees can view the processed data in real time, using advanced analytics tools like AI and machine learning to identify patterns, predict potential issues, and make informed choices.
Using this analyzed data as a guide, the smart factory can automatically adjust production parameters, optimize machine settings, and even trigger time-sensitive necessary actions like reordering materials or alerting maintenance teams.
A network connects systems and machines, allowing them to communicate with each other and respond to changes as they happen.
Businesses can feel the benefits of a smart factory immediately:
Optimized production processes minimize waste, reduce downtime, and maximize output.
Real-time quality checks and adjustments lead to consistent, error-free production.
Monitoring machine health allows for preventive repair and updating, reducing unexpected breakdowns.
Companies have the ability to quickly adapt to changing customer demands and market conditions
Examples of technologies you might see in these factories include:
The average United States manufacturing operation employs anywhere from hundreds to thousands of employees, all working on different projects, in different departments, and often in different locations. Often times, it’s nearly impossible to get that many people on the same page, even in moments where synchronization is most crucial.
Business insights make everyone’s job easier, telling them exactly what they need to know to accomplish their tasks to the best of their ability. But more importantly, the information contained within this data will be consolidated and uniform across the board, giving all personnel access to the same insights and ensuring that everyone is working towards the same goal.
For instance, sales teams will have access to social network chatter analytics and regional consumer data that can help them identify pools of new potential clients. Statistical analysis can then be used for customer segmentation in order to enhance the effectiveness of new marketing efforts. Sales managers will also have access to data measuring performance across different teams, regions and customer pools that they could use to identify in which areas their marketing dollars are best spent. Production teams can then use this sales data to know exactly how much inventory they need to produce.
Supply managers can look to data to inform their relationships with suppliers and vendors, knowing how much supply to order and when it is most needed.
So much becomes possible when information is consistent, easy to interpret, and at everyone’s fingertips:
No manufacturing operation can expect to remain competitive, or even afloat, if they aren’t consistently diversifying, optimizing and expanding their product and service offerings.
Analytics open up the door to expanding the scope of your research and development (R&D) efforts. Instead of working in a silo, you can collaborate with suppliers and customers. Many ERP systems are capable of developing a co-creation platform where customers and suppliers can influence the design of new products with crowd-sourced input, eliminating guesswork and enabling better design-to-value margins.
Traditional point-of-sale data is also complemented with information from new sources, such as social media interaction and market trends. With this kind of deep and predictive analysis, you can identify exactly where the market is headed, and know exactly how you need to pivot to keep up. Customer involvement in the product design process doesn’t just make innovation better—it actually makes it faster. In a competitive industry, time to market can often be the biggest difference-maker in profitability.
New innovations and applications are arriving daily, and it can be tricky to now where to start. Here are a few basic steps you can take at the start of your own data-driven journey.
Manufacturing’s long history is a story of constant evolution, scalability, and growth. But in this industry, opportunities for transformation quickly become necessities. Companies who embrace emerging technologies will fully realize their true potential—now, and in the exciting times ahead.
Learn how Epicor manufacturing solutions can make a difference for your business.
