The Smart Factory Evolution: How Data Is Redefining Manufacturing Operations

What Is a Smart Factory and Why Is It Transforming Modern Manufacturing?

A smart factory is defined by its digital connectivity throughout its manufacturing process. Many types of equipment deployed in smart factories use data collected in real time to optimize and enhance the work flow of the smart factory. The digital connectivity of a smart factory leverages the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence to make the manufacturing process more efficient and ultimately gives smart factories the ability to make nearly all of the process improvements they need. Beyond the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence, smart factories use advanced data analytics to achieve efficiency, reduce downtime, and manufacture higher quality products. The manufacturing improvements brought by smart factories shift the manufacturing processes of all types of products to predictive and intelligent manufacturing, away from the traditional and mostly reactive processes

Challenges in Traditional Manufacturing Operations
Before the advent of smart factories, the manufacturing industry relied on automated manual tasks, separate systems, and decisions that were made after the fact. These inefficiencies are still seen by OEMs and factories of today. The top challenges are:

Seeing events as they happen: The data that outlines the manufacturing events are captured at the end of a period, inhibiting the company from making decisions that manage activities in real time.

• **Breakdowns in equipment: **Production is interrupted by malfunctions in equipment, causing a greater hindrance on the profit margin. Even small operational disruptions can create cascading losses across production systems and impact overall manufacturing performance.

-** Disparate systems:** Impeding the movement of work from one stage to the next.

• Defective Products: The results are a product of the data that is required to manage the value chain, leading to returns that create a burden on the company.

• High expenses: Reactive maintenance systems are causing great unrest.

These challenges reveal a bigger problem, that legacy systems can no longer accommodate the needs of the manufacturing sector. Many organizations are beginning to understand that, without intelligent systems and visibility, automation alone is not the answer to the inefficiencies occurring within manufacturing.

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