Under the current boom in smart manufacturing, many companies are planning to build smart factories. As we all know, the planning and construction of smart factories is a very complex system engineering. Data is the blood of smart factory construction and flows between various application systems. During the operation of a smart factory, business data such as design, process, manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, quality, and personnel will be generated, which may come from ERP, MES, APS, WMS, QIS and other application systems. In the production process, it is necessary to collect data such as output, quality, energy consumption, processing accuracy and equipment status in a timely manner, and associate them with orders, procedures, and personnel to achieve full traceability of the production process.
The traditional model has been unable to meet the development trend of the manufacturing industry. Especially in an uncertain economic environment, companies urgently need to improve the efficiency and productivity of the factory floor.
To capitalize on these opportunities, manufacturers are digitizing their production operations and generating real-time data that can be leveraged. Emerging technologies such as blockchain, quantum computing, and AI will also create new opportunities in this field.
How to build three elements of a smart factory
1. Personalized customization
Building a connected factory offers manufacturing companies the opportunity to offer new services to customers. In the consumer market, the trend of personalization is becoming more and more obvious. Manufacturers can deliver goods according to different needs, and consumers are flocking to them. Connectivity and efficiency will be the keys to mass production. According to the survey, nearly half (47%) of manufacturing companies are implementing smart factory projects to achieve efficient customized production of products.
Connectivity can also help companies find unique selling points for their products. In the B2B field, the competitive advantage of manufacturing companies usually stems from servitization: from after-sales support to on-site service, and even the "goods-as-a-service" model, they are all factors that differentiate B2B manufacturing companies.
Whether it is toB or toC, the interconnection between factories and enterprises is the key. Customers may need details such as availability and logistics to guide purchasing decisions, while factories need the ability to deliver highly customized orders. When implemented properly, smart factories will bring manufacturing companies closer to their customers.
2. Improve quality and efficiency
"Efficiency" is an important factor that all manufacturing companies are concerned about. Our survey shows that the most common internal goal of smart factory projects is to improve product quality (50%), followed by improving asset utilization (47%).
Especially in high-end manufacturing, the inspection process in traditional factories is usually done manually, which is time-consuming and error-prone. Especially for some products with high safety requirements, such as wind turbines, even small deviations in time can have catastrophic consequences.
Using image recognition and machine learning techniques, it is possible to automate the quality control process. Image data, including x-rays, can be analyzed using algorithms to quickly identify abnormalities. Emerging computing technologies can also dramatically improve factory productivity.
3. Traceable and sustainable
Today, more than ever, consumers care about the provenance and sustainability of their products. Likewise, traceability is important to meet regulatory requirements.
Blockchain is emerging as a powerful tool for tracking the entire life cycle from raw materials to final products. The blockchain can store product information in a secure and distributed manner, and ensure that no node in the supply chain can be arbitrarily tampered with, so consumers can fully trust product-related information.
Smart factory projects can bring long-term benefits to businesses. But in today's environment, businesses are under more pressure than ever to realize a return on investment as quickly as possible. Identify the use cases that are most important and valuable to the business.
The most important foundation for realizing smart factories and even Industry 4.0, promoting the construction of the Industrial Internet, and realizing MES applications is to realize M2M, that is, the interconnection between equipment and equipment, and to establish a factory network.

来源：中国传动网