Smart manufacturing: how to enter the new era of efficiency

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You may have noticed that there are terms like Industry 4.0, Industry 5.0, 5th industrial revolution and other buzzwords that are repeated over and over again until they are exhausted. But there is a very simple reason behind this torrent: smart manufacturing is the only path to competitiveness. Find out why.

Production models are constantly changing. The dust of Industry 4.0 has barely settled yet and the fifth industrial revolution is already here. Technology combined with human intelligence is the driver of this new intelligent era, known as Industry 5.0, which promises to optimize the production capacity installed in each operational unit to the maximum. The secret lies in the technology used to guarantee intelligent production, capable of extracting maximum efficiency from each resource.

At a time when the consumer is king and lord, increasingly hungary whatsapp number database and uncompromising, only intelligent production will be able to respond to the consumer trends that are becoming more pronounced every day, namely:

Mass customization – which requires hyper-personalization of products
Consumer Experience – which requires prioritizing the experiences provided by the product
Glocalization - local production for the global market
Sustainability - preference for "green" products that promote the circular economy
Now that we know the trends, we all know who sets the rules of the game. The consumer is the strongest link in the chain, but fortunately, technological developments have kept pace with the advancement of customer demands, making it easier to meet these requirements, while always safeguarding profitability.

Technology, the engine that powers smart production
If there is a time when everything changes in an instant, that is the era we are currently experiencing. In just a few years, innovative technologies have emerged that have quickly spread globally and are now widely implemented in the most competitive industries in the various sectors of industrial production. The following stand out among the most relevant:

Internet of Things (IOT) – technology that allows several devices to be connected to each other through sensors;

Embedded computing capacity – technology based on microcontrollers embedded in products that allow the development of smart products and smart equipment, capable of making decisions without human intervention;

3D printing – technology that allows for simpler and more competitive production of prototypes, boosting additive manufacturing;

Cloud Computing – technology that allows the remote use of systems and applications via the web, promoting access to data from anywhere;

Artificial intelligence – algorithms associated with analytical tools, which allow operations to be automated.

These are the main ones, but there are others. The difficult part today is keeping up with the dynamics of innovation, while maintaining the level of service that customers demand and the profitability needed to ensure companies’ competitiveness. We already know that it will be very difficult to always be on top of the wave and catch this fast-moving technology train. But it is possible to make a solid journey towards the digitalization of processes, at each individual’s own pace, but without missing out on the opportunities that smart production brings to the industrial sector.

First steps to ensure smart production
The secret of the intelligence era lies in the ability to communicate seamlessly between multiple systems. There is no point in having multiple applications and platforms if they do not interact with each other. The result will be a huge investment in systems, high costs with resources dedicated to operations that do not generate value and a time to market that is not very competitive or at all.

To definitively enter the era of smart production, there are some basic principles that are important to ensure.

1- Integration between ERP and MES

The first step to ensuring entry into the era of smart manufacturing is to ensure that your global management system, ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) is fully integrated with MES (Manufacturing Execution System). Only through this integration will you be able to digitally connect the “ Shop-Floor ” to the “Top-Floor”, building a kind of “control tower” from which you can centrally manage the entire production chain. With these two integrated systems, you can coordinate and monitor information from various devices, equipment, machines or products, generating an enormous capacity for production planning and control.

2- Horizontal and vertical integration between systems

If you connect these systems to equipment connected via IoT, Mobile Apps to manage equipment, interactive component location maps, analytical systems capable of analyzing production data in real time and systems to support preventive maintenance of equipment, you will benefit from horizontal and vertical integration, and you will be able to take full advantage of the technology that supports the new era of intelligent industrial management.

3- Real-time access to decision support indicators

Obtaining analyses and reports to support decision-making must be simple. To make decisions quickly and effectively, you need the support of technology that monitors performance and provides always-updated performance indicators. However, to obtain this data reliably, you need to ensure that the previous steps are carried out. Only with integration between systems can you obtain reliable data to support decision-making, which serves the interests of not only the production manager, but also the financial director, the logistics director, the warehouse manager, the human resources manager, the controller or the sales director. Everyone has access to the same information base, which reflects the results of the collective effort.

Tailor-made developments or an integrated network of solutions that guarantee intelligent production?

Both options are valid, however, there is no point in investing in specific developments to integrate solutions when there are already integrated options, developed natively and which include an ERP and a production management system. Manufacturing includes a complete production management system, which allows 360 management of companies in the industrial sector.

In addition to the integration between the factory floor and all logistical, administrative and financial management, this solution integrates with other Cegid Primavera systems, optimizing management at a global level:

Asset maintenance
Intelligent warehouse management
Reporting solutions
Analytical decision support tools
Applications for accessing information anywhere
Future-proof production
When choosing a production management system, it is important to make sure you are investing in a future-proof solution. PRIMAVERA Manufacturing’s solution guarantees solid back-office operations and solid, fluid integration with cloud applications, equipment connected via the Internet of Things (IOT), among others.

Mobility and ease of access to information are guaranteed. With this solution, you can also benefit from artificial intelligence at the service of your business. Machine Learning and Big Data Processing technology ensure intelligent use of the system, through a virtual assistant that promotes information accuracy and unprecedented operational speed.

Because it is an open platform, integration between systems becomes simple and fluid. This integration is made even simpler with the support of a Web API, which allows you to easily integrate any application or system into the central management core.