What are the Modern demands of a Shop Floor in the Manufacturing Industry?

The manufacturing industry is in dire need to optimize manufacturing processes to meet growing demands. Businesses are searching for greater flexibility to meet increasing requirements for smart, individualized products. Likewise, shop floors are asking for digitization.

Digitization is turning out to be a necessity in the manufacturing industry. The pace of transformation in manufacturing has never been so high. Industry 4.0 is disrupting the sector by bringing cyber-physical systems on shopfloors along with the Internet of Things (IoT) networking.

With digital transformation in manufacturing, organizations are adopting these modern technologies to meet new demands and remain competitive. Embracing digitization is helping them to deliver faster responses, effective production planning, controlling material requirements planning (MRP) and logistics, etc. Also, it’s assisting them in ensuring full traceability and documentation to comply with strict regulations.

Advantages of Incorporating Shopfloor Management in your production planning:

Streamline Processes with Automation

Discrete industries are gaining a decisive competitive edge by implementing manufacturing automation software. Using IoT based software and connecting your machines to ERP and manufacturing execution systems (MES) allows you to build a smart factory. You can easily monitor all the data from your devices and production line in real-time and immediately respond to any issues such as bottlenecks.

Implement Machine to Machine (M2M) Communication

M2M communication is revolutionizing the conventional way of business models by connecting all the physical assets and devices with digital systems in extensive business networks. It expedites the exchange of data, allows connected manufacturing processes, and also extends new possibilities for manufacturers and suppliers to offer value-added services.

Improve Visibility and Control with Analytics
           
At production plants, vast volumes of data are generated. To manage and unlock the potential of big data, manufacturers require advanced analytics. With right digitized solutions, businesses can gain new insights about their manufacturing processes/operations. Proper analyzing can help them enhance their processes from planning to after sales services. And by accurately forecasting demand, you can also optimize inventory levels.

Connect MES and Business Systems

Manufacturing execution systems (MES) are considered the backbone of production facilities; as it helps in letting you track, monitor, and control your manufacturing operations. Following this will give you greater visibility into processes, assistance in improving the quality of the product, and provide greater traceability. By integrating your MES with other significant business systems, such as ERP, you can expand the above-listed benefits and also optimize manufacturing processes throughout the shop floor and, eventually, your enterprise.

Closing Thoughts

Successful shop floor management is a fundamental condition to implement advanced management strategies. Consequently, an effective shop floor management demands the zeal of the employees and management to engage in the process. Thus, shop floor management should not serve as an administration tool for the organization, but principally to improve communication.

However, vital data and helpful communication exchange can be utilized as a crucial management tool. Shop floor management along with industrial IoT applications can improve the productivity level in your company (with little time investment). This way, there is an efficient data-based communication of improvement in daily activities.

The Future in Digital Transformation in Manufacturing

The manufacturing industry is in dire need to optimize manufacturing processes to meet growing demands. Businesses are searching for greater flexibility to meet increasing requirements for smart, individualized products. Likewise, shop floors are asking for digitization.

Digitization is turning out to be a necessity in the manufacturing industry. The pace of transformation in manufacturing has never been so high. Industry 4.0 is disrupting the sector by bringing cyber-physical systems on shopfloors along with the Internet of Things (IoT) networking.

With digital transformation in manufacturing, organizations are adopting these modern technologies to meet new demands and remain competitive. Embracing digitization is helping them to deliver faster responses, effective production planning, controlling material requirements planning (MRP) and logistics, etc. Also, it’s assisting them in ensuring full traceability and documentation to comply with strict regulations.

Advantages of Incorporating Shopfloor Management in your production planning:

Streamline Processes with Automation

Discrete industries are gaining a decisive competitive edge by implementing manufacturing automation software. Using IoT based software and connecting your machines to ERP and manufacturing execution systems (MES) allows you to build a smart factory. You can easily monitor all the data from your devices and production line in real-time and immediately respond to any issues such as bottlenecks.

Implement Machine to Machine (M2M) Communication

M2M communication is revolutionizing the conventional way of business models by connecting all the physical assets and devices with digital systems in extensive business networks. It expedites the exchange of data, allows connected manufacturing processes, and also extends new possibilities for manufacturers and suppliers to offer value-added services.

Improve Visibility and Control with Analytics

At production plants, vast volumes of data are generated. To manage and unlock the potential of big data, manufacturers require advanced analytics. With right digitized solutions, businesses can gain new insights about their manufacturing processes/operations. Proper analyzing can help them enhance their processes from planning to after sales services. And by accurately forecasting demand, you can also optimize inventory levels.

Connect MES and Business Systems

Manufacturing execution systems (MES) are considered the backbone of production facilities; as it helps in letting you track, monitor, and control your manufacturing operations. Following this will give you greater visibility into processes, assistance in improving the quality of the product, and provide greater traceability. By integrating your MES with other significant business systems, such as ERP, you can expand the above-listed benefits and also optimize manufacturing processes throughout the shop floor and, eventually, your enterprise.

