Syteline Process Manufacturing

Process Manufacturing Factory of the Future

The definition of the Factory of the Future is evolving; even the name is in flux. Some call it Smart Manufacturing, Industry 4.0, or the Digital Enterprise. While the terms may vary, there’s one thing that is clear: the Factory of the Future is the product of fast-changing disruptive technologies hitting process manufacturing like a cyclone. Information technology and operational technology are both seeing drastic innovations, and the convergence of these two forces is creating a paradigm shift. For food and beverage and chemicals and life sciences companies, a fourth industrial revolution is starting now. Many analysts predict that the stagnation and slow recovery that followed the Great Recession will evolve into a period of expansion for process manufacturers.

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Although margins will likely remain compressed, tools for greater savings and improved capabilities will make it easier for process manufacturers to achieve profits and growth. The impact of these technologies and the Factory of the Future is growing. Consider these statistics: Industry Week reports that 40% of manufacturers believe that smart manufacturing and its foundational technology—the Internet of Things—are within reach and it’s the right time to invest.
Huffington Post reports that early adopters of modern solutions that have at least partially implemented smart manufacturing initiatives have documented measurable results:
  • 82% reported increased efficiency
  • 49% reported lower product defects
  • Manufacturing control—Make many of your most complex manufacturing processes faster, more reliable, and more profitable with sophisticated manufacturing management capabilities.
  • 45% reported customer satisfaction gains

Read more at Huffington Post

5 IT forces driving the
Modernization of Process Manufacturing

Syetline Process
The impact promises to grow and be even more substantial as process manufacturers and their suppliers deploy technologies across the entire manufacturing landscape, from product planning to supply chain logistics. Greater speed, value, innovation, and closer alignment with demanding customers will be the new normal. Five IT forces driving the modernization of process manufacturing.

For process manufacturers, IT solutions are at the foundation of the Factory of the Future. New IT technologies, from cloud computing to the Internet of Things, are changing the way process manufacturers do business—from the plant floor to the back office and throughout the entire value chain. Process manufacturers should consider harnessing more than one of these IT capabilities in order to fully benefit from the next generation technologies transforming manufacturing.

1. Increase agility

In order to achieve greater visibility across their value chain, process manufacturers must eliminate silos and get disparate systems to communicate. After all, data is meaningless if it is stored in silos and if it lacks the full dimension of context and consequence. They need to ensure that real-time access is available to easily monitor the details of the complete manufacturing operation—within the four walls and beyond. For food and beverage, that means everything from sourcing raw ingredients to getting their products on the supermarket shelves.

For chemicals and life sciences, it spans navigating fluctuating commodity prices to delivering on customer-specific orders. Interoperability is the key word here; it’s a step beyond simple integration. Data must be able to be consumed in context and used for event triggers and actions. A highly modern and flexible ERP system is the starting point for accomplishing this goal.

2. Mobile and social connectivity

Process manufacturing leaders can’t be tethered to their offices, desks, and PCs. They walk the plant floor, and they make decisions on site, in the heart of the operation. They need 24/7 access to critical data and systems from remote locations. This can range from a maintenance technician who’s checking the inventory of a spare part while repairing a critical piece of processing or packaging equipment, to a warehouse manager using a tablet to confirm the location of forklifts and personnel. We live on a planet with over 7.2 billion active SIM cards—that’s more mobile devices than there are human beings. On the social front, process manufacturers need to take advantage of integrated tools to capture conversations and use those to build a knowledge base and document key decisions relating to product design and customer orders. In a recent survey, 61% of CEOs said socially enabled business processes are important to business. McKinsey Global Institute estimates suggest that by fully implementing social technologies, companies have an opportunity to raise the productivity of interaction workers—high-skill knowledge workers, including managers and professionals—by 20 to 25%.

3. Cloud-enabled agility

More than ever before, process manufacturers are being forced to keep pace with fast-changing global trends. New markets, regulations, and customer demands, combined with omni-channel shopping, and growing competition from start-ups are driving process manufacturers to become more agile than ever before. Accelerated product launches, more SKUs, faster order response time, and additional value-add services are among the ways process manufacturers strive to remain relevant and maintain or gain market share. Cloud solutions, because they offer faster deployment and implementation, support manufacturers in these efforts. Cloud solutions allow process manufacturers to easily add locations, bring on new production facilities, and set up new distribution hubs without needing to invest in hardware and servers. Implementations take weeks, rather than months; and new sites can be online and producing with remarkable ease. With the growth of industry-specific cloud solutions, process manufacturers can find specialized tools that can change and adapt to market forces without the need for customizations. Analysts are predicting increased cloud deployment, especially as more companies require industry-specific cloud tools.

An article in the Gartner newsroom states: “The impact of specialist cloud-based point solutions, combined with very strong growth in business process outsourcing, will provide ample alternatives for business users frustrated by inflexible and expensive ERP modules. Over time the current heavily customized ERP implementations will be rearchitected to focus on ‘systems of record’ functionalities—which should require little customization—while the differentiating processes and innovation activities will use alternative delivery models that are integrated with the ERP system of record capabilities.”

4. Data ingenuity

While spreadsheets and intuition forged from years of experience ran the process manufacturing plants of the last century, today data is the force that makes modern process manufacturing cost-effective. Insights derived from data analysis help process manufacturers focus on markets, buying trends, customer attributes, cost of raw materials, time, labor, and operational costs, as well as details about the product in use in the market and consumer opinions. As the Internet of Things moves past today’s infancy stage, the role of Big Data will only increase. The challenge, therefore, lies not in collecting as much data as possible, but in setting a data strategy. From managing complex formulations to scheduling the equipment resources in plants, process manufacturers need a clear roadmap for how to turn their data into meaningful actions. Data paralysis is a real threat that must be avoided.

5. Customer centricity

The fifth element of the Factory of the Future for process manufacturing is perhaps the most critical. Today’s market economy has evolved into a customer-centered model that stresses speed of delivery, product value, and a positive customer experience. This is especially important for food and beverage companies that must gear their ingredient sourcing needs to meet current consumer trends. Or for chemicals companies that create specific products only for specific customers. Consumers are highly vocal, fickle, and quick to turn elsewhere if they are disappointed. Process manufacturers are not exempt from dealing with easily outraged customers who are willing to share their complaints about a product or service with hundreds of thousands of “close friends” on social media. Modern customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, collaborative tools, online portals, and product configuration abilities all help to provide customers with a positive experience.