The need for information has always been part of manufacturing. Production teams need to have up-to-date knowledge of what is being manufactured, where it's produced, the status of any machinery, and if the production schedule is being followed. In many cases, up until recently, the collection of this data was done manually, or looked at once production had finished.
But as manufacturing firms demand real-time visibility, they seek to have an instant understanding of what's occurring on the shop floor.
And with real-time visibility, they are able to make faster decisions.
What is Manufacturing Visibility?
Manufacturing visibility is the ability to have and maintain control over every aspect of production in a manufacturing facility. This includes not only the products themselves but also: production statuses, equipment performance, material movement, inventory availability, workforce activity, quality control, and asset locations and behaviors within the facility. By having this data presented clearly, companies have the clarity they need to excel at manufacturing.
Why Visibility Matters
Most problems occurring in a manufacturing process aren't immediately obvious. Whether it's a line taking longer than planned, materials not reaching the designated stations on time, equipment functioning below expectations, problems within quality control, or the emergence of a bottleneck in the workflow, any delay is typically realized much later. However, having a system in place for increased real-time visibility helps manufacturers identify the problem before it impacts production levels and the bottom line significantly.
The Problem of Siloed Systems
Nearly all manufacturing plants today utilize several distinct production systems. These can include ERP systems, MES systems, quality control systems, maintenance systems, inventory systems, machine monitoring systems, and tracking devices. While the information in these systems is critical for managing a facility, it often gets siloed.
This makes it difficult to have a clear picture of the entire operation.
When faced with production delays, a manager may be required to look through several separate systems to pinpoint the issue. By connecting this data from different systems, visibility increases dramatically and better decisions can be made.
The Role of Industrial IoT
Industrial IoT is a network of sensors and other devices on the manufacturing floor that transmits data wirelessly over the internet. By utilizing industrial IoT devices, businesses can monitor aspects such as machine status, equipment utilization, asset tracking, environmental conditions, material flow, production numbers, and the physical location of materials through the manufacturing environment. The primary goal isn't to gather more data, but rather, it's to increase operational awareness, allowing the organization to operate more efficiently.
The Power of AI in Manufacturing Visibility
Data collection is only the first step to achieving improved manufacturing visibility. It is often large volumes of data that need to be gathered on the shop floor and processed daily. The use of AI enables manufacturers to process and analyze that data to find trends that could be difficult to discover otherwise.
Potential uses for artificial intelligence include: bottleneck identification, anomaly detection, trend analysis, support for predictive maintenance, operational analysis, and process optimization.
By employing AI into their operations, teams can shift their focus from manually identifying trends in their manufacturing data to acting upon the most significant of insights.
Traceability and Visibility-Hand-in-Hand
The ability to track where products, components, and materials originated from and where they currently are is essential for many manufacturers today. Traceability allows manufacturers to link operational events with the particular items that produced them. This means that manufacturers can often pinpoint: what specific materials were used during the production process, what station produced a particular product, and what quality checks it received, as well as when specific events took place. Increased traceability inherently means improved operational visibility.
Broader Visibility across the Operation
Visibility extends well beyond a single production line or machine within a manufacturing facility. The real advantage is realized when visibility stretches across the entire operation and shows how different parts of the business interface with each other. For example, production activities impact material requirements, material supply affects the production schedule, a particular equipment is responsible for output levels, and quality defects may cause issues later in the downstream process. A greater level of connectivity between production streams reveals these relationships for the whole business.
The Foundations for the Data-Driven Factory
The process may look like this:
Machinery -> Sensors -> Industrial IoT -> Data Platforms -> Analytics & AI -> Operational Insights -> Business Decisions
Ultimately, these steps will enable a greater flow of real-time operational data to actionable insights for the organization. The ultimate goal isn't the technology for its own sake, but the impact that technology has on resolving a particular business or operational challenge.
Looking Ahead
The connected nature of future manufacturing environments will only serve to amplify the importance of visibility. Organizations which embrace real-time visibility will undoubtedly find themselves better equipped to solve unforeseen problems, increase overall production, and react with more agility to demands. While automation will likely remain the priority, the combination of visibility, intelligence, and an operational awareness will forge a forward-thinking manufacturing strategy.
For organizations that are keen to utilize AI-driven manufacturing intelligence, traceability, and shop-floor visibility, CompentraAI has a variety of solutions that are designed to help you connect your production data with critical business insights.
Find out more at: https://compentraai.com/.
Conclusion
The volume of operational data available to manufacturers today far outweighs what it was just a few decades ago. Nevertheless, an organizationβs main challenge remains in converting this data into valuable insights. Real-time visibility bridges the gap between raw data and actionable knowledge by unifying production data, machinery, materials, assets and processes. When all operations are clearly visible, manufacturers can make better decisions and continuously improve operations.
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