The manufacturing industry has seen a tremendous amount of change in the digital transformation. By adapting to machine learning and data visualization, physical factory operations have been able to create a digital twin. With an ability to spot defects and prevent bottlenecks, digital manufacturing has offered a promising road forward savings-wise and production-wise for manufacturers. Let’s take a closer look at the software that is taking supply chains to the next level.
Understanding Digital Technologies
A digital factory is a generic term that refers to a network of digital models that replicate all of the aspects of a physical factory operation. This includes methods like simulation and 3D visualization that are part of integrated data management systems. The main goal of a digital factory is comprehensive planning, continuous evaluation, and enhancement for the real factory that manufactures a product. This allows for some cost savings in a manufacturing operation, pushing for a competitive advantage to achieve business goals, but what is digital factory software?
New technologies require digital factory software to focus on improved quality of planning and economic efficiency, a shorter production time, clear communication, uniform standards for different products, and capable knowledge management. The main purpose of a digital factory is to help the manufacturing process, offering improved products and services to customers. The proper software oversees digital factory teams and provides them with mission-critical expertise. That can include deep learning analytics, cyber-security standards, and coordination between processes.
Disrupting Manufacturing Trends
The concept of digital factories is expanding its reach with companies that are looking for new technologies to enhance productivity. Digital factories enhance the decision-making process, building a strong database to serve as a starting point to encourage progress. Factories are already becoming part of current enterprise resource planning and Internet of Things projects. The digital factory concept is changing several existing perceptions in manufacturing, such as customization of products by smaller production lines, or the enhanced adoption of highly modern supply chain systems to bring down operational expenses.
This increases operational excellence and can help manufacturers open up newer revenue streams just by making a few fundamental changes, or engaging in better predictive maintenance to evaluate potential equipment breakdowns. Disruptive technologies are making way for digital factory systems, and a move was seen in a number of these trends towards large-scale digitization across the manufacturing sector. A smart factory can be achieved when all processes are digitized across all aspects of the manufacturing business, from the factory floor to the delivery of the product and the subsequent data analytics.
Key Principles to Digital Factory Software
There are five main principles to ensure the success of a digital factory. This starts with ensuring clear missions that make sure everyone involved has a clear idea of their role in the manufacturing process. Each mission should be focused on workflow, using insights to better maintain business strategies from the top down. Manufacturers understand the need for cross-functionality but often do not have processes in place to implement it. One of the main benefits of smart factories is the way their teams work alongside each other. These individuals work in tandem with those running the company to ensure due diligence at all levels.
Manufacturers should be able to balance leadership and team independence, defining the mission through product development. Such autonomy still requires supervision though. While steering committees are not part of a system, they ensure the vision of the manufacturer’s missions remains intact. Digital factories are designed to serve the needs of businesses through each and every algorithm. To ensure quality issues are addressed, smart factories must provide necessary skilled manpower at all levels. This in turn creates a proactive command center between functionality and ensuring best practices to review progress and ease out bottlenecks.
