It’s never been easier for manufacturers to do more with less thanks to the affordability and accessibility of data analytics tools. So, why hasn't every factory become a smart factory?
The Global Lighthouse Network is a World Economic Forum initiative that shows how Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies are reshaping production. This growing community represents every manufacturing sector and spans more than 130 global sites.
The use of digital and analytics tools across the value chain is helping drive growth and productivity, improve resilience, and deliver environmental sustainability. On average, lighthouse sites benefit from dramatically faster time to market, increased productivity and reduced carbon emissions. Results include:
- Increasing factory throughput by 200% while reducing resource use by more than 30%
- Raising efficiency by more than 10% while cutting greenhouse gas emissions by half
- Raising quality by 300% while reducing cost by more than 20%
With every market experiencing soaring levels of competition, lighthouse sites can move further and faster than their peers thanks to the combination of flexible automation, connectivity and data intelligence at scale.
Who’s part of this network? You won’t be surprised to learn that many of the largest and most recognised names in manufacturing are included in its ranks, including BMW, HP, Mondelez, Procter & Gamble, Siemens, TATA Steel and Unilever. There are few – if any – SMEs.
Does this mean that Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies are only for the largest organisations? Absolutely not, says Oliver Pogmore, Head of Business Development at FourJaw Manufacturing Analytics.
Oliver believes that digital technologies are now essential for manufacturers to adopt and adapt, to keep growing and stay competitive – regardless of your size. In a recent presentation to Made Members, Oliver explained why.
“Imagine a world where machines not only produce goods but they also communicate and optimise themselves in real-time, a world where factories aren’t just buildings filled with mechanical equipment, but are smart interconnected ecosystems of innovation and efficiency,” he explained.
“Inside these factories, the boundaries between physical and digital start to blur and manufacturers are capable of becoming 5-times, even 10-times better. These benefits aren’t theoretical; they're proven in real-world examples. FourJaw is working with dozens of manufacturers right now to help them on this exact journey. In the past two weeks alone, we've seen two separate customers achieve 20% and 30% increases in direct machine utilisation time.”
Do more with less
FourJaw was founded as a spinout from the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in 2021. Today, it is one of the UK’s fastest-growing productivity tracking platforms and has one clear mission - To deliver accessible and affordable technology that empowers manufacturers to achieve their productivity potential.
“FourJaw’s plug-and-play machine monitoring software is specifically designed for manufacturers looking to do more with less and find new efficiencies in their production process without wasting time or money on new equipment,” explained Oliver.
“With FourJaw, manufacturers can improve uptime, gain capacity, enhance communication, reduce costs, plan resources effectively, eliminate manual processes and reduce their carbon footprint. Our platform is compatible with any machine, no matter the brand, type or age, and offers a rapid payback period, typically within months not years.”
He continued; “We show companies where to look and where to focus efforts using digital tools and machine data. And it’s that fundamental data that we're showing them, of what the machines are doing and when, and doing so accurately, that enables them to make that decision-making process better. They are using Industry 4.0 to increase their profitability and drive performance, profitability and growth.”
All three goals are high on the wish list for every manufacturer, yet many are yet to realise the full benefits of digital and analytics tools. Following Oliver’s presentation, a Discussion Group with Made Members explored why not.
Pilot purgatory & analysis paralysis
According to research, most companies find it harder to scale a digital project than get the ball rolling on a small-scale test. As such, the gap between piloting and full organisational roll-out being significantly larger than the gap between recognising the need for change and greenlighting a pilot project.
Across industry, many manufacturers have found themselves in ‘pilot purgatory’, noted Oliver, a place where time, money and effort are invested in a project that fails to go beyond the initial limited deployment.
“I speak with three manufacturers a week that have previously tried in-house methods or off-the-shelf solutions, spent their valuable time and money but never managed to roll that system out because it's too complex and the benefits are too difficult to achieve,” he noted.
There are many reasons why pilot purgatory exists, including limited resources, unclear or conflicting outcomes, organisational siloes – especially relating to information, a lack of focus, and an underappreciation of cultural change.
Addressing these vastly improves the odds that a small-scale test will not only be successful but can also be effectively and smoothly rolled out to the wider organisation.
Another stumbling block often encountered is being bogged down and overwhelmed by the sheer volume of data available today.
“We've seen so many instances of people getting in a state of analysis paralysis, performing such deep analysis across their shop floor that they get lost and can’t see the wood for the trees. They’ve found themselves back at square one, i.e. being unable to effectively act and improve,” Oliver described.
Achieving direct, real-time, measurable insights doesn’t need to be difficult or complex. Indeed, a key trend within the digital solutions market currently is the simplification of systems.
The coding and algorithms within the software are continuously becoming more complex and intelligent but the interfaces – the parts someone interacts with and uses – are becoming increasingly more user-friendly and straightforward. Equally, how information is aggregated, presented, customised and integrated with other systems is getting easier and easier.
As such, developing a lighthouse-grade factory is an achievable goal for the smallest of manufacturers.
“Having spoken with hundreds of manufacturers over the past two years, my advice would be to understand what's possible today and then start somewhere,” Oliver concluded.
“Start simple, start small. Look for where inefficiencies are hindering your production capacity and work to eliminate those inefficiencies. That starts with collecting relevant information and data from your production machines.”
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*All images courtesy of Pixabay