200 manufacturing executives tell you where to start with digital factories
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In the hot topic of digital factory, PricewaterhouseCoopers Germany launched a quantitative market research on 200 senior executives from large industrial and manufacturing sectors in the first half of 2017, and more leading companies in the industry. The executives conducted in-depth interviews. The executives who participated in the survey were decision makers in their product development, production or technology fields. Through the four dimensions of strategy, effectiveness, technology and talent (see Figure 1), the report explores in detail the driving force behind digital factories and may provide some reference for Chinese companies planning to build digital factories.
Strategy
The digital factory has a high strategic position in the high-level minds: the survey results show that 91% of industrial companies are investing in digital factories, but only 6% of their factories are “completely digitized”.
Digitization can provide better production support around customers: Three-quarters of respondents who plan to invest in digital factories say that they are closer to customers through localized manufacturing, and that personalized, flexible production is Two major factors contributing to investment.
The digital factory is advancing “German/European manufacturing”: a total of 93% of respondents who plan to invest in digital factories say they intend to move some or all of their digital factories to Germany in the next five years. 77% of the investment in the next five years will be used to build a new digital factory or expand. Digitalization is strengthening the competitiveness of European industrial centers.
Without the intention of a digital factory, companies may lose competitiveness in the future. Achieving a digital factory requires capital investment, and it is necessary to work with internal and external stakeholders to promote open innovation. For example, Philips has adopted this approach at the Drachten plant (see "Philips: Innovation and Collaboration"). In addition, it is necessary to hire and train talents, respond to many changes, build trust among employees and get their full support and full input.
Businesses want to survive in today's highly competitive marketplace, and customer focus is a key element. Companies are constantly close to their customers and are able to respond to changes in customer preferences in a more timely manner. The move can also help reduce transportation and logistics costs, and customers can benefit from customized products with minimal or negligible distribution costs.
Benefit
Rare returns in the short term – investment in digital factories is a strategic move, and it takes two to five years to recover the investment: Nearly half of the respondents hope to recoup their investment in digital operations within five years, while only 3% The interviewer hopes to recover the investment within one year.
Companies hope to significantly improve efficiency in five years: Nearly all respondents (98%) see efficiency gains as the main reason for investing in digital factories. Comprehensive planning, improved asset utilization, reduced cost of quality, and automation all contribute to efficiency gains.
Most of the companies surveyed have limited the period of recovery of digital factory investment to five years. Behind the decision is a detailed business argument and careful consideration of the investment. As companies become more familiar with the various digital factory solutions, they have a clearer understanding of the time and effort required to implement them, and thus make a more conservative forecast of the time limit for returning investment.
In addition to improving plant efficiency, digital factories can bring other benefits. For example, in the aerospace sector, some companies are using digital factory solutions to develop advanced aircraft and engine designs that break the limitations of traditional manufacturing. In addition, digital factories can help companies reduce energy and raw material consumption and achieve sustainable development goals. Companies are using data to improve resource efficiency, make the supply chain more sensible, order raw materials on demand, and reduce inventory.
But the goal of the company is far from being limited to this. Some companies are already planning unattended factories where electricity will be consumed on demand. According to the latest data, energy consumption in the industrial sector has been declining since 1990. However, we have reason to believe that with the assistance of digital factories, industrial products companies still have potential to tap on energy conservation.
Philips: Innovation and collaboration
Philips develops high quality and innovative products for the global market in Drachten. In this facility, production technicians and workers are responsible for managing product development and production, supporting joint development and production through key digital technologies such as automated assembly, digital hygiene, robotics, 3D printing and big data analytics. These distinctive and innovative digital technologies enable the first correct design, zero defect production and demand-driven supply chain. In the future, Philips plans to continue to upgrade its production operations and carry out more flexible research and development in the direction of customization.
The Philips Drachten plant is a representative of the Drachten Innovation Cluster, which consists of 16 high-tech manufacturing companies in North West Europe, attracting talent and other high-tech companies from all over the world. The cluster also works closely with local governments and research institutes to secure and consolidate the position of the Drachten region as a major industrial town in the north of the Netherlands in the future.
technology
Internal and external interconnection of the plant through a comprehensive Manufacturing Execution System (MES): The first step in digitization is to interconnect the machine with other assets through a shared infrastructure. The MES system can plan and control production in real time, improving efficiency, production flexibility and asset utilization. In order to maximize benefits, MES systems need to be integrated with ERP systems, allowing companies to not only digitize internal processes, but also digitize the entire supply chain.
