Manufacturing Intelligence: Powered by Industry 4.0

Creating automation on the factory floor using MachineMetrics  MachineMetrics is focused on making data consumable by manufacturers so they can take action on that data to improve productivity. One way we do this is by providing the technology necessary to create actionable workflows that can automate portions of production and process. These workflows start with insights derived from machine monitoring data which act as triggers to automatically fire off actions-...

Social and environmental consciousness among OEMs is on the rise and for good reason—62% of GenZ buyers prefer to buy from sustainable brands and the majority will gladly pay a premium up to 10% for guiltless products. This has big implications for contract manufacturers as the co-man trend continues to build, because OEMs seek facilities that will align with the ideals of their customers, not just the lowest bidder of reasonable quality.   1. Reduce Waste Waste might as...

Contract manufacturers often deal with stigma surrounding expected quality. Despite the fact the OEM-CM relationships have built some of the best, most durable, widely-known products in the history of mankind, there remains a persistent idea that “contract manufacturer” is synonymous with “low quality.” In light of this as well as a trend toward deeper data collection and analysis, OEMs are looking to CMs with increasing levels of scrutiny. Where once an OEM would only...

Inventory liability is one of those make-or-break issues between contract manufacturers and OEMs that usually only comes to light once it’s too late, such as in times of crisis. It is a topic that is often skimmed over in times of peace and market stability. Understanding and reducing inventory exposure risks should be a priority task for CMs and OEMs alike, and clarifications on the topic should be made pointedly before ever starting a contract. However, especially among...

The IoT and Edge Computing The Internet of Things is growing exponentially with connected devices ranging from smart lights and ovens to industrial analysis data capture devices. By 2025, it is expected that there will be 41.6 billion connected IoT devices, generating 79.4 zettabytes (ZB) of data, according to IDC. For comparison, one zettabyte is approximately one billion terabytes. In the early days of IoT, most of those devices would send all of the data they collected to...

Driving a Digital Transformation with Advanced Manufacturing Technology Factories of days past were very static environments. You had the building, the equipment, the workers, and the quota. Punch the timecard, meet the day’s quota, and head home for dinner. While revolutionary in their time, this type of factory fares poorly in modern culture with constantly fluctuating demands, an expectation of speed, and fierce competition and collaboration alike. Things move faster...

What is Edge Analytics? Edge analytics is a method used to collect, process, and analyze data at some non-central point within a network—at the edge of the network—rather than on the cloud or within another centralized system. Edge analytics usually occurs at or near to a sensor, network switch, peripheral node, or some other connected device. The decentralized, local nature of edge analytics has a benefit over more traditional big data methods in that it is much faster,...

COVID-19 has made it all too apparent that the breakdown of supply chains can quickly exacerbate a crisis, sometimes leading to its own catastrophe in the process. From N95 masks for healthcare works to toilet paper for everyone, the pandemic has made it clear that our supply chains are not the robust and reliable streams of resources that we thought, but instead are quite fragile. Although the trend began prior to the coronavirus, nearshoring is experiencing a major uptick...

Lights out manufacturing is a technique that uses fully-automated technology to run a production factory with little or no human intervention. This requires the support of multiple technologies such as machine learning and high-frequency data collection. It has been the dream of many manufacturers to use a set-it-and-forget-it mindset for production. Simply show up to work, set the machines in motion, flip off the lights, and head out the door. No workers. No humans in the...

Summary: IoT and automation technologies enable manufacturers to reopen amid the pandemic by offering safety precautions such as remote temperature checks, access control, social distancing enforcement, and the ability to work from home. From an operations and finance standpoint, these technologies also reduce waste, lengthen maintenance cycles, and save both time and money. IoT and automation have been gaining traction among manufacturers for years, but adoption rates have...