December/January 2019

| STRATEGIES | T he evolution of connected products is changing the relationship between equipment OEMs and their customers. For the first time, manufacturers can gain detailed, often real-time, visibility into the performance of their products in the field. With the agreement of their customers, they can even control, modify or enhance those products remotely. Connectivity offers multiple sources of significant value for OEMs. It allows them to offer new and better services to their customers, from remote diagnostics and repair to ongoing improvements to product performance. Product development and business strategy teams can use new information and insights to improve future offerings or identify unmet customer needs. And closer, more collaborative relationships between OEMs and customers boost loyalty and help to keep competitors at bay. Data, insight, action The ability to use better information about the operational lifecycle requires more than just unstructured data flowing back from products in the field. To interpret such data, companies must understand the precise configurations of their products and the operating conditions they experience. This calls for the coordination of multiple sources of information from across the end-to- end product lifecycle, and the communication of that information to multiple internal and external stakeholders. Therefore, every smart product needs its own digital thread of product data, capable of delivering complete, accurate, up-to-date, and actionable www.smartmachinesandfactories.com December/January 2020 | 21 | information to teams who need it, and coordinating their responses to that information. And once the product is in the field, the addition of configuration, service and operational data adds additional complexity. A digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical asset and requires configuration management. To connect that digital twin to and from other parts of the organisation, you would use a digital thread to get the BOM to the digital twin or create traceability back to the requirements. It’s important to note that a complete digital thread does not equal a digital twin. Time for a digital transformation Plenty of companies are struggling to integrate the different processes and data sources required for today’s products, with mechanical, electronic and software components all requiring Operational data from smart products can unlock opportunities to delight your customers, improve your future designs and fend off competitive threats. To capitalise on those opportunities, you need an agile data platform, says Graham McCall, vice president operations UK, Aras. Are you ready to own the product lifecycle?