Page 8 - AUTOMATED - Issue 7 Tech transplants
P. 8
ISSUE 7
Benefits of the
smart supply chain
EU Automation discusses the role the smart supply chain plays in the factory of the future.
In the animal kingdom many animals store food to see Worryingly, a recent report by the Institution of
them through the difficult winter period, but in the Mechanical Engineers found that 92 per cent of UK
case of the Gray Squirrel it has been shown that 74 per manufacturers do not have significant understanding
cent of their buried stores fail to be recovered. In the of Industry 4.0 processes, even though 59 per cent
age of accelerated industrial obsolescence, some recognise the impact it will have on the sector. This
manufacturers have taken a similar approach, leaves UK manufacturers at risk of falling out of step
stockpiling spare parts for their industrial automation with international manufacturing businesses, who are
systems in case of equipment failure later on. Using a embracing the factory of the future and the intelligent
more modern approach can streamline this process by connected systems presented by Industry 4.0 as
maximising factory space and minimising waste. essential for competition on an international level.
When SIEMENS and the German Government So, how can manufacturers fully embrace the smart
created the concept of Industry 4.0, they played factory concept? One of the key steps in the process
heavily on the idea of the smart factory, in which the involves incorporating sensors into equipment to
whole facility is integrated, connected, intelligent connect them to the internet of things (IoT). However,
analytics orientated and focussed on reducing communication alone is not enough for a plant to
downtime and waste. The idea of lean manufacturing define itself as a fully intelligent factory if the
itself, a method for lessening production waste, has communication is limited to the factory floor.
been around for much longer - it was developed by Decision making at all stages of the manufacturing
Toyota executive, Taiichi Ohno and first implemented and distribution process – including the supply chain -
shortly after World War 1. can be made using complex analytics that don't
require human intervention. Two simple ways in which
“92 per cent of UK using a smart supply chain maximises the benefits of
manufacturers do not the smart factory are cost and space savings.
Predict bottlenecks
have significant The smart supply chain system is both self organising
understanding of and self optimising. Data from connected sensors in
the factory can be integrated with data on user
Industry 4.0” preferences, data on weather and other variables. A
smart system can predict a bottleneck arising from an
abnormal weather event and streamline the system to
prevent waste from excess production, leading to
leaner manufacturing.
08
Benefits of the
smart supply chain
EU Automation discusses the role the smart supply chain plays in the factory of the future.
In the animal kingdom many animals store food to see Worryingly, a recent report by the Institution of
them through the difficult winter period, but in the Mechanical Engineers found that 92 per cent of UK
case of the Gray Squirrel it has been shown that 74 per manufacturers do not have significant understanding
cent of their buried stores fail to be recovered. In the of Industry 4.0 processes, even though 59 per cent
age of accelerated industrial obsolescence, some recognise the impact it will have on the sector. This
manufacturers have taken a similar approach, leaves UK manufacturers at risk of falling out of step
stockpiling spare parts for their industrial automation with international manufacturing businesses, who are
systems in case of equipment failure later on. Using a embracing the factory of the future and the intelligent
more modern approach can streamline this process by connected systems presented by Industry 4.0 as
maximising factory space and minimising waste. essential for competition on an international level.
When SIEMENS and the German Government So, how can manufacturers fully embrace the smart
created the concept of Industry 4.0, they played factory concept? One of the key steps in the process
heavily on the idea of the smart factory, in which the involves incorporating sensors into equipment to
whole facility is integrated, connected, intelligent connect them to the internet of things (IoT). However,
analytics orientated and focussed on reducing communication alone is not enough for a plant to
downtime and waste. The idea of lean manufacturing define itself as a fully intelligent factory if the
itself, a method for lessening production waste, has communication is limited to the factory floor.
been around for much longer - it was developed by Decision making at all stages of the manufacturing
Toyota executive, Taiichi Ohno and first implemented and distribution process – including the supply chain -
shortly after World War 1. can be made using complex analytics that don't
require human intervention. Two simple ways in which
“92 per cent of UK using a smart supply chain maximises the benefits of
manufacturers do not the smart factory are cost and space savings.
Predict bottlenecks
have significant The smart supply chain system is both self organising
understanding of and self optimising. Data from connected sensors in
the factory can be integrated with data on user
Industry 4.0” preferences, data on weather and other variables. A
smart system can predict a bottleneck arising from an
abnormal weather event and streamline the system to
prevent waste from excess production, leading to
leaner manufacturing.
08
