Leveraging Advanced Digital Systems for Manufacturing Growth
Leveraging Advanced Digital Systems for Manufacturing Growth
In recent years, the manufacturing industry has undergone significant disruptions. Companies grapple with challenges such as rapidly changing customer preferences, demand uncertainty, supply chain disruptions, and environmental concerns. To navigate these disruptions, successful manufacturers are accelerating their digital transformation pace, transitioning towards Industry 4.0 or even contemplating Industry 5.0. These approaches leverage digital technology to enhance various aspects of operations, going beyond productivity and focusing on sustainability, agility, speed to market, customisation, and customer satisfaction.
From Lab Innovations to Fab Realities Integration
Elisa IndustrIQ’s “From Lab to Gigafactory — a Complete Guide” has sparked inspiration for growth in battery cell manufacturing with the support of advanced digital systems. This innovation journey has now progressed from laboratory-scale research to full-scale production. Digital insight and simulation have enabled informed decisions for production processes expansion simulation.
Other industries, such as semiconductor assembly, packaging and testing, and solar cell manufacturing, have also recognised the applicability of similar strategies for their growth and expansion needs. Transitioning from growth to expansion involves capturing end-to-end processes with precision and simplicity. Let’s delve into how digital systems facilitate this critical journey.
Process Modeling and Precision: Capturing End-to-End Processes
Process Chains: Digital systems enable seamless specification of process chains, ensuring a smooth flow from raw materials to finished products. These systems can also simulate “What-if” scenarios, allowing manufacturers to explore potential upgrades or improvements to current processes.
Supply Requirements: Precise modeling accounts for material needs, minimising waste and optimising material utilisation. Manufacturers can simulate scenarios such as including additional alternate suppliers to mitigate supply risk.
Resource Requirements: Precise modeling accounts for resources needs, minimising waste and optimising resource utilisation. Manufacturers can simulate scenarios such as including additional shift or resources available from enterprise network to enhance the optimisation effect.
Durables and Consumables: Digital tools consider the lifespan of equipment and consumables, aiding in cost estimation.
Cycle Times: Accurate cycle time predictions enhance production planning and scheduling. Especially in high-mix manufacturing environment.
Cost Analysis: Digital simulations provide insights into associated costs at each process stage. Especially in equipment investment. Simulation would better cover scenarios like equipment delivery date, equipment cost vs capabilities and more.
Capacity Planning, Simulation, and Digital Human Collaboration
Alternative Routings and Throughput: Simulation models explore how alternative routings affect throughput times and costs.
Capacity Expansions: Manufacturers gain insights into capacity expansions based on different scenarios, informing investment decisions related to forecasted demand.
Beyond Spreadsheets: Digital systems offer holistic capacity planning and simulation tools, going beyond conventional spreadsheets. MES simulators provide a powerful tool for modeling complexities and simulating possible scenarios, aiding in growth investment decisions.
Advanced MES Software Concepts: Manufacturers can utilise advanced MES software concepts for end-to-end manufacturing integrated network planning and optimisation.
Collaborate & Informed Decision: Digital systems offer the opportunity to create Digital Twins of business processes, supporting the organisation through a structured, extended and connected network through the entire manufacturing growth and expansion planning cycle and “down” to the current factory floor.
Early-Stage Digitisation Benefits
Faster Time to Market: Data-driven decision-making on growth and expansion investments, supported by thorough analysis of “what-if” scenarios. Experiment management and tracking to retain R&D knowledge within the organisation.
Cost and Time Savings: Embracing early-stage digitisation reduces costs and time during ramp-up.
Quality Assurance: Digital systems facilitate quality control and traceability.
End-to-End Digitalisation: From process engineering to ramp-up, manufacturers achieve seamless integration.
Conclusion
Manufacturers can significantly benefit from embracing digital systems throughout their production journey. As Industry 4.0 principles continue to shape the manufacturing landscape, strategic adoption of MES software concepts ensures efficient capacity planning and sustainable growth. It’s crucial to remember that it’s not just about technology—it’s about transforming the way we manufacture and thrive in the digital age.