Technologies such as collaborative robotics, digital hygiene or augmented reality drive leaner operations and higher productivity: Digital technologies that help workers increase productivity and productivity, improve processes and product quality are rapidly gaining popularity – companies that adopt these technologies over the next five years The number is expected to double. Collaboration between workers and machines is a key area of development, and the expression of the virtual factory of digital twins has been born. Augmented reality related solutions help employees produce zero-defect products.
Enterprises make more informed decisions through predictive data analysis and machine learning: artificial intelligence and data analysis are the driving force of digital factories, and more than half of the research companies have adopted intelligent algorithms to make more reasonable operational decisions. . The full interconnection within the plant and within the enterprise ecosystem, as well as the intelligent application of information, will be indispensable for maintaining competitiveness.
Realize internal and external interconnection of factories by using MES
The pace of smart interconnection in factories is accelerating. Many companies have adopted networking technology to connect components, machines, production management, transportation vehicles, workers and even products to each other through sensors such as MES, which use sensors to read and identify the data on the chip and transmit it to the data platform (see Figure II). For example, Bosch Rexroth has launched a global pilot of frequency-based identification tracking technology at the Homburg plant (see “Bosch Rexroth: Mass Customization via Interconnect”).
Real-time planning and control with information is possible through the use of MES
By using MES, it is possible to use information for real-time planning and control: to perceive or predict unexpected events based on data analysis and to generate relevant actions for response or optimization. Some companies have also developed a system-based storage monitoring system to prevent stock out of stock and optimize inventory levels.
Many companies are also looking to the outside of digital factories, and strive to horizontally integrate the entire value chain from suppliers, production networks to customers. A more advanced tracking system coupled with a dynamic connection to the ERP system makes data transparent and enables data analysis to optimize the entire supply chain planning.
Bosch Rexroth: Mass customization through interconnection
Bosch Rexroth has built a leading factory for the Industry 4.0 program in the 50-year-old Humboldt base with approximately 700 employees. It is one of the first companies to practice Industry 4.0.
As a manufacturer of industrial and mobile controls, hydraulic equipment and a small pilot company within the Bosch Group, the Humboldt plant is a user of the Industry 4.0 programme and a supplier. The plant revolves around the high-level core strategy and lays a solid foundation for the successful implementation and use of digitization and interconnection. The Humboldt plant works with the Group's other pilot plants, Bosch Rexroth product regional assembly technology and the Bosch Connected Industry project team to integrate and coordinate to ensure efficiency and eliminate redundancy. Under the guidance of these technologies, factories have developed various solutions to establish standards that can be promoted in other factories. Each factory also leverages global services such as Bosch Cloud or Enterprise IT Architecture in Bosch Networks to achieve economies of scale.
Bosch Rexroth uses a variety of innovative technologies, including paperless dynamic billboards, self-guided products, independent work units, automatic identification of employees and products, and real-time quality inspection. By partnering with proven technologies such as RFID-based electronic signage and picking, the Humboldt plant can increase efficiency and productivity while producing more product variants on the assembly line.
Use digital technology to increase productivity and improve processes
Many companies also plan to use a variety of digital technologies to help workers improve productivity and improve processes. Some companies are using mobile apps to help employees better collaborate remotely. Robotics and other digital technologies also make workers easier, safer and more efficient. Collaborative robots not only complete the tasks specified by pre-programming, but workers can also “train” these robots interactively. They don't have to spend a lot of time programming, just repeat their actions. We have found that human-computer collaboration is a key area of development and an area that companies need to pay close attention to. While many companies focus on improving the visualization and automation of processes, few companies plan to adopt appropriate technologies to increase acceptance of human-machine collaboration.
By combining the digital generation of products and production lines, it is possible to simulate and test new production processes and optimize them before actual start-up.
