CLOUD, AI, AND THE BANDWIDTH BOTTLENECK: THE HIDDEN INFRASTRUCTURE CHALLENGE IN SMART MANUFACTURING
RICHARD ASPINALL, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT- ENTERPRISE EUROPE
Manufacturers continue to press ahead with digital transformation, continuing to invest heavily in the internet of things, whilst implementing and integrating newer technologies such as cloud services and artificial intelligence.
The promise of more efficient production is alluring, sharpened by broader market pressures, from increased regulation to fragile supply chains. Yet beneath the surface lies a less visible obstacle that threatens to undermine progress: a bandwidth bottleneck in network infrastructure.
The future of smart manufacturing won’ t be determined by who has the most robots or AI algorithms. It will be determined by who builds a secure, unified and resilient network fabric capable of enabling those innovations at scale.
Manufacturers can’ t rely on siloed solutions. They need one global, secure networking platform that can keep plants running, protect against disruption and bridge edge, cloud and core environments – let’ s discuss why this is the case, and how network infrastructure is key to competitiveness.
Real-time manufacturing needs a real-time network
The factory floors of today have completely transformed as compared to those of the previous generation. No longer made up solely of heavy machinery and manual labour, they are now complex digital environments where smart sensors, robotics, digital twins and remote operations operate side by side. Each of these tools generate vast quantities of data, all of which must be collected and transmitted reliably and securely across sites and systems for monitoring and analysis.
Röchling Automotive’ s 40 globally distributed sites required a high performance, secure, and highly reliable network to ensure consistent operation,
6 AUTOMATION, CONTROL & ENGINEERING