December/January 2019

| 42 | December/January 2020 www.smartmachinesandfactories.com | TECHNOLOGIES | Smart Machines & Factories takes a look at the top five ways to improve ROI on industrial drive technology. I ndustry 4.0, smart manufacturing, factory of the future - call it what you will, the evolution of manufacturing is underway, at least for some UK manufacturers. Across the country, businesses vary drastically in their adoption of these smart technologies. Some have been embracing digitalisation for years, with forward- thinking factories harnessing technology to automate processes or gather and analyse data to improve production, while others are watching from the side lines, yet to take the leap. Yet if you read about smart manufacturing or factories of the future, promises of greater productivity, quality and efficiency are commonplace. So, why are manufacturers yet to fully embrace the new dawn of connected manufacturing? For many, the answer The benefits of investing in smart drive technology lies in the cost - or the perceived cost - of digitalisation. The initial investment in smart technology can be enough to put many manufacturers off making the move to a smarter way of working, but the benefits of real-time quality check, continuous improvement and equipment maintenance will undoubtedly lead to cost savings and productivity improvements. Let’s explore some of the benefits of investing in smart drive technology. Manufacturing agility: Get products to market, fast. In the past, improvements to any manufacturing facility were carried out on the basis that they would improve the efficiency, quality and effectiveness of either the manufacturing process or the product itself. However, customer demands are changing and the manufacturing industry and technology is being forced to adapt to keep up. More and more often, products need to be produced in small, highly customised batches, putting pressure on businesses to reduce their time-to- market and adapt to changes in demand. To do so, businesses need to invest in technology that gives them the flexibility to adapt quickly to fulfil demand. In older, less agile manufacturing environments, changes in production processes required an investment in new technology and resulted in significant downtime while a changeover was implemented. In today’s world, critical drive and control technology can be configured at a digital level rather than a physical one, enabling manufacturing facilities to support customisation of products and