Closing Thoughts

Successful shop floor management is a fundamental condition to implement advanced management strategies. Consequently, an effective shop floor management demands the zeal of the employees and management to engage in the process. Thus, shop floor management should not serve as an administration tool for the organization, but principally to improve communication.

However, vital data and helpful communication exchange can be utilized as a crucial management tool. Shop floor management along with industrial IoT applications can improve the productivity level in your company (with little time investment). This way, there is an efficient data-based communication of improvement in daily activities.

The Future in Digital Transformation in Manufacturing

The advent of Industry 4.0 has brought a revolutionizing transformation to the shop floor. This incredible digital transformation in manufacturing market has enhanced and modernized the whole manufacturing process thereby pushing its efficiency to a whole new level. In factual terms, this digital transformation in the manufacturing industry is expected to register a CAGR of over 15.59% during the forecast period 2019 - 2024. Moving at both a speedy as well as a moderate pace, it has been driving shop floor performance higher and production costs lower while eliminating discrepancies and ensuring higher transparency.

So far 2019 has seen a flurry of technological advancements being integrated by the manufacturing sector in the form of IoT, 5G, AI, enterprise resource planning, or VR/AR training. This trend continues to grow as digital transformation in manufacturing keeps reshaping and redefining shop floor activities.

To understand what the forthcoming year holds for the manufacturing market in terms of digitization let us take a look at the trends expected to carry forward the unstoppable growth:

IoT or Internet Of Things
   
Digitization is flowing through every industry while amalgamating both hardware and software with the internet and making way for a more technologically driven tomorrow. A study by Gartner predicts that by the year 2020 there will be almost 20.4 billion IoT devices. Successfully implemented in the manufacturing field, it is optimally suited in an environment where speed in creation and quality are the deciding factors for a product’s success. IoT is instrumental in ensuring cost-effectiveness while providing the manufacturers with insights on processes, productivity, cost savings, etc. IoT performs a multitude of applications for the manufacturers. IoT devices monitor development cycles of the products, manage warehouses as well as keep a track of inventories. Digital transformation enables visibility of operations throughout the organization, and not just within the plants, but also around the world. Thus, the ease of shop floor management and enhanced work efficiency has driven manufacturers to incorporate IoT into their businesses.

Also, research indicates that manufacturing companies are expected to invest about US$267 billion by 2020!

Predictive Analysis and AI

Incorporation of AI in manufacturing has been a game changer for the industry. It was observed that about an hour of downtime can lead to hundreds of dollars in losses. Manufacturers are of the opinion that using predictive analysis and AI data they can reduce the planned outages by almost 50% and through production monitoring system increase work efficiency. Predictive analysis enables the manufacturers to understand the working of their machines better including the issues occurring with them. Thus, they can prevent such issues that may create outages. Apart from operational improvement, with the help of high performing software tools, AI can enable them to design and maintain their own algorithm and intellectual property. This proves to be quite cost-effective as well as versatile with the changing market conditions. 

Moving Towards a Digitized 2020

We are moving into the era of 5G. It is expected to improve latency while providing high bandwidth and allow reliable real-time communication on a wider scale. Not only that, technological trends such as 3-D printing will enable companies to make faster and more economical prototypes. AR and VR will make way for more efficient and safer training across the board.

How Is Digitization On The Shop Floor Boosting Productivity?

Indian manufacturers are eyeing to leverage the most from digital transformation in manufacturing by diversifying their production and remodeling the existing shopfloor. Here’s a blog that will take you through the challenges faced by manufacturers on the shop floor and how digitization is bringing about a transformation. 

Digitization has taken the manufacturing industry by storm. Introduction of Industry 4.0 has blurred the difference between physical and digital lines. From modern technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence to advanced robotics, they all are making an impact at every step of the manufacturing process. 

Challenges faced by manufacturers 

In any industry, manufacturers require a holistic picture of how the shop floor is performing to act quickly and keep ahead of the competition. Still, most of them rely on obsolete and complicated systems to document and capture data, which often leads to numerous challenges. 

Most shop floors aren’t equipped with the required know-how tools, such as sensor-fitted machines, to extract data in real-time. Lack of such tools impacts their ability to perform analysis and avoid downtime. With many machines operating in standalone mode, manufacturers also have to deal with unstructured communication on the shop floor. Further, repetitive and duplication in work tasks of workers delay response time and make the processes unproductive and slow. 

Lack of flexibility leads to issues such as interoperability between different machines, tracking data during the production cycle, etc. 

Digital Technologies Transforming Shop floors  

Nevertheless, the above challenges are being dealt with a shift towards digitization. Manufacturers are now embracing the digital transformation, cloud, analytics, and IoT predictive maintenance to redefine their processes and improve their profitability and operational efficiency. 
 Technologies such as​ ​industrial IoT applications​, predictive maintenance, artificial intelligence, and 3D manufacturing are completely transforming industries through automated processes that have the potential to improve shop floor operations. 

A myriad of tasks, including simulation of operations, process planning, factory modeling, visualization, can be effectively managed with unified platforms such as Manufacturing Execution System (MES). Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), ​Production Monitoring System​ (PMS), Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) integrated with shop floor provide real-time visibility into the plant operations for enhancing decision-making and optimizing utilization. 

 Future of Shopfloors  

Manufacturers are building digital platforms, where machines and workers can collaboratively exchange data in real-time, enhance functions, and change the ecosystem. A new age in automation is unfolding new paths for manufacturers in which humans and machines work together. The growth in robotics, AI, and machine learning is boosting the adoption of connected devices to add value to human efforts in a myriad of activities.

Numerous companies are embarking on their journey on automation. However, some are yet to begin this productive journey. Before bringing digital transformation on your shop floor, remember to measure the expected impact and assess how much of the business requirements must be automated for the best outcomes.

Industrial IoT Applications: Transforming The Way Manufacturers Work

The Internet of Things(IoT) is referred to as the network of physical objects embedded with software, electronics, network connectivity, and sensors. All these collaboratively collect and exchange data.

IoT has given rise to the concept of smart homes and products with wireless connectivity (such as Alexa, lightbulbs, thermostats, etc.). According to one report, 79% of U.S. consumers are using at least one connected device at home. But, this technology has found its strong roots in an industry that predates the rise of smart appliances: manufacturing.

What does Industrial IoT Applications do?

The Industrial IoT Applications (IIoT) networks all the applied sensors and intelligent devices together and puts those technologies under one umbrella to employ the data directly on the manufacturing floor, and drive AI and predictive analysis.

To realize this disruptive technology, manufacturers attach the sensors to physical assets, present on their shop floors. Those sensors act as data gathering sources, and the data is then stored wirelessly and employed in machine learning and analytics to help determine relevant action.

Amongst all the areas of applications for IoT, manufacturing is poised to keep that first position globally at least until  2020, followed by the transportation industry. With digital transformation and Industry 4.0 hitting the market, manufacturing industries are obtaining more Industrial IoT (IIoT) projects, making them the prime investors of IIoT in the market.

Why Is The Manufacturing Industry Leading In IoT Usage?

The manufacturing industry is leading in the Internet of Things (IoT) for numerous reasons: some of them are historical, others are related to the beginning of the Industry 4.0 revolution. Also, there are multiple use cases and actual IoT deployments that offer rapid return and enable manufacturers to achieve digital transformations. These changes are done for several reasons, such as automation, competitive benefits, efficiency, and customer-centricity. A few other reasons are due to the benefits which are offered by data analysis across the manufacturing value chain to tap into new revenue sources, which is a critical aspect of the digital transformation in manufacturing.

Predictive Maintenance on Shopfloors

One of the most compelling reasons why the manufacturing industry has adopted IIoT is its effectiveness in improving operating efficiencies. For instance, if a machine breaks down, the interconnected sensors can determine the problem, and consequently, trigger a service request to the respective engineers. IIoT also possesses the ability to work together with an EAM CMMS, where corresponding engineers can receive these generated requests on their mobile devices. As a result, they can instantly reach the location to understand the issue and repair it or assign it to another engineer for resolution.

Moreover, IIoT can play a significant role in predictive maintenance by foretelling when a machine is likely to breakdown or when its productive life cycle is about to end. It undoubtedly takes the preventive maintenance approach to another level by securing the tools and saving thousands of dollars for manufacturers on unwarranted replacements or repairs.

Conclusion

Manufacturers are considering diverse verticals of IoT to solve the problems faced on shop floors and production processes. IoT in manufacturing has resulted in achieving higher performance of the overall production monitoring system.

IIoT is transforming the manufacturing industry by converting its conventional, linear manufacturing supply chains into interconnected, dynamic systems. The technology is efficient in changing the way products are produced and delivered. Ultimately they make factories safer, more agile, and efficient for human operators. And in many cases, they also save a lot of unnecessary expenditures.

Industry 4.0 is Boosting Productivity with Digitization

Indian manufacturers are preparing to seize the global market by diversifying their production and by embracing digital technologies to transform the existing shopfloors. 

With this blog, we’ll be highlighting the challenges faced by manufacturers in this context.

Back in the 18th century, Industrialisation was very different than it is today. It was majorly labor-intensive until Industry 2.0 was introduced. In the twentieth century, Industry 2.0 brought a revolution amongst industries as they began using electricity in factories -- making the whole manufacturing process streamlined and standardized. It was then followed by the subsequent phase of disruption, Industry 3.0, which involved the deployment of information and digital technologies to replace manual tasks by computers for better productivity. 

The Modern Smart Factory (Industry 4.0)

Today, industries are at the brink of Industry 4.0, which is defined by the digital revolution that has clouded the distinction between physical and digital lines. Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Robotics, Augmented Reality, and IoT in manufacturing are making a noteworthy impact within the industry. These clusters of technologies are collaboratively helping enterprises improve their supply chain management, production planning, quality, and maintenance on the shop floor. 

Note: According to PwC, out of 2000 manufacturing companies, 86% expect to secure simultaneous earnings from lower costs and extra revenue from their digitalization efforts in the next five years.

Challenges Faced By Manufacturers 

Manufacturers are in dire need of getting a holistic picture of how their shopfloor must function to respond quickly and stay ahead of the competition. However, a lot of them still rely on conventional systems to capture data and document the processes, which automatically lead to numerous challenges. 

Most shop floors aren’t equipped with the know-how or essential tools such as sensor-driven machines to extract data in real-time; this affects their ability to perform diagnostics and avoid downtime. Also, most devices operate in a standalone mode, which leads to unstructured communication on the shop floor. Further, delay in response time also makes the process unproductive and slow. 

Digital Transformation in Manufacturing

There’s a constant awareness of modern technologies spreading out, and industries are shifting towards them. Manufacturers are embracing digital transformation by adopting clouds, analytics, and IoT to redefine the way they boost their operational profitability and efficiency. Modern technologies such as 3D Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence, Rapid Prototyping, IoT, and IIoT are radically revolutionizing the sector through automated processes that have the potential to improve shopfloor operations. 

By leveraging sensors and IoT, data from machines are enriched, collated, assimilated, and analyzed on a real-time basis and then sent to the ERP systems to enable the operators to come up with smarter and precise decisions on the shop floor. IoT predictive maintenance assists in monitoring and assessing tools or equipment conditions based on the temperature, pressure, and other factors to alert the operator about the potential failure.

Take Advantage Of IoT In Manufacturing - Read These 5 Tips

The manufacturing industry is getting competitive with each day. Consequently, adopting modern technology is one of the sure-shot ways to achieve unprecedented success. IoT has already created a buzz in the technological space, and with the count of connected devices reaching 200 billion, it's natural for manufacturers to reap its numerous benefits. Connecting several hundred smart devices in an intelligent network might help the manufacturers modify their operations and build enterprise value in the process.

Here are five tips on how you can leverage IoT in manufacturing to benefit your business, starting from customer services and experiences:

Advancing Customer Experience and Service

In order to make your business profitable, 'customer service' is undoubtedly a critical factor. Modern IoT based technologies such as smart trackers and mobile card readers are used to enhance customer experiences. The latter can be connected to smartphones to handle transactions smoothly, whereas the former can assist the consumer in monitoring their products. Conclusively, technology such as IoT can do wonders in improving customer satisfaction levels.

Boost Productivity Levels and Improve Proficiency

IoT is a double-edged sword for manufacturers, as it can help them in boosting productivity and competence to assure profitability in business. IoT devices are a perfect medium to assist manufacturing business sectors in accurately evaluating the demands.  As a result, they can resourcefully maintain a diversity of production stages by enabling real-time tracking of machinery parts and in-hand raw materials.

Empowering Device Software Applications

Across all the businesses and industries, smart devices have become firmly more accepted. There will be further growth in device applications in a wide range of business areas supported by IoT, including sectors such as entertainment, education, hospitality, and healthcare.

Supporting the Business with Data

Data is unquestionably becoming the most effective weapon for every other industry. The automobile industry, for instance, is prolonging more and more towards IoT technologies for enabling vehicles to flawlessly collect and track data to interact with smart city solutions. Such efforts in the automobile industry are possible with IoT and taking the industry in the direction of data-driven business models.

Analyzing Consumer Behavior

Analyzing the behavior and preferences of customer are essential for achieving success in any business. Leveraging IoT predictive maintenance and other advantages in companies will enable them to track, retrieve, monitor, and analyze data gathered from social networking, video surveillance, the web, and cellular usage. The scenario, as mentioned above, provides essential insights to forecast business trends and consumer preferences. The data collected can be further utilized for accomplishing more healthy engagement levels and offer personalized services or products.

The Future with IoT

IoT solutions are outfitted to create consistent impacts in the domain of each business or its niche. The adoption of IoT solutions may bring about huge benefits and profitability for companies.

Compared to other emerging technologies, IoT has reached the top of demanded expectations. Though IoT can provide great value, companies are needed to prevail over some notable challenges such as data and data management issues, lack of interlinked technologies, and privacy issues.