July/August 2020

External driving forces pushing Smart Factory adoption | 20 | July/August 2020 www.smartmachinesandfactories.com | STRATEGIES | Part Two S tratus Technologies is using the data of 204 European manufacturing companies with over 500 employees to offer unrivalled insight into the external drivers of Smart Factory deployments. The first of which is: Supply Chain Management A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. As complex customer requirements continue to evolve, manufacturers are adapting to meet the challenge to remain competitive. With the constant need to keep customer satisfaction levels high, over half (51%) of survey respondents cited improving supply chain management as important to their vision for Smart Factory deployments. So, what does a Smart Factory supply chain look like? First, it’s faster, and not just in terms of delivery of the final product. Both self-organising and self-optimising, data collected through intelligent sensors can be integrated with customer preferences and other external factors. Take the weather for example, an intelligent supply chain will predict potential bottlenecks based on an abnormal weather event, ordering new parts or changing delivery schedules to best address the issue. With this approach manufacturers can move away from stockpiling in case of an external event and be ready for anything. This mirrors one internal driver of Part one of the Stratus Technologies Smart Factory series delved into what’s driving the adoption of digital technology, what’s holding it back and what the most sought-after benefits are from the factory floor. The results showed that manufacturers are under constant pressure to be more efficient and profitable which is leading them to new technologies. But what about outside of the organisation? Are customers with more information and specific needs driving the need for digitalisation? Greg Hookings, head of business development – digitalisation, Stratus Technologies, explains further. Smart Factory deployment, with predictive maintenance capabilities, manufacturers no longer need to stockpile replacement parts. A truly Smart Factory tells plant managers when a fault is likely, allowing them to prepare for it, or prevent it altogether. Taking the analogy even further, if the supplier of the replacement parts is running a smart supply chain, the ordering and delivery of the replacement part would be a completely automated situation. Building in growing business models such as machinery-as-a-service would mean that this light touch management for the manufacturer becomes zero-touch, with the equipment manufacturer taking direct Figure 1

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