In the realm of manufacturing, the winds of change are blowing stronger than ever. Cloud-based solutions in the era of Industry 4.0 are replacing traditional on-premises Operational Technology (OT) solutions. This transition has taken cloud technology from being a disruptive novelty to a fundamental component of the future of manufacturing.
In this article, I will talk about the significance of analytics in manufacturing. I’ll also discuss the challenges posed by big data, and how companies are using it to reshape their operations.
The Rise of Cloud-Enabled Manufacturing
According to a recent report by McKinsey, the adoption of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is rapidly gaining momentum. Digital manufacturing is predicted to make up a large portion of the IoT market by 2025, bringing significant advantages to innovative businesses.
Traditional Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) solutions often operate in isolation, leading to data silos and limited visibility across the enterprise.
The manufacturing industry faces various challenges, including:
- Quality control inconsistencies, which may lead to more wastage or increased product recall
- Equipment maintenance issues, that could cause unexpected downtimes
- Production bottlenecks, which get in the way of optimum throughput
- Supply chain disruptions, that affect the timeline of delivery
To tackle these challenges effectively, a centralised manufacturing data and analytics platform is essential.
Essential Components of Cloud-Enabled Manufacturing Operations
Moving manufacturing workloads to the cloud is vital for unlocking higher business value, reducing IT infrastructure costs, and democratising digital capabilities across plants. Key components of this architecture include:
Three-Tier Architecture
This architecture combines edge computing, local site data aggregation, and the cloud. It ensures seamless integration between IT and OT. This design offers scalability, flexibility, and operational continuity even through cloud connectivity disruptions.
OT Security
Protecting the plant floor assets from cyber threats is vital. The platform should include robust authentication, authorisation, and encryption capabilities to ensure manufacturing environment security.
Analytics at the Edge
Edge analytics enables data analysis at the manufacturing plant level. It empowers organisations to make data-driven decisions, helping enhance operational efficiency and productivity while reducing data transmission costs.
Choosing Between On-Premises and Cloud Solutions
The choice between on-premises and cloud-based solutions depends on factors like data volume and the speed of insights needed. Plant-centric decision-making should guide the selection of the appropriate solution for each challenge.
Some suitable cloud-based solutions are benchmarking, digital twins, and sustainability reporting. However, digital work instructions and predictive maintenance are better-handled on-premises.
Navigating the Journey Towards Cloud-Enabled Manufacturing
A well-defined approach is essential for organisations embarking on the journey towards cloud-enabled manufacturing operations. This approach involves defining the scope, assessing applications, defining ROI, and adopting a suitable methodology.
It is important to choose the right migration strategy and leverage the right technology. The benefits of cloud adoption include reduced downtime, improved efficiency, enhanced customer satisfaction, and increased business agility.
The Transition to Smart Data in Manufacturing
We are well in the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0). Operations are being automated or being moved to the cloud to create interconnected cyber-physical systems. Through these, manufacturers are generating vast amounts of data, often referred to as big data.
Whilst this offers tremendous potential, managing and extracting actionable insights from this data is a challenge. The era of big data is evolving into the era of smart data, where context and clarity are key.
Big data in manufacturing is challenging for manufacturers when they struggle to handle large amounts of data and cannot extract valuable insights. Data sources, platforms, and analytics tools often result in data silos, hindering a complete understanding of the business.
To unlock the full potential of industrial data, manufacturers need a smart data strategy. This involves:
- Starting with small data analytics projects that can be refined and scaled
- Building a strong data backbone that includes data historians
- Maintaining data quality to ensure accurate insights
- Providing context to data to connect information and draw meaningful conclusions
- Using the expertise of industrial data scientists to envision new applications and features
Applications of Big Data in Manufacturing
Big data in manufacturing can be harnessed in various ways, including:
- Production process optimisation to improve efficiency and resource use
- Process improvement through real-time monitoring of machines and processes
- Tool optimisation by monitoring tool parameters and predicting maintenance needs
- Increased yield by identifying factors that impact yield and reducing waste
- Predictive maintenance using IIoT sensors and advanced analytics
- Quality control with real-time monitoring and predictive models.
- Supply chain management to predict and prevent disruptions.
Ease.io offers more insights into the role of data analytics in manufacturing in its recent blog post. The article discusses the technologies that are helping production optimisation.
Cloud Platforms
These platforms provide a secure and scalable space to store, access, and analyse large volumes of data.
Advanced Analytics
These include tools such as statistical analysis, forecasting, and predictive modelling which allow companies to study the available data and use the findings to optimise production processes.
Artificial Intelligence
AI and machine learning (ML) are being used to find out relationships, patterns, and anomalies in large datasets. AI in manufacturing is also especially useful for sifting through unstructured data and teaching itself. It can also use what it learns to make autonomous decisions.
The manufacturing landscape is evolving rapidly with the advent of Industry 4.0 and the power of big data. Companies that effectively harness analytics and embrace cloud-enabled manufacturing operations will gain a competitive advantage.
Smart data, not just big data, is the key to reshaping manufacturing and thriving in this new era. And, a big part of smart data is the ability to analyse it, so you can make better informed operational decisions.
Parul Mathur has been writing since 2009. That’s when she discovered her love for SEO and how it works. She developed an interest in learning HTML and CSS a couple of years later, and React in 2020. When she’s not writing, she’s either reading, walking her dog, messing up her garden, or doodling.
