Innovation and integration are important aspects of sustainable manufacturing. Through six key steps, companies can reshape their factories and transition to Industry 4.0.

 

In order to ensure the sustainable development of the company in the future, manufacturing companies need to focus on "innovation" and "integration," said John McGuire, chief innovation officer of international engineering design consultancy AURECON.

 

From a company perspective, the practice of consuming millions of dollars per year to transfer production costs to a production floor is financially unworkable. Instead of looking for the next cheap manufacturing center like China or Vietnam, companies should spend more time innovating and exploring sustainable business models.

 

In recent years, the global concept of German Industry 4.0 has continued to heat up, which is the fourth industrial revolution advocated by developed industrial countries. Also in the United States, the government's Smart Manufacturing Leadership Alliance is reshaping the US's attractiveness to industrial manufacturing in the future of the nation's planned manufacturing. In other developed countries, the government has focused on the economic growth, employment and fiscal revenues brought by manufacturing, and has also brought about a certain degree of revitalization in manufacturing.

 

Manufacturing Innovation and Integration Reshaping the Factory Follows Six Key Steps Although the advantages of Industry 4.0 are obvious, I don’t think there is enough focus on the most important impacts on modern business for products from integrated manufacturers and suppliers. Factors in the tool – industry changes that have a significant impact on customer spending trends.

 

The Internet revolution is breaking down barriers in various industries, and the traditional industries that have been protected are affected by the digital and information age. In the digital age, new suppliers must be able to span all market segments. Those who have been protected in the past, especially in isolated areas, have the comfort of isolation from their competitors, and will lose their advantage with the informationization of the network.

 

In the past, those protected markets relied on productivity and cost reduction strategies to strengthen their position. But this business philosophy cannot succeed in today's digitally connected market. Today's customers have a certain amount of digital sensitivity, they not only like to choose - but also ask for more choices. They know that there are many options available in the market that allow them to access and evaluate different options to find the lifestyle that best suits their products and services.

 

So I believe that any manufacturer that wants to win at the starting point must adapt to changes in customer demand. Manufacturers need to reshape their business around this redesign and react quickly in today's fast-changing markets. Importantly, I think vendors need to incorporate more design-led innovation into their business. This will allow manufacturers to get the deeper demands and needs of their customers. It enables companies to understand the emotional needs and pain points of their customers, and then develop products and services around these psychological needs.

 

Manufacturing Innovation and Integration Restructuring the Factory Follows Six Key Steps During my discussions with many global manufacturing executives, I found that there is no doubt that we are now in a time of self-reflection. Companies need to understand not only the needs of their customers, but also their sources and influencers. With design-led innovation, the priority is to increasingly understand the customer's "why" thinking and explore the fundamental meaning and true purpose of emotional psychology.

 

Knowing what drives your customers to buy is the reason for developing successful products and services. This process is led by the designer and facilitates the use of a new way of thinking and a higher level of understanding. This also means that companies can solve foreseeable problems early in the design process.

 

Transforming a manufacturing company can be a painful process, but in today's industry movement, there is no doubt that this is a necessary condition.

 

I believe that through six key steps, companies can reshape their factories and transition to Industry 4.0.

 

1. Adaptation: Successful factory management is generally focused on one factor – minimizing costs. With the development of Industry 4.0, the rules of the game will change. Although cost is still an important issue, it is their management philosophy that determines the success of next-generation manufacturing companies. Manufacturers should focus on technology, data, and consumer behavior to guide their operations, rather than focusing on reducing labor and operating costs. In developed markets, such as the weakening of wage pressures in the United States and the United Kingdom, coupled with wage increases in other markets, the factors that previously constituted cost advantages will disappear. With this in mind, it is time to re-adjust the facilities and operations to prepare for the new era of manufacturing.

 

2. Automation: The success of a new era of business will depend on a high level of automation. The field of robotics research and development has progressed significantly in recent years, and costs have continued to decline. Intelligent robots can be programmed to identify assembly parts and perform many functions that are difficult for the naked eye to accomplish. Coupled with the increasing use of 3D printing, autonomous vehicles and energy storage, originally relying on high-capacity and common-use parts, will gradually shift to production space according to customer-customized needs. In addition, these automation and embedded intelligence give companies the opportunity to share more data with a large number of consumers. Allowing customers to understand the company's internal information creates a closer two-way relationship and allows manufacturers to share information on plant management, safety standards, quality standards and environmental responsibility.

 

3. Connectivity: In the age of communication, it is no surprise that the most successful companies are those who are most able to connect with others. And the company needs more than just a closer relationship with its customers, the importance of building a better connection with its suppliers, and an important part of coordinating manufacturing automation. The better the connection and communication, the smoother the workflow. We should also talk about the connection on the Internet. Modern plant design works with sensors and control systems to better manage the supply chain, product manufacturing and operations. This brings mechanical-to-mechanical communication to a new level and is the key to successful plant automation. Better management of the supply chain, product yield and operations – this is an important part of taking machine-to-machine communication to a new level and automating the factory (see point 2).

 

4. Customization: Providing a choice for customers is nothing new, but how manufacturing can do this has changed dramatically. Modern plants are designed with a modular process that allows them to quickly and easily switch between products, constantly changing and adapting to customer preferences or market conditions. As mentioned earlier, these smart factories also use robotics to assemble tools and components that are more flexible than traditional manufacturing processes. Consumers are looking for products that meet individual needs, and companies that can provide this need can see greater success.

 

5. Assessment: This is the period in which all manufacturing industries experience a series of intermittent changes. Many large companies, even large ones, have been caught off guard. Former industry leaders like Kodak, Nokia and Saab are now reassessing their business. What they lack most now is the judgment of the situation--there is no way to see the direction of the market and how to react. As the industry moves toward big data and analytics, companies should collect and process as much information as possible and build their operations. Today, when the Internet of Things is prevalent, people's reliance on online reviews is similar to oral presentation. Companies should use this information to re-evaluate an inability to see the market as a title and react. With the move to big data and analytics, companies need to collect and process as much information as they can and use it to build their own business. Companies need to use information to reassess their status, as pointed out in point 1 that they must adapt.

 

6. Innovation: Most companies understand that they need differentiated products and services to advance industry, and innovation is an important way to achieve this. What is the most successful company also realizes that they don't know all the answers. Bringing a rich foundation of expertise, different experiences and different perspectives are innovations themselves. We live in an information age, and the source of knowledge's advantage is no longer unique. Therefore, working with strong internal and external people and building on this foundation is the only way to help companies stay ahead of their competitors.

 

These changes are now unstoppable in the world. These are indisputable and unstoppable, and ignoring these trends will only damage the interests of the company. Using them skillfully, they can enable manufacturers to win the competitive advantage in this new era of industry.