IS SMART MANUFACTURING
MOVING FAST ENOUGH?
John Clemons*
Manufacturers that embrace smart manufacturing can use those technologies to create a competitive edge, but this still isn’t happening for many companies.
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SMART MANUFACTURING’S BOTTOM-LINE BENEFITS
iStock.com/chinaface
PROCESS TECHNOLOGY APR/MAY 2024
S
mart manufacturing technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), digital twins, digital threads, manufacturing execution systems (MES), advanced analytics, cobots and more are all very powerful technologies. The synergies among these technologies make them so much greater than the sum of their parts. All of these technologies related to Industry 4.0 are helping transform manufacturing industries back into an economic powerhouse. This transformation, however, isn’t happening for many companies. The reason is because some companies simply aren’t using smart manufacturing and all those powerful technologies, or they’re not using them very much. Many companies aren’t really sold on smart manufacturing and the technologies that go with it. They might have one or two pilot projects going to prove smart technology and its benefits before it’s adopted beyond the pilot. How long is long enough before the results of the pilot project say it’s time to move forward? Manufacturers that embrace smart manufacturing can use those technologies to create a competitive edge. Companies that aren’t moving fast enough won’t make a real impact on the business and will find themselves falling behind their competition. There are many reasons why manufacturing industries need to move much, much faster to implement smart manufacturing.
As manufacturers embrace smart manufacturing, they’re transforming PROCESSONLINE.COM.AU