Overview
Transforming a factory or process from analog to digital is much more than a capital expense. Yes, that’s part of it. But having a complete understanding of the hardware, software, data collection and decision making is where intelligent organizations have a distinct advantage.
That requires the ability to understand what challenges a certain industry and application face, and the creativity and innovation to find new solutions to common and less-common production bottlenecks, data acquisition, quality control, personnel safety and myriad other challenges.
Take for example the growing trend of monitoring hundreds or thousands of sensors in a facility. Capturing that data is the first task; determining what to do with all that data in a busy factory is a separate, larger challenge. Once realized, this can lead to solutions to optimize existing processes and make machinery run more predictably, with less downtime and forced maintenance.
Consider how cobots are changing not just how work gets done, but how people interact with these machines and what skills are needed from human operators. Humans will continue to be present in smart manufacturing, but in different roles and capacities. Smart manufacturing can mitigate many of the occupational hazards today’s workers may face, but also creates new hazards.
Industry 4.0 and the industrial internet of things (IIoT) is more than solution – it is a cultural change in how cutting-edge manufacturers and industries are preparing for the future.