Digital technologies, at the basis of the new Industry 4.0 production model, include the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, the Digital Twin, Robotics and Logistics 4.0. They can be considered emerging technologies because of how they are revolutionising the way companies produce and distribute their products, paving the way for a more efficient and automated future. However, digitalising your business to increase competitiveness is not enough. In fact, it is crucial for the company to adopt a strategic approach in which digital technologies are integrated with a lean vision of logistics and production processes, with which to create a basis on which to introduce technological infrastructures. The many benefits of adopting emerging technologies for the manufacturing sector are their ability to unlock new business models, adapt to changes more quickly and anticipate them before they occur.
The adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and devices makes industrial production increasingly automated and connected. The use of sensors and IoT devices to monitor and manage production processes in real time is increasingly widespread among companies, allowing them to optimise their efficiency and reduce costs. According to the IoT Analytics report “State of IoT—Spring 2023,” the number of global IoT connections reached 14.3 billion active IoT endpoints in 2022, a growth of 18 per cent. In 2023, the global number of connected IoT devices is expected to grow another 16 per cent, with 16.7 billion active endpoints. According to Statista estimates, the number of IoT devices worldwide will reach over 29 billion in 2030.
In Smart Factories, the lean approach applied to digital will make it possible to improve manufacturing processes thanks to the integration between IT (Information Technology) and OT (Operation Technology) and the enormous amount of data available in real time which, analysed through AI and Machine Learning, will make possible a data-driven approach on the basis of which the decision-making process will be guided to obtain useful insights to make production more efficient.
The company process aimed at creating a product is characterised by a series of phases and activities ranging from receiving the order, to picking and handling the components, to assembly, up to the validation and testing of the finished product. From a lean perspective, the five main emerging technologies which, integrated into the factory process, allow the management of planning, warehouses and workstations, supporting their optimisation and improvement, are: Digital Twins and Virtual Commissioning, Robotic Automation, Logistics 4.0, Lean Manufacturing (Lean 4.0), and the Digital Backbone.
1. Digital twin and virtual commissioning
Thanks to the digital twin, a virtual model of the asset that replicates its functionality and physicality, simulating its interaction with the reference context, it is possible to analyse the characteristics of the production process and the product, preventing errors and predicting final performance (process digital twin). Its use at the operations system level supports cost and performance analysis, planning and control, bottleneck evaluation, and investment evaluations. Virtual commissioning, or the use of the digital twin at machine level, allows the behavior of a real system to be reproduced in a virtual environment, to test and optimise it before its production. By integrating automation and mechanics, the machine’s digital twin allows for higher quality during the start-up phase.
2. Robotic automation
The implementation of automated robotic processes allows the management and control of the process, standardising work activities and increasing production, with lower costs and greater precision and reliability. Furthermore, from a Lean 4.0 perspective, it favours the creation of a more performing workstation in terms of efficiency and quality, bringing notable benefits to the operation of an assembly workstation. The sharing of working environments between operators and collaborative robots (cobots) allows the worker to be assisted in the various processes of the manufacturing industry, bringing cognitive, ergonomic and physical benefits.
3. Logistics 4.0
This term refers to a cluster of technologies to support the movement and traceability of goods in the production chain, such as IoT and Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) sensors, pick-to-light picking systems, AGV robots (Automated Guided Vehicles) and RTLS (Real Time Locating System) localisation systems, middleware and orchestrator software. These technologies and systems allow instant control of process quality, reducing waste resulting from the useless accumulation of resources to a minimum, and continuous monitoring of each component of the product with which the digital process model is built and fed which, in turn, allows you to have a holistic vision of the entire production, optimising processes, production progress and promoting the coordination of resources in terms of space and time.
4. Lean production 4.0
Thanks to this methodology in the approach to operations, it is possible to have more efficient and flexible production systems. Companies that adopt a Lean 4.0 methodology are able to develop linear, rapid and synchronised production cycles within their system guided by just-in-time logic and characterised by a desire for continuous improvement. Through the lean method, production flows are reconfigured from a customer perspective, reducing and lowering response times and production costs, and creating, at the same time, a safer and more participatory environment for its employees. This approach allows the company to avoid digitalising waste, useless or even harmful investments for its business, allowing it to pursue a successful digital transformation.
5. Digital Backbone
Represented by the software infrastructure necessary for sharing data and information and capable of interacting with the different management levels of the system architecture, this “digital backbone” allows you to take full advantage of the interoperability of all production factors and the real-time exploitation of data. It is divided into a local software layer (SW OT), which acts at the OT level allowing communication and interfacing between machines, and a remote one (SW IT) which allows the orchestration of the order and bills of materials (BOMs) and warehouse and stock management.
In conclusion
Thanks to these emerging technologies, industrial production is undergoing profound transformations, making it possible to automate complex tasks, reducing errors and increasing efficiency. Overall, companies are able to adapt more quickly to market changes and remain more competitive as they face the challenges of the dual green and digital transitions.
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