🚀 Shaping the Future - Issue 08
Discover more from Shaping the Future
🚀 Shaping the Future - Issue 08
The competition for STEM Talent is harder, and ensuring that young women see manufacturing as a viable career option is crucial in driving the industry forward.
👷♀️Something Greater than Community
Once upon a time, in the manufacturing world, women were a rare sight on the shop floors and in the boardrooms. It was a predominantly male-dominated industry, and women often battled stereotypes, prejudices, and a lack of representation. Today, the Women in Manufacturing organization led by Allison Grealis is helping change the face of manufacturing by promoting, supporting, and inspiring women in the manufacturing sector.
Providing a platform for women to thrive in manufacturing is the goal. Many women enter the manufacturing industry by accident, not by design. By sharing stories, the organization helps educate women about the career potential in manufacturing and helps manufacturers understand the unique challenges women face in the industry, including flexibility at work, access to affordable childcare, and opportunities for leadership and professional development. It's a win-win for all, as manufacturers are looking for innovative ways to leverage technology for better outputs, the need for diverse teams to develop cutting-edge solutions is a must.
The sector's future success hinges on the active involvement of everybody, particularly women. The competition for STEM Talent is harder, and ensuring that young women see manufacturing as a viable career option is crucial in driving the industry forward.
For an in-depth exploration, you can catch the complete conversation in this video.
📈 Key Industry Trend to Keep an Eye On
Digital forces are affecting operations within nearly every industry, presenting manufacturers with a renewed opportunity to drive efficiency throughout every link in the supply chain—from strategic research and development, agile factory operations and ongoing maintenance capabilