March 2021 MiMfg Magazine 23
Premium Associate Member
2021 Manufacturing Industry Trends : The Future is Here with Industry 5.0
By John Varilek • Dewpoint
We all agree , 2020 was unlike any other year in recent history , with US manufacturing feeling the impact . The pandemic forced shutdowns , supply chain shortages and in many cases decreased demand due to economic uncertainty .
But the pandemic has also increased collaboration between humans and smart systems and sped up the move from Industry 4.0 ( ongoing automation of traditional manufacturing and industrial practices using smart technology ) to Industry 5.0 . Industry 4.0 is the ongoing automation of traditional manufacturing and industrial practices using smart technology . Industry 5.0 builds on that , going a step further by leveraging the collaboration between increasingly powerful and accurate machinery with the unique creative ability of the human being .
Key areas and benefits for the shift from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 include :
• Continued focus on Internet of Things ( IoT ), enabling manufacturers to make informed , strategic decisions using real-time date . COVID-19 has renewed interest in IoT demand due to its remote monitoring and predictive capabilities allowing manufacturers to safely monitor equipment performance and identify potential issues before a malfunction occurs .
• An increase in touchless services reducing the need for service technicians to go into plants and instead use assistive technology such as augmented reality ( AR ) and virtual reality ( VR ) to provide basic troubleshooting and repairs .
• Switching from solely business-to-business ( B2B ) sales to a combination of B2B and business-to-consumer ( B2C ) sales to increase profits and time to market . An increase in B2C sales also enables manufacturers to directly collect customer data that can ultimately result in better products , stronger relationships and increased sales .
• Re-evaluating the type of employees hired taking into account their current skills and their adaptability to new environments . Forward thinking companies will consider adopting virtual education to lower costs and avoid disruptions in production to upskill employees .
• A move toward near-sourcing — as opposed to offshoring — due to the impact of COVID-19 on receiving critical offshore supplies and the increase in transportation costs on those goods .
• A decrease in the cost of 3D printing allows manufacturers to complete tooling onsite in just a matter of days as opposed to months .
• An increase the use of 5G to improve latency and enable real-time communication to improve processes and continue to become more efficient .
COVID-19 continues to impact the manufacturing industry . Per global research and advisory firm Gartner , over half of all manufacturing enterprises are anticipated to fail to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic due to inconsistent analysis of ecosystem dependencies . What ’ s more , 30 percent will change business models by 2024 , compared to a prediction of just 10 percent before the pandemic . Taking steps now to fully take advantage of technology and business changes can help your business survive both the current and crisis and thrive in the future . 6
John Varilek is a Dewpoint Account Executive with over 35 years of experience in the Information Technology field primarily serving manufacturing clients in addition to over 20 + years in manufacturing plants supporting daily operations . He can be reached at 248-703-6159 or jvarilek @ dewpoint . com .
Dewpoint is an MMA Premium Associate Member and has been an MMA member company since December 2020 . Visit online : dewpoint . com .