What is a Smart Factory?
It is the merging of the virtual and the physical worlds through computer systems. Smart factory is touted to be the paradise of efficiency where downtime, defect, waste and waiting will be forgotten. The plant managers and CIOs will have to work together and illuminate every piece to make it globally acceptable. The rise of Internet of Things framework has propelled smart factories to a great extent.
On the shop floor CNC job work is used to share data among themselves. This creates a flow of real- time data that helps manufacturers understand the intricacies involved in their inventory, infrastructure and workflow status.
Benefits of Smart Factory
- Lean Process
With a significant reduction in material handling cost and low inventory holding cost, smart factories offer maximum savings on order management cost.
- Maximum Operation Flexibility
The logistics systems of smart factory are designed to suit several manufacturing environments and production houses. This ensures flexibility in operation.
- Better Productivity
Smart factories provide expertise for continuous and sustainable productivity improvement based on the value stream mapping methodology. Therefore, the execution is focused and result oriented.
- Increased Agility
They make use of advanced embedded sensor technology to automatically recognize the demand of manufacturing fluctuation. This will allow the supply chain to be better prepared and agile.
- Enhanced Predictability
Certain software applications analyze large data to uncover meaningful patterns. This increases both the predictability as well as the efficiency of the supply chain.
To sum up, it will not be wrong to say that smart factories have the potential to transform Indian manufacturing industry. They can become highly efficient and advanced. Small and large manufacturers will need to work together to achieve this goal. Also, it is critical to educate all the manufacturers about the benefits of digitalisation and encourage more manufacturers to opt for it.
This will surely help India emerge as one to the top manufacturing destination in the world.