Digital Factory: How Smart Manufacturing and IoT is
Driving Industry 4.0
Manufacturing is at the cutting edge of the revolution – the Internet of Things revolution. Industry 4.0 is a big opportunity to improve the lives of both workers and customers and initiate growth and real business value. By 2025 IDC evaluates the manufacturing segment spend will be near about $89 billion in IoT spending that is twice as much as the consumer IoT segment.
What is a Digital Factory?
A digital factory is basically a production facility in which people, machines, raw materials and products immediately transfer data about all stages of the production process. It is equipped with smart sensors, nominal cloud storage and Big Data analytics, it integrates data and intelligence from already segregated IT and operational systems.
Digital factory utilizes technology to automatically transfer data digitally across the operation that involves data from materials as well as machines. Digital manufacturing depends on a unified system involving simulation technologies, connected equipment as well as collaboration tools.
Though, there are several common technologies and features that digital factories transfer and manufacturers that integrate multiple technologies are the ones most likely to be considered “digital factories.” Various technologies that you might realize in a digital factory include:
Industrial Internet of Things
IIoT contains small sensors and other hardware that are attached and interact with one another. They might be utilized for asset management, energy reduction via smart HVAC and lighting, or machine data collection, even if there is an almost immense number of use cases for IIoT in manufacturing. Industry 4.0 and IoT can be described as smart, interconnected equipment and products independently interacting and optimizing along the whole value chain, which are prime elements of this digital revolution.
5G
5G has been outlined to suit industrial IoT requirements and is a drive for the new industrial transformation. 5G technology is about to expand the industry 4.0 revolution by enabling even more quickness, flexibility, cost control as well as quality. It is the next digital revolution. 5G proposes faster speed, lower latency as well as higher bandwidth.
- With the help of instantaneous remote reprogramming, the same machine will be capable to execute different tasks.
- Robots in production lines can be streamlined remotely, too, and in less time.
- Real-time communication will lay unusual levels of machine learning and AI.
Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics
With respect to manufacturing and other industries, machine learning and predictive analytics is one such use case for the gathered data described above. Data can be integrated and utilized to fuel machine learning models that provide decision-making insights from sets of data that can be too complex for humans to get value from alone. Machine learning and predictive analytics can be utilized to predict demand, execute predictive and prescriptive maintenance on machines and opportunities in the market and much more.
Predictive analytics not only assure that a manufacturer’s equipment is running effectively, but it also supports maintaining the whole factory on track. With a specific degree of accuracy, a manager can feel secure by knowing that the machinery will not go wrong without warning in the midway of a production run. This is one of the strong aspects of a digital factory.
Automation
The evolution of smart, connected machines brings the opportunity for humans to step outside of the loop and enable automation to step in. In several cases, machines are better capable to manage tasks quicker and more precisely than their human counterparts. Industrial automation releases these humans to concentrate on other complex cognitive tasks that are better matched for human minds as compared to machine minds.
Few digital factories take automation to the next level utilizing lights-out manufacturing techniques, eliminating humans from the manufacturing process completely. The automation concept comes from the capability to start the factory, turn the lights out and come out with the perception that the factory will continue to generate, even 24 hours a day, without human involvement.
Edge Computing Technology
Cloud technology enables digital factories with the capability to store and monitor the huge track of information utilizing secure equipment they share with others, accessed via the web.
Cloud-based solutions provide efficient data storage and data security to manufacturers, as well as for analytics abilities. Smart manufacturing includes a considerable amount of data that needs similarly substantial storage. Traditional local storage options can be difficult and cloud services can be expensive. Storing data at the edge is an absolute middle ground. Edge computing yields data coming from the factory floor and processes it close by, eliminating the wait time it can take to upload to the cloud, monitor and reallocate info to the factory floor.
Edge computing allows real-time analytics and quick decision-making by utilizing data and is ideal for safety mechanisms, predictive maintenance and likewise time-sensitive computing tasks.
What are the Business Benefits of a Digital Factory?
One of the measure advantages of a digital factory is a huge boost to efficiency.
Even if many manufacturing employees have concern that the influx of automation and other digital technologies will lay them out of the job, digital manufacturing brings up various opportunities for more, new, higher-paying jobs that many people realize more engaging as well as fulfilling. These higher-paying jobs also fascinate youth, new talent to the field with different perspectives, insights and concepts to better the facility.
In the same way, digital factories are raising a bridge for innovation. Due to the agility diffused into the system by way of real-time analytics, there is much scope to experiment, be creative, discover solutions to new problems within the market and check out ideas at scale without spending redundant resources.
Digital factories even see an expansion in customer satisfaction, due to costs can collapse, shipping times can go down, amid quality and consistency go up.
The complete and real-time data created by digital factories improves efficiency, productivity, security and environmental compliance. It also boosts control of manufacturing workflows and the motion of everything from raw materials to work-in-progress and complete goods. And it gives near-real-time access to operational data, so managers can rapidly overcome barriers and inefficiencies.
Smart manufacturing assists streamlined business operations, optimized productivity and enhanced ROI. The potential for smart manufacturing is huge and should not be hindered by security doubts. Industry leaders must build trust when creating or modernized smart factories.