Here’s a blog that will take you through the challenges faced by manufacturers on the shop floor and how digitization is bringing about a transformation.

Digitization has taken the manufacturing industry by storm. Introduction of Industry 4.0 has blurred the difference between physical and digital lines. From modern technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence to advanced robotics, they all are making an impact at every step of the manufacturing process.

Challenges faced by manufacturers

In any industry, manufacturers require a holistic picture of how the shop floor is performing to act quickly and keep ahead of the competition. Still, most of them rely on obsolete and complicated systems to document and capture data, which often leads to numerous challenges.

Most shop floors aren’t equipped with the required know-how tools, such as sensor-fitted machines, to extract data in real-time. Lack of such tools impacts their ability to perform analysis and avoid downtime. With many machines operating in standalone mode, manufacturers also have to deal with unstructured communication on the shop floor. Further, repetitive and duplication in work tasks of workers delay response time and make the processes unproductive and slow.

Lack of flexibility leads to issues such as interoperability between different machines, tracking data during the production cycle, etc.

Digital Technologies Transforming Shop floors

Nevertheless, the above challenges are being dealt with a shift towards digitization. Manufacturers are now embracing the digital transformation, cloud, analytics, and IoT predictive maintenance to redefine their processes and improve their profitability and operational efficiency.

Technologies such as industrial IoT applications, predictive maintenance, artificial intelligence, and 3D manufacturing are completely transforming industries through automated processes that have the potential to improve shop floor operations.

A myriad of tasks, including simulation of operations, process planning, factory modeling, visualization, can be effectively managed with unified platforms such as Manufacturing Execution System (MES). Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Production Monitoring System (PMS), Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) integrated with shop floor provide real-time visibility into the plant operations for enhancing decision-making and optimizing utilization.

Future of Shopfloors

Manufacturers are building digital platforms, where machines and workers can collaboratively exchange data in real-time, enhance functions, and change the ecosystem. A new age in automation is unfolding new paths for manufacturers in which humans and machines work together. The growth in robotics, AI, and machine learning is boosting the adoption of connected devices to add value to human efforts in a myriad of activities.

Numerous companies are embarking on their journey on automation. However, some are yet to begin this productive journey. Before bringing digital transformation on your shop floor, remember to measure the expected impact and assess how much of the business requirements must be automated for the best outcomes.