Why does connected manufacturing matter?

We live in a digital age. With industry 4.0 and technological innovation sweeping across factories, there is now greater access to data than ever. If used correctly, this data provides critical insight to refine performance.

A significant part of manufacturing performance is how well the various components of your production work together. You’re only ever as strong as your weakest part. Every element must be optimised for maximum results and synchronicity.

This is where connected manufacturing comes in. It refers to manufacturing that combines several parts of the production process and your business strategy to improve efficiency and strengthen output. It can cover the entire supply chain to meet your goals whilst providing high value and quality to customers.

We explain connected manufacturing in more detail, including why it matters for your plant.

• What is connected manufacturing?
• Why does it matter?
• How to introduce connected manufacturing into your plant

What is connected manufacturing?

Connected manufacturing is a framework that utilises cloud computers and intelligence to unite the various production elements. It comprises automation, digitalisation and data usage.

Connected manufacturing promotes efficiency by ensuring things work smoothly and in conjunction. It should ideally cover the entire production cycle, starting with your supplies and ending with your customers. You must ensure optimal conditions at each stage for the best possible output and to adequately meet demand.

A significant principle is utilising insight to understand your performance and needs. Using data to analyse your production processes, you will uncover where production components are not syncing and seek to improve them.

This should allow for end-to-end production with the highest quality and efficiency.

If done effectively, you will reach a point where you only need to pre-set programmes for production, allowing your machinery to run and fulfil tasks on an automated basis with minimal intervention. This is the nirvana promised by industry 4.0, enabling you to get the results you want at less effort and better cost.

Why does it matter?

More and more factories are using connected manufacturing principles to enhance performance. Those who don’t risk being left behind.

In this time of increasing innovation and technology, more is possible. As a result, customer expectations are rising, with people expecting higher quality for their money. You must meet expectations and connected manufacturing can help.

It will also improve agility and resilience across your plant, enabling you to understand your limitations better and overcome them. You can continually build on your processes to navigate almost any challenge by regularly using data insight.

Other benefits of connected manufacturing include:

• Cost management. By analysing every element of your production, you will better understand what you need to perform. If you often find yourself with excess inventory or waste, utilising data from across your line and sales figures will help you accurately predict stock levels to minimise extra cost. Improved efficiency also lowers running costs and prevents waste.
• Drive efficiency. By implementing the software you need to track performance, you can analyse performance across your line or on individual aspects. This ensures everything works like a well-oiled machine, allowing you to handle issues promptly.
• Minimise waste. Sustainability should be a priority for all manufacturers. Using connected manufacturing to monitor your production, you will spot areas of unnecessary waste and eliminate them. Doing so will meet your green goals and benefit the environment through leaner processes.
• Better service. Part of connected manufacturing is knowing your customers through data. With this insight, you will focus on meeting their needs and offering services aligned with their priorities. The primary outcome will be providing higher quality products in a faster timeframe through optimised processes, which will improve your reputation as a manufacturer.
• Improved productivity. With the increased efficiency brought by connected processes, you will enjoy higher productivity levels. This allows you to reduce timeframes, making it possible to work on more projects without detriment to quality. As a result, you maximise your sales potential and improve cost-effectiveness.
• Welcome automation. Automation is becoming increasingly popular among manufacturers in response to ongoing skills shortages. Connectivity will make automation easier to implement, with systems that communicate with one another to complete tasks. It also reduces the need for manual intervention to lower labour costs without diminishing quality.
• Make better business decisions. Use insight from your operations and customers to make informed decisions that boost your success. Examples include finding better ways to meet customer expectations or adapting business priorities to align with what will bring you the best results.

How to introduce connected manufacturing into your plant

You will want to reap the rewards associated with connected manufacturing. Fortunately, it is relatively easy to implement connectivity into your plant if you have the appropriate equipment and processes. We’ve listed our top tips below to adapt your operations.

1. Install data collection software

Data analysis is crucial to connected manufacturing. You must collect data across your production line and beyond to analyse performance.

Start by investing in technology that collects the data you need, ideally in a meaningful way that your operators understand. You should aim to analyse data in real-time to get accurate views of your performance as it happens and respond to issues as they arise.

Some machinery has built-in data software, though this will typically only analyse that part of the line. Search for software that covers the whole line or connects to your equipment to give you a holistic picture.

Yamato Stats was created precisely for this reason, giving you real-time production analysis and allowing you to refine your view for whatever it is you want to monitor at that time.

2. Use solutions that offer insight

Another significant part of connected manufacturing is ensuring all your systems work together. Ensure you purchase solutions that communicate with the rest of your line, which will drive efficiency.

Examples of features include:

• Systems that are compatible with your data collection software to make performance monitoring simpler
• Features that will pause the line when errors are detected or take steps to rectify issues without intervention
• Automation that allows machinery to feed into one another and fulfil tasks with a reduced labour requirement

Ensuring all the parts of the production line are integrated allows processes to run without the risk of disruption or subpar quality. Your line should respond to real-time data, carrying out the tasks it needs to and only stopping when an issue has been identified.

3. Introduce automation

Automation is increasingly popular in plants as a response to skill shortages. Even at a low level, introducing automation will reduce the labour requirement while driving productivity.

For automation to work, you need to have interconnective systems. Incorporating such solutions alongside data collection allows your production line to run independently. It will complete the appropriate tasks at the right time while responding to your performance to prevent faults and maximise quality.

It also forces your machinery to work together, optimising the entire line while reducing the effort required by your staff. 

4. Think end-to-end

When we discuss manufacturing efficiencies, it does not just comprise your production line. It includes suppliers, partners and customers. You need to ensure every part of the supply chain is optimised for maximum results.

Improving the quality of your raw materials and other resources makes generating outstanding output easier. Understanding the whole supply chain also allows you to anticipate barriers and customer demand and adapt accordingly.

By integrating the aspects within and beyond your production line, you will improve the management of your processes to address customer needs and overcome challenges.

5. Regularly review processes

There is always room for improvement. Connectivity helps you build upon your efforts for increased results or adapt to welcome new technologies.

You need to regularly monitor your performance and review processes to ensure each part of the production process is working together effectively. Your data analysis will flag any gaps or issues, allowing you to resolve them to create a more robust production regime.

By continually auditing and adapting, you will stay in line with evolving demand while consistently securing the best possible results from your production.

Conclusion

By introducing connectivity into their plant, manufacturers will enjoy better control during the end-to-end production process and get better results.

Using data and digitalisation to bring together the various production elements will maximise efficiency, enabling you to fulfil your criteria at minimal effort and cost. It will also support you in creating high-quality output that consistently meets customer demand.

Fortunately, it’s also more accessible than ever to introduce connected manufacturing into your plant – and there’s no time like the present to do it.

At Yamato, we offer a range of intelligent solutions to drive excellence. Our data monitoring software, Yamato Stats, is compatible across your plant machinery to provide real-time analysis that informs decisions.

Many of our systems also come with built-in data collection to monitor performance and enable automated processes for a fully integrated production line.

If you’re looking to embed connectivity into your processes, get in touch today to find out how we create intelligent production lines that bring constant reward.