Which companies benefit from being able to automatically control the entire supply chain through machines and sensors?
“Auto-control” management means saving effort in manual processes along the entire supply chain and realizing the full potential of intelligent machines and sensors.
Businesses in Europe in particular are creating opportunities here – their strength is traditionally more in customer-centric manufacturing, rather than mass production.
However, standard products also benefit from flexibility. The global crisis of supply and logistics poses challenges for every manufacturer.
Only those who dynamically parameterize production to deploy alternative materials and processes at the push of a button will win the global race for capacity and resources.
Innovative manufacturers of configurable products now offer so many variants that it is no longer possible to map them using classic routings and master data concepts. They also benefit from the “auto-control” of production.
But is the configuration of a bill of materials in product development the same as that of a production line? No. The configuration of production maps the flexibility of the machines, materials, and operators of each production line – it is the digital twin of the factory.
Specifically, it includes all possible configurations of operator guidance, machine parameters, work programs, and routings. Henry Ford chose to sacrifice exactly this flexibility for the sake of efficiency and limited himself to producing black cars. This choice poses a dilemma for many companies. Today, it concerns the maintenance of master data for production control and is amplified by the increasing complexity of the machines which is perceived as a challenge on the IT side rather than an opportunity. In this context, a production configuration offers immense advantages.
Data can only be the gold of the digital age if it is used to automatically optimize production.
We already find this intelligence in individual machine control, which means that the machine optimizes itself during the production process. This individual optimization of each machine alone cannot exploit the full added value of Industry 4.0.
Only when planning reacts dynamically to real-time data such as product confirmations and the factory is no longer controlled by theoretical values, can the factory reach its full potential.
The same applies to maintenance and product development. Every line of business can be integrated into dynamic feedback loops with manufacturing. As a result, the efficiency of the business increases.
Do I just use intelligent sensor systems to fill the kanban and control AGVs, or do I benefit from flexible, automated, and, above all, holistic material flow control in production?
• Manufacturing space is valuable and should not be wasted on storage of materials.
• Flexibility in supplying production lines with material is a prerequisite for agile use of production lines.
• Full transparency of material stocks in production increases planning flexibility.
These are three good reasons to prioritize material flow control and implement Industry 4.0 for end-to-end processes.
Automation and mechanical engineers, and manufacturers of sensor system technology have had to prove themselves in the Industry 4.0 space over the last decade. Now there are vendors like SAP who continue to drive automation and turn such concepts into reality.
Experience the value of Industry 4.0 in an intelligent enterprise – industry-specific, tangible, and scalable – from small quick wins to big transformations – at the SAP Pop-up Factory in Walldorf.
Have we made you curious? We are only at the beginning of a move towards large-scale automation of end-to-end processes.
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