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.