The Need and Challenges of Smart Factory Solutions?

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Futurism Technologies

August 24, 2020 - 6.2K
5 Min Read

The Need and Challenges of Smart Factory Solutions?

Current economic unrest has struck the businesses most brutally; the looming recession has not spared any sector posing insurmountable challenges. Manufacturing has also been hit hard, arising the need for rapid digitalization and prudent use of resources. Even though growth is slow across domains, the smart factory market is projected to grow a massive 92.6 Billion USD with over 8.2 percent.

Smart Factory Solutions Offer Increased Automation for Sustainability

Smart factories enable automation within the manufacturing processing to minimize human interference extending security and safety and substantially increase productivity. Smart factory systems embrace automation and digitalization to create more robust and efficient methods that can be futuristic and help the firms to improve their production viability.

Internet-backed systems powered by AI and other advanced technologies have given a renewed vigor to manufacturing.

Smart Factory provides some direct and immediate benefits as given below,

  • Production Quality
  • Product Innovation
  • Sustainability
  • Cost Reduction
  • Safety
  • Data Security

Challenges of Smart Factory Implementation

Smart Factory Implementation

Manufacturers face challenges in coping with the increased competition in the market while building cost-effectiveness and highly optimal product manufacturing processes with fast delivery times. Smart factory systems enable the firms to dedicate their resources and expertise productively. Backed by technologies and connectivity, they can provide innovation and flexibility to the customers and cater to their needs in real-time.

Smart manufacturing is beyond product innovation and quality; it is more about the futuristic approach to production, which can cater to the customers’ everchanging demands.

Implementation is extensive

Smart factory implementation is extensive as it entails a complete overhaul of the processes and operations within a manufacturing unit. Most of the time, digital transformation is expensive, requiring significant expenses on technology innovation and process identification.

Technology implementation

Smart factory implementation across the manufacturing industries entails a thorough study and detailed understanding of the complex processes and operations within factories. Every factory and every organization have unique challenges within their manufacturing ecosystem. The culture, trends, and perceptions of the firms need to be aligned with the smart factory solutions devices for them.

Most of the times, there is an unclear business case for implementation, there are gaps in requirement analysis and the right mapping of technology with existing processes. This adds to the complexity of smart factory implementation. Futurism Technology’s expert team has experience understanding the diverse nature of the manufacturing companies and the capability to tailor the intelligent factory solutions that help eradicate such challenges.

Futurism Edge

Futurism Technologies has modern and holistic transformation models that help replicate the processes in a phased manner giving the workforce and stakeholders enough time to adopt and adapt to the new change. This enables transformation with ease and attracts the right professionals and workers with the core competencies to support it.

Workforce hesitant to change

Workforce hesitant to change

The manufacturing landscape has transformed rapidly in the past few years, where automation and connected systems have replaced human efforts and labor. Even though there is a considerable change in people’s mindsets on how they perceive digitalization and there is increased affinity with digital platforms, most of the factory staff may lack the shared vision and understanding of the implementation.

There are further challenges like language barriers, technology skills, and the ability to work on digital platforms, which may hinder the way manufacturing units are automated. A lot of workforce in the manufacturing industries may not be highly educated or trained to use computers and sophisticated software.

Another roadblock in robust implementation of Smart Factory solutions is that people often view automation as a threat to their jobs and thus are susceptible and hesitant in adapting to digitalization.

Futurism Technologies help create “digital dexterity” within the workforce by creating programs that support continuous learning and upskilling the workforce to use digital platforms. 

Digital Transformation from Futurism
  • Creating a holistic learning model for advanced technologies like AI, Data Analytics, storage, and cybersecurity, etc.
  • Help the workforce to diligently focus on problem identification and solution and comprehend prudent solution implementation.

Process automation and transforming traditional routines

Process automation in smart factory

Manufacturing firms have a lot of challenges in incorporating digitalization to their traditional routines and operations. A lot of expertise is needed to adopt automated smart systems for the day to day processes in the manufacturing ecosystem. Factories often lack the strategic and systematic approach to modern project implementation. Manufacturing processes in a typical factory have been the same for an extended period. Thus the traditional method and familiarity with the functions create a sense of comfort in the workforce. When the same practices and operations are brought to the digital landscape, there may be initial hesitation to transform.

Maturity Model that helps in predictive manufacturing

predictive manufacturing

Smart factory implementation helps bring smart and predictable manufacturing at the forefront with a model of continuous me cycle of innovation and improvement. With the predictive methods, the manufacturers can cut costs of unexpected downtimes and lags in the supply chain. Integrated and well-connected systems provide real time communication and information access to all stakeholders providing agility and cross-department synchronicity.

Futurism’s Smart Factory Solution work on Production feedback from the smart factory is highly advantageous in creating a knowledge base for machine learning. The data developed over the processes can be used to understand the system’s needs and ably predict the requirements.  The production requirements can be filled in time by following the pattern. It can be as simple as the automatic ordering of the raw material when the stock is below a certain amount.

Digital Transformation from Futurism

The operational efficiency is increased multifold resulting in overall cost reduction. Efficient use of electricity, wear, and tear of machinery and accurate resource planning are few of the benefits of the smart factory.

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