Smart Factory: the future of industry is digital and smart

The smart factory is increasingly becoming an essential solution for the future of Industry 4.0.

According to a study by Deloitte and MAPI, 86% of manufacturers believe that the ability to transform the traditional production plant model into a smart factory will be essential to maintain its competitiveness in the next five years.

But what are the real advantages of this connected factory? How does this innovative model work and what technologies does it require? And what are the challenges related to smart manufacturing? We decipher the ins and outs of smart manufacturing.

 

What is a smart factory and how does it work?

The smart factory, also known as a smart factory or connected factory, is a self-managed, digitalized and networked production environment, which allows, thanks to innovative technologies, to collect and share data on an ongoing basis. This data is used for decision-making, process improvement and problem solving.

Factory 4.0 uses connected facilities, machines and logistics systems that communicate with each other and manage production processes almost autonomously. Human intervention is almost no longer necessary.

All supply, production, transport, management and marketing systems are connected and digitized, which makes it possible to optimize all supply chain processes.

Among the technologies used in such a manufacturing plant are artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, Big Data, IoT (Internet of Things), cloud computing, digital twins, autonomous machines… Smart sensors are also placed on machines and equipment to monitor the quality of production across the site and the maintenance needs of the machines in real time.

 

What are the benefits of smart factories for companies?

Compared to the traditional supply chain model, the smart factory, the factory of the future, has a number of advantages for companies, such as:

• Improved productivity: The individual stations in the manufacturing plant interact with each other and adapt production orders flexibly and agilely. This increases efficiency tenfold, downtime due to lack of inventory is greatly reduced and resources are optimally optimized.

• Higher quality: Smart manufacturing is also very beneficial for improving product quality and optimally meeting customer needs. The smart factory is also very useful for detecting sources of errors and possible flaws more easily. Since manufacturing and delivery times are faster, this also improves customer satisfaction.
  

• Better agility: In a smart factory, sales, supplier management and logistics systems are interconnected, making it possible to anticipate even the slightest change in demand, inventory and delivery, and to adapt quickly. It also makes it possible to anticipate maintenance needs and limit possible malfunctions and disruptions during production.
  

• Time saving : thanks to digital engineering and the performance of connected tools, production times are greatly reduced and yields are higher.
  
• Reduced costs : if the smart factory induces a certain cost when it is set up, it also offers an excellent ROI (return on investment). It is indeed a much more cost-effective, fast and efficient solution than a traditional system. It also requires far fewer human resources. Indeed, the teams are only responsible for supervising and monitoring the processes.

 

What are the challenges related to the smart factory?

The transition to a smart factory is a major change management process, which requires taking into account a number of very specific issues and challenges.

First of all, it is important to know that setting up a smart factory involves processing a large amount of data. This requires a solid Big Data Strategy, but also to take into account the challenges related to cybersecurity. The The risks of cyber attacks are much higher and this means strengthening the protection of data and IT systems.

In addition, such a transformation involves quite high upfront costs, in order to invest in the various digital technologies.

In order to maintain their company’s competitive advantage, industry players must start their redesign process to a connected factory today.

To guarantee the success of such a profound transformation, call on an interim manager specialized in the industrial sector will be particularly judicious. This high-flying professional, with 15 to 25 years of professional experience in strategic positions, will be a valuable asset in the success of this change management. At WAYDEN, we have a pool of 8,000 executives and interim managers. These seasoned leaders are equipped with the know-how and interpersonal skills necessary for the success of this transition to the industry of the future.