FACILITIES MANAGEMENT THE SMART NETWORKED FACTORY
INFOR
By Anwen Robinson , Infor GM and SVP for UK and Ireland
Judging by the headlines , continuous global logistics issues , continued pandemic restrictions , and rising prices for raw materials mean that manufacturers have their work cut out for the rest of 2022 . In addition , the drive towards sustainability is adding pressure to readjust the manufacturing footprint . Most manufacturers are still stuck with a geographic footprint , which was driven by labor arbitrage around the globe , rather than by factors such as proximity to customers or ecological concerns .
To increase efficiency , many producers have started to implement Industry 4.0 technologies . Industry 4.0 came with the promise of a smart factory being profitable at the production lot size of one unit . The concept was introduced at the brink of the millennium change with the introduction of cyber-physical systems to share , analyse and guide intelligent actions for various processes in the industry to make the machines smarter and to lower downtime . Analytics can also be used for other aspects like logistics , demand forecasts , production scheduling and quality control , capacity utilisation and efficiency boosting .
But we still stand at the beginning for leveraging the true potential of Industry 4.0 . Smart technologies offer no less than the possibility to redesign the global manufacturing footprint , to position factories closer to markets , reduce logistics nightmares and increase visibility of the ecosystem partners , including suppliers and customers .
So , what are the most important ingredients for a strategy to create the future-proof smart factory ?
Customers increasingly demand highly personalised products as well as an enhanced customer experience . Manufacturing companies adopt highly agile cloud-based solutions to gain the ability to increase individualisation , service additions , and serve higher flexibility requirements .
The need to reduce delays and transport costs , as well as the drive toward a more sustainable production and the imperative to reduce the distance to the physical endconsumer lead organisations to redesign the manufacturing footprint , with the support of leading-edge technologies , to build smaller , smart factories closer to the customer .
Smart decisions require end-to end visibility . This requires a consolidated view across the manufacturing business , including the commercial , the procurement and the operational sides .
A tightly linked view and streamlined processes across the order system , shop floor operations , and the supply chain optimise capacity and requirement management and failover alternatives across the entire system .
A global view and command structure to react quickly to supply chain challenges . A connected supply chain operating with a single view of orders , shipments and inventory , and shared digital processes provides the visibility needed to improve velocity and the agility to respond to disruptions in a timely and efficient manner .
More intelligent automation , using AI-driven insights , can lead to assembly lines that are adjusting automatically .
Smart technologies allow smaller manufacturing sites to be situated close to the customers . But how can producers reach fundamental business decisions as to how to relocate manufacturing sites ? The most important ingredient needed is good intelligence . True , manufacturing organisations leverage plenty of data across the operation . But is the data linked up , consistent and treated to enable insightful business decisions ?
A smart factory is a highly digitised , connected production facility that uses technologies such as artificial intelligence ( AI ), Internet of Things ( IoT ) and robotics to help companies manufacture products , create new business value , unlock datadriven insights , and automate or eliminate business processes . These technologies enable people to do their jobs in a more productive and efficient manner while improving quality and overall safety . At the same time , the technologies enable smart factories to self-adapt and autonomously optimise manufacturing operations , helping organisations to compete better amid the many global challenges they face .
For further information , please visit https :// www . infor . com / en-gb
58 PECM Issue 59