Five Essentials for A Smart Factory

The Smart Factory concept is being considered by many manufacturers because of its potential to increase operational throughput, create supply chain efficiency, improve product flexibility, and optimize process improvement.
But there are challenges. Organizational complexity, technology integration, legacy programs and process improvement all stand in the way of success.
So, what should you look for in a software solution? Well there are Five essential features that are the keys to success.
1st is Visibility
Real-time visibility of plant floor operations can be an absolute game changer. For example, smart manufacturing platforms should automatically raise red flags to both workers and leadership the moment a production problem happens, identify the cause, and immediately dispatch resources to resolve the problem. When done over a period of time, this data helps plant managers identify patterns in downtime, quality defects, material shortage, etc... allowing them to anticipate problems and create good proactive solutions.
The 2nd essential feature is Prioritization
Everyone understands that factory problems can rise without warning, and can quickly compound. Knowing which problems have the largest impact on production helps to ensure that pressing problems are prioritized for immediate resolution.
The 3rd essential feature is a solid Resolution Structure
Between responding to issues as they arise, communicating them to the right people, escalating issues accordingly, and keeping individuals accountable to resolve the issue, smart manufacturing platforms must include a clear resolution structure to streamline the improvement process. Otherwise, we waste time and money deciding how to resolve new problems as they arise.
L2L unites and provides all teams with a shared data set, a single point of truth that everyone can use to help solve problems.
4th on our list is Speed to Value
Your smart manufacturing solution can’t hold back your plant. It needs to prove its worth to you immediately. Specifically, the software needs to be able to ingest data from all parts of your business, not just machine and ERP data. It must be able to support many discrete lines and processes and be scalable enough to support enterprise-wide deployment. It must present data to all stakeholders intuitively, accurately, and in a way they can take action on quickly. It should bring to your attention the right problems at the right time to make the biggest impact on your business. In most cases where L2L has been implemented, customers are seeing usable data and improving processes within 6-8 weeks of deployment.
And finally our last but not least feature, People Empowerment
Software and machinery make a factory better, but plants are nothing without the contributions of empowered, connected workers. A good platform should be built around the reality that experienced manufacturing employees are often the best source for problem solving. The best smart factory programs are those that enable plant floor workers to help identify problems and resolutions.

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