How Smart Manufacturing Systems Are Transforming the Industry
Smart manufacturing is buzzing right now, but some organizations might still be a little lost as to what this change really means.
Does an automatic assembly line count as a smart manufacturing service? What about robotic packaging systems?While different organizations have varying definitions of what smart manufacturing is, essentially it is “the convergence of operating technologies and information technologies working together in a real-time integrated fashion.” This definition comes from Dan Green, Director of the Joint Advanced Manufacturing Region (JAMR) within the Navy, as referenced by Tab Wilkins, regional manager for strategic transition and senior technology advisor at National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
So the line between the technology that controls production and the technology behind running the business are blurring, and as a result, manufacturers are able to improve operations.
Below are three smart manufacturing case studies that help illustrate the benefits of smart manufacturing.
Getting Ahead of the Problem
Since manufacturers are turning to smart manufacturing, it only makes sense that Sandvik Coromant — a manufacturer’s manufacturer of sorts, as it creates tools for the metalworking industry — would start incorporating real-time technologies as well. By doing so, it is effectively turning its own clients into smart manufacturers.
In addition to the tools and systems it creates, the company also provides technical support to customers. Yet sending someone to go on-site to manufacturers that are having technical difficulties can be difficult to do at scale, so Sandvik Coromant turned to predictive analytics and the internet of things (IoT) solutions from Microsoft to solve this problem.
The company now embeds sensors in its tools and uses Microsoft technologies to collect and analyze data. With this detailed oversight of what is happening within clients’ facilities, they can make remote recommendations to improve manufacturing processes and help clients avoid unexpected downtime by creating predictive maintenance schedules.
Auto-matic Monitoring
Varroc, an automotive component manufacturer, was looking to leverage digital technologies to achieve automation across its plants, but the company had disparate machines, systems and sensors, so it needed a centralized solution to become a smart manufacturer.
The company turned to an IoT platform from Altizon that enabled Varroc to stream real-time data into the system and gain quick insights into overall equipment and process effectiveness.
The increased monitoring capabilities of the manufacturer’s machines enabled it to spot inefficiencies, and Varroc has been able to increase operational efficiency by 20% as a result of using this platform.
More Data, Less Energy
In addition to gaining more insights into the health and efficiencies of machines, smart manufacturing services can also be used to improve energy management.
Husky, an injection molding manufacturer, has worked with Efficiency Vermont, a state energy efficiency program, on several projects such as installing submeters throughout its facility so they could identify key energy cost drivers.
From this data, the company realized it could lower the pressure in its pumps that provide access to metal-working fluids, without affecting operations. As a result, Husky has been able to save about $160,000 per year from this process change.
“With every project we learn more about exactly how our facility operates, and we find more potential for improvement,” says DeWayne Howell, Engineering, Maintenance and Facilities Manager at Husky Injection Molding Systems.
As these three case studies of smart manufacturing solutions illustrate, adding real-time data capabilities to existing tools and systems can lead to vast operational improvements and cost savings for manufacturers.
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