Smart factories are manufacturing plants that employ advanced technologies to automate and enhance production processes, providing greater operational flexibility, higher quality output, and quicker responses to business requirements.
TeamViewer’s Frontline fully integrated augmented reality solution aims to streamline manual work processes across industries by harnessing digital technology to empower human workers in an analogue workplace environment, shortening inspection times and eliminating rework altogether.
Le Vaudreuil facility
Recently, a technocrat from one of the leading automation vendors made an insightful observation: A factory may produce products, but that is not its true goal; their primary function should be making profits – with technology playing an essential role.
Capgemini recently conducted research that suggests smart factories could increase global economies by up to $2.2 trillion over five years through increased productivity gains, thus improving business competitiveness and increasing sustainability.
Schneider Electric’s Le Vaudreuil facility has officially unveiled an indoor 5G network through Orange. They are testing use cases such as augmented reality and remote everywhere access as well as using AXYN mobile telepresence robot for remote visits to their site.
The plant incorporated IIoT sensors connected to digital platforms to increase visibility and enable data-enabled optimization, leading to a reduction of 25% energy use, 17% material waste reduction, and 64% decrease in water consumption.
Schneider Electric
Smart factories leverage cutting-edge technologies from the Fourth Industrial Revolution to achieve higher levels of automation and manufacturing flexibility, as well as run production processes autonomously adjusting in real time to changing conditions or issues.
Smart factories rely on data analysis in a central location for efficient data processing, enabling faster response times and more accurate forecasting as well as improving quality control and reducing waste. To successfully implement one, the first step should be assessing your goals and identifying ways technology could enhance your business operations.
A smart factory uses connected machines, integrated applications and Big Data analytics to create an automated and flexible production system. Predictive maintenance services also utilize Big Data analysis by monitoring machine performance and sending alerts before equipment failure occurs – these alerts may then trigger maintenance activities or suggest human intervention as required. Using cloud storage allows for greater access to information.
Arpa Industriale
Arpa has made significant investments in both Industry 4.0 technologies and sustainability goals and practices, using both technological solutions and human intuition to increase productivity while decreasing waste production. Their smart factory uses both of these approaches simultaneously for maximum effectiveness.
This 150,000-square-meter facility in Bra, Piedmont embodies lively and original Italian creativity. The decorative HPL and FENIX nanotechnological materials produced here represent the result of continuous investment in research and development (4% of turnover). Since 2018, HPL catalog has been expanded with new decorative items incorporating unique finishes like the FENIX NTA metal surface surface.
The plant features automated warehouse operations with laser-guided vehicles that autonomously scan, load, and unload rolls of raw material onto production lines. Furthermore, a cloud platform tracks production progress while offering remote AI service support; scrap monitoring dashboards and predictive analytics help operators select optimal employees for production optimization, which has reduced waste by one fifth compared with comparable operations in other lines. Furthermore, SunPower technology helps meet its sustainability goals as a part of its sustainability goals.
WAGO
The smart factory is an automated cyber-physical system that employs advanced technologies to analyze data and drive automated processes, as part of Industry 4.0 – or the fourth industrial revolution. To implement such revolutionary technology in their company, companies need modern database and ERP systems capable of handling Big Data analytics as well as advanced analytics capabilities.
Smart factories linked across their entire value chains can quickly adapt to changes in production volumes and products, meeting shifting consumer demands while increasing revenue. Highly scalable architecture helps companies maximize existing resources and equipment more effectively; WAGO offers an extensive product portfolio including fieldbus-independent I/O systems, switches, sensor/actuator boxes with different power ratings, sizes and colors as well as the Compact Controller 100 PLC designed specifically for OEMs and building automation projects.
Deepak Wadhwani has over 20 years experience in software/wireless technologies. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies including Intuit, ESRI, Qualcomm, Sprint, Verizon, Vodafone, Nortel, Microsoft and Oracle in over 60 countries. Deepak has worked on Internet marketing projects in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange Country, Denver, Nashville, Kansas City, New York, San Francisco and Huntsville. Deepak has been a founder of technology Startups for one of the first Cityguides, yellow pages online and web based enterprise solutions. He is an internet marketing and technology expert & co-founder for a San Diego Internet marketing company.