The manufacturing industry is experiencing a turning-point in its growth and development, moving from decades-old operational processes to new achievements of IoT and connected technology such as for instance smart robotics and industrial systems. A report from Statista reports that the smart manufacturing market is expected to progress to approximately $480 billion USD by 2023, from just a few hundred billion in 2018. As more systems become connected, the industrial and manufacturing industries, as well as the whole supply chain, must continue to mature to give manufacturers a set of tools for optimizing and elevating efficiencies in their connected factories that help them compete in the market and ultimately enable greater innovation.
 
In the centre of these industrial connected systems is the technology that constitutes their infrastructure, networks and other key components. Currently, many factories and industrial settings are concentrated on optimizing data and networks for increasing operational efficiencies—this includes trends like the growing implementation of IT/OT to converge IT systems with the operational (OT) systems. And yet in order to really drive continued change and growth, manufacturers should consider a software-based approach: streamlining their factories to use software to control systems and provide valuable data analytics while at the same time learning from that data to frequently increase. Software also helps fill knowledge-gaps between personnel working in the factory—from those working in QA/QC on the factory floor up to senior-level management.
 
In the traditional manufacturing process, specifically in the electronics industry, the process is slow, opaque, and low-quality. This is because of in part to the fact that the machines and people are all analog and disconnected, making the factories islands of out of the way technology. Without some kind of industrial internet of things (IIoT) or software-based systems, these factories are not able to provide engineers with insight into the outcome of their designs prior to manufacture. A smart factory that implements software in its operations, on the other hand, can automatically configure, operate, and monitor its various control systems – from intake to assembly and dispatch.
 
The Tempo Automation factory is operating in this capacity. We have created a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) smart factory that works on a “digital thread”—connecting customer engagement, order processing, parts sourcing, factory operations, and shipment of finished PCBAs, constructing and delivering high complexity printed circuit board assemblies in days in lieu of the weeks that customers are accustomed to waiting. The Tempo model utilizes software on both the back-end of our connected factory platform and likewise the user front-end for estimating and buying. We believe that this level of automation and software intelligence puts us in the extraordinary position of having the capability to set up an unbroken data flow, providing our customers with valuable design and manufacturing feedback.
 
Apart from facilitating transparent communication between designers and manufacturers, a connected IIoT network managed by a software platform also streamlines operations. For example, a smart factory with sensors connected throughout can control factors like temperature, humidity, equipment status, job progress, and reported defects. All of this connected data will give engineers understanding of how the factory is operating, which they can then use to optimize the engineering process.
 
Robotics and other factory-floor systems operate on software designed to make them fully self-functioning, but the role of human expertise must not be dismissed in the future of smart manufacturing. There are still gaps between what software can learn and output in a system, including a robotic arm that assembles a specific part. A level of human oversight is still needful, particularly in situations such as QA/QC that require a secondary pair of eyes and assessment.
 
At its core, software meets the communication gap in between designer and manufacturer by automating the flow of information from the engineer’s design to the machines and the people on the connected factory floor in a continuous cycle of design, build, and test.
 
In an effort to ensure the continued growth of manufacturing and the evolution to smart factories, manufacturers should look at moving to a software-first approach to be able to realize the true potential of business insight and improvements that it can bring. Only after mass-adoption will we begin to see important change in how factories and manufacturing of the future operate and advance.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com