What is the future of Manufacturing? Is it all about advanced manufacturing, digitisation, technology and automation?
Many would argue that it is encapsulated in the fourth industrial revolution as defined by Industry 4.0, which describes how industry should be evolving to deliver improved productivity, capability and performance.
If you are thinking that Industry 4.0 is just about technology improving manufacturing, then you are missing an extremely key point. Industry 4.0 is not about technology and is not a panacea, it’s about a philosophy and strategy for how you approach your industrial processes.
Technology can play a part in helping deliver success, but Industry 4.0 is about far more than that. At its heart it is about using data to make the right decisions.
It is also not just about cost savings and efficiencies, it covers all aspects of industrial processes from production to supply chain, in many sectors from manufacturing to energy, from transportation to food.
As with the previous industrial revolutions (mechanization, mass production, automation) over time it becomes a story of survival, those companies that adopt new approaches and ways of doing things survive others do not.
The above was the subject of two recent webinars for the Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC), one sponsored by ACOA, the second by the NRC.
EMC: The Future of Manufacturing: Webinar recording
For more on this subject see my recent article: Industry 4.0 Maturity Model
Presenter – Martin Davis
A results driven C-Level Executive and Business Leader with extensive experience across Manufacturing, Consumer Goods, Food, Automotive, and Transportation industries, delivering value globally in large Fortune 100 corporations and privately-owned companies. He focuses on high quality business outcomes which result in customer satisfaction and return on investment.
Martin has driven Industry 4.0 / Operational Intelligence Strategy, as well as being CIO for 10+ diverse companies, and has delivered $multi-million value across Frozen/Fresh Food, Paper Mills, Tissue Convertingand Diaper Manufacturing. He has presented at various Manufacturing Industry events including PI World and Smart Industry, and has delivered webinars for OSIsoft, Fluke Corporation and the JDI Roundtable on Manufacturing. He has also been quoted in several recent IoT World Today articles on Industry 4.0 and IIoT.
