IT - Smart plants of the cost of quality (that is, net losses incurred due to defects) and production efficiencies. About one-third said their savings on both measures have been in the range of 11 per cent to 25 per cent. Decision intelligence enhances plant performance as whole by aligning operations and processes to adapt to the plant’s states and conditions. Contextualised events and data such as machine locations, time of operations and tool conditions are modelled to identify current conditions within the plant. For given performance fault mode (i.e. those that are productivity and quality related) and context model inputs, decision intelligence identifies the right corrective actions at plant managers and operators level. Further collaborative workflows enable all teams in plant (productions, quality, and maintenance) to work in harmony and synchronisation to drive performance optimisation. Collaborative workflows are best realised by plant digitisation implementations - cloud, big data analysis, mobility and BYOD, augmented reality and the industrial internet of things.
What’s more, when a unified data model is applied to these technologies, the result is a scalable architecture that can be used to manage the plant anywhere from line level to enterprise level. Since SPM is an open platform it makes global standardisation easy, with simple IT-OT integration and scalability. This means it can easily be rolled out company-wide, across different types of production and plant facilities, around the world. Due to tough market conditions, changing customer demand and the quickening pace of the evolution of new technologies, manufacturers are under constant pressure to produce new efficiencies and produce more than ever before with the same - or fewer - resources. What’s more, the platforms and solutions that have
traditionally helped them to do so are no longer fit for purpose. With that mind, the benefits of smart plant and manufacturing - a platform that allows manufacturers to properly harness new technologies such as cloud, big data, augmented reality and the industrial internet of things to drive productivity and efficiency - are obvious. It can help cut plant cut costs by 15 per cent per unit on average, as well as boosting net profit margins by ten per cent and improving order fulfilment by upwards of 12 per cent. These numbers show that SPM is the next big thing in manufacturing. v
Shamdutt Kamble Shamdutt Kamble is Group Head – Industrial Automation Practice, Wipro Limited. He is responsible for providing innovative technology solutions for industrial automation customers worldwide. Wipro Ltd. is a leading information technology, consulting and business process services company that delivers solutions to enable its clients do business better. www.wipro.com
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