At present, it is possible to digitally present products, equipment, entire production lines and factory infrastructure, so-called “digital hygiene”. This technology is primarily used in the product development or production planning phase to improve the efficiency of the development process, improve quality, and facilitate information sharing among stakeholders. By combining the digital generation of products and production lines, it is possible to simulate and test new production processes and optimize them before actual start-up. If you can use digital twins with your partners, you can better optimize your processes for matching. Digital hygiene is also the basis for many applications such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and remote maintenance.
It is worth noting that the most popular digital factory technology, even the ones most likely to be adopted in five years, is still based on the pipeline under the traditional model. In this case, it may be necessary to fundamentally reflect on the manufacturing strategy or even the production model of the enterprise (such as modular production equipment, flexible production processes, etc.), but many companies are not willing to bear this risk. We believe that companies need to develop a digital strategy from a global perspective based on overall business strategy and technology development.
Support decision making through data analysis
Data is fundamental to digital factories and requires significant investment in data analysis and system integration. With sensors, future digital plants can generate massive amounts of data. As technology capabilities in data integration and memory continue to improve, real-time integration of digital factories and supply chain ecosystems becomes possible. Data generated by mechanical equipment is transferred to MRS and ERP systems, even suppliers and customers, enabling companies to interact with real-time supply of critical supply and demand data throughout the supply chain. In the future, digital factories will be able to plan various maintenance and shutdown schedules during production periods where customer demand is insufficient to optimize profit margins.
Achieving full connectivity within the plant and across the enterprise ecosystem, as well as intelligent use of information, will be an indispensable option for companies to remain competitive. Many companies have recognized this and are working hard to develop their big data capabilities.
Talent
Digital production means creating a digital workforce: Digital factories need a new way of working. The composition of the workforce will change, and companies need to recruit and retain the right talent. Data scientists need to find intelligent algorithms to improve operational performance, and human-computer interaction requires new skills. Digital training programs and the recruitment of external “digital natives” ensure successful digital factories.
The digital transformation must be started by the top leaders and begin immediately: the digital transformation of enterprises requires high-level leadership and guidance. As competitors around the world take the digital path, companies need to act now.
Digital factories need a different way of working, and companies need to create a digital workforce. To ensure that there are enough workers with the skills needed for a digital factory, companies need to work actively with business, politics, and academia to address the shortage of qualified talent. Of course, investment in training and education is costly, but the increase in revenue through efficiency improvements can offset this investment, and it also allows employees to enjoy the benefits of rising salaries. In addition, the qualities that talents need are also undergoing significant changes. The demand for pipeline workers in digital factories will be reduced, and more data analysts and programmers will be needed.
The solution to the problem is not just to recruit more talent and train existing employees. Senior executives should lead by example to lead the entire digital transformation, and implement the spirit of continuous learning throughout the enterprise, building a digital-oriented corporate culture from top to bottom.
Want to experience the digital factory firsthand? Want to go deep into the birthplace of Industry 4.0 to witness the efficiency and efficiency of digitalization? The opportunity is coming - in April 2018, "Into the Hanover decoding intelligent manufacturing" KECL Media GP CLUB German Industry 4.0 Study Tour The regiment is hit hard!
The first stop, we will go to Hannover Industrial Fair. In the 2018 Hannover Messe, with the theme of “Industry Integration – Connection and Collaboration”, focusing on the enormous potential of digital transformation, it will be carried out again. Accelerated integration of industrial sectors and systems, intelligent integration of production and logistics processes, and the same questions that need to be faced in the construction of these smart printers, may be answered in Hanover.
The second stop, we will go to the famous German smart enterprise to transfer. It is said that Industry 4.0 has been fully utilized in the actual production of Mercedes-Benz. For the pioneer of Industry 4.0 and the KUKA robot, one of the world's leading manufacturers of industrial robots, are you also curious about the production process of its intelligent production line and large robot arm? Entering the German Industry 4.0 model company, feel the digital enterprise Really charming.
At the third stop, we will go to a local printing company in Germany. We will arrange nearly half of the itinerary to communicate with colleagues in the local printing industry in Germany. In addition to the well-known Heidelberg, Manroland and KBA, Mainfranken Printing Company is also the international listed printing company, as well as Frankfurt Briefing Printing Co., Ltd., Munich Media Group Printing Factory... Germany's well-known printing related companies are quite a lot. Where are we going? The mystery will be revealed at that time.