FEATURE: Manufacturing Must Evolve

As the world of production face a perfect storm wrought by the pandemic, Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), the accelerating climate emergency, raising trade tensions and growing economic uncertainty, manufacturers must develop new capabilities and adapt.

With most people having to be largely homebound because of the pandemic and needing to eat, does put food and beverage manufacturers in an enviable position compared to many other businesses. However, a recent survey indicates the majority of industry is having to adapt, with 45% of respondents indicating their supply chains have been disrupted. The after-effects on industry are hard to forecast at this point, but there are indications that the pandemic could be a turning point in the digital transformation.

Industry 4.0, the cloud, and Internet of Things (IoT) are assisting with these challenges, but to what extent? How can modernising your operation with a connected manufacturing strategy help you grow? More than 70% of companies are struggling to adopt technology effectively, with their efforts to respond to the 4IR stuck in what we call “pilot purgatory”, the attempt to implement new technological solutions without realising the expected returns on investment or improvements in efficiency.

To address this, the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network, in collaboration with McKinsey & Company, has identified and brought together 44 of the most advanced factories in the world that are showing leadership in applying advanced manufacturing technologies, including AI, the internet of things and big data analytics, to drive financial and operational impact at scale and transform value chains end-to-end.

To succeed in the rapidly changing landscape of the 4IR, factories must operate in a new way.

Ensure technology solutions can scale and evolve

To succeed in the rapidly changing landscape of the 4IR, factories must operate in a new way. That requires a strong focus on identifying problems and then creating solutions that go beyond adding incremental tools to existing processes. Factories that create new operating systems that incorporate combinations of technology in an agile approach to continuous iteration can create new ways to not only improve efficiency but also scale new solutions across the entire company.

Answering this need of Intelligent Machines, Emerson has recently released a dual operating system Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) to enable Factories to become agile in the operational systems capabilities. It means any Linux based technology such as big data analytics, face recognition or some sort of Artificial Intelligence can be incorporated into production system, inside the actual logic controller.

Optimise efficiency to drive sustainability

Manufacturing represents 54% of the world’s energy consumption and is responsible for 20% of global emissions. Increases in efficiency driven by technology can help reduce materials consumption and CO2 emissions.

Henkel in Düsseldorf, Germany, has developed a unique cloud-based data platform that connects more than 30 sites and more than 10 distribution centres in real time. This helps to meet growing customer and consumer expectations on service and sustainability, while achieving doubledigit cost and inventory reductions.

u Enabling production factories with data transparency should not be daunting task either. Industrial product manufacturer Red Lion, offers cloud connectivity right at the machine level controllers, essentially bypassing the red tape in the IT layer.

Focus on reskilling and enabling workers

Any technological solution must consider the effects on workers and put people first. Manufacturing leaders in the 4IR leverage internal and external expertise to reskill their workforce, making sure their teams receive continuous capability building, guidance and training.

This involves empowering workers to innovate with technology, managing talent development and implementing new ways of working. Some examples of effective learning methods are offering a gamification of new skills, applying virtual or augmented reality and delivering real-time work instructions via digital platforms.

Create a shared learning journey

The manufacturing sector can only realise the full benefits of the 4IR if there is a complete transformation across value chains and production systems. Leaders in this space should support the diffusion of technology through their entire production networks, lifting up SMEs to improve overall results. This shared learning journey can lead to not only a return on investment but also a more inclusive distribution of knowledge, which can accelerate innovation across the industry.

TRENDS TO WATCH

In addition, both the immediate and long-term future of the manufacturing industry will be defined by the development of several ever-evolving and cutting-edge trends and technologies.

Wearable technology

The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) industrial applications has given way to the increased prevalence of wearable technology in the manufacturing industry. Manufacturers of all types and sizes are increasingly looking into – and investing in – wearable devices with different sensors that can be used by their workforce.

Smart manufacturing

Smart factories are becoming the norm in manufacturing, and they rely on connected devices to leverage technologies like automation, artificial intelligence, IoT and more. In addition, these devices are capable of sensing their environments and interacting with one another. As factories of the future continue to grow and develop, manufacturers need to realise that they must be able to adapt the networks that connect them – efficiently and effectively.

Along with energy and utility, the manufacturing industry stands to benefit the most from the rise of 5G. A report from Ericsson states that “the expected addressable market in 2026 will be $113 billion, a substantial 7 percent potential revenue growth from current service revenue forecasts.”

The factories of tomorrow will rely greatly on sensor technology, and they will prominently feature connected tools, utilising data to guide the tasks of the workforce. Technology such as IO-LINK for sensors reduce cost through standardisation and information of extended diagnostics. Sensors for air pressure, movement and measurement from Panasonic offer remote configuration to reduce maintenance time, while PULS offer special power supplies for such technology that provide on-demand information such as remaining life, pushes events for selfprotection or remotely control key parameters to increase system availability as well as reducing maintenance and operating costs.

Cyber security

The importance of cyber security in manufacturing cannot be overstated. More and more connected devices are being integrated into organisational processes each day, so it almost goes without saying that the manufacturing industry needs to develop a keen understanding of how to best deal with them.

As the industry becomes more connected with time, equipment manufacturers and their customers will be impacted in a number of ways. For example, even the simple act of charging a mobile device in a nearby USB port may lead to dire consequences. As a result, companies must be diligent in their efforts to educate employees on the potential consequences of their cyber activities.

Cyber security focused brand Hirschmann and Tofino, have invested heavily in its security measures in both its hardware and software to protect industrial control assets. Deep Packet Inspection goes beyond standard firewalls to authorise requests at the protocol level which is essentially important in the water and energy industries and manufacturing control.

The ability for a manufacturer to effectively protect itself today hinges upon its willingness to take the following two key steps: address organisational concerns and implement a clear and effective cyber security strategy.

Cyber security is – and will – remain a major concern for companies of all types and sizes. With malware attacks on the rise and many organisations having been negatively affected by the increased prevalence of ransomware, companies (both literally and figuratively) can’t afford to overlook cyber security as a top priority in 2020 and beyond.