Article: Where are you on your Smart Factory journey?

Are you embarking on a Smart Factory journey, but not sure where to start or how to make progress?

Digital Manufacturing strategy is on the agenda of every CIO/CEO. Phrases such as Digital Twins, Connected Supply Chain and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are common buzzwords in manufacturing media. How is your Digital Transformation plan shaping up? Whilst augmented reality, and digital twins’ solutions, might seem to be the answer, they’re not the place to start.

Leading manufacturers are changing the face of Production, Operations and Consumer relationships through agile manufacturing, but the strategy must be business led (don’t start with the technology!)

ITI Group work with companies on their Digital Transformation journey, reviewing current technology and developing a reference architecture for forward planning. Successful Digital Transformation needs visibility (and understanding) of the complete design cycle and supply chain cycle, facilitated through a connected supply chain and an integrated digital enterprise.

1. Create a Great factory

To achieve a Smart Factory, you first need a ‘really good’ Factory. Understand your business KPIs and challenges, analyse these and identify appropriate solutions, designed to maximise ROI and business benefit. Solutions such as basic MES/OEE and Smart Andon can form part of step 1 on the Smart Factory journey, addressing challenges around productivity/performance, quality and compliance, and cost of goods.

2. Advanced MES and Vertical Integration

Once the Smart Factory foundations are in place, you can start planning the strategy to address additional challenges, including sustainability, and on-time delivery in full (OTIF). Beyond traditional OEE projects, MES solutions include quality, maintenance, inventory, and energy. The availability of consistent, high-quality data in turn enables data analytics and the implementation of machine learning solutions delivering innovative process improvements and real business value. Vertical integration forms the backbone of Digital Manufacturing and the connected supply chain. Vertical integration between SCADA, MES, ERP and business systems allows companies to realise additional business benefits, combining application capabilities and enabling an agile manufacturing facility.

For more top tips on what makes a successful Digital Manufacturing project, and how to transform your ‘good factory’ to a fully connected ‘Smart Factory’ of the future, complete the form below to access the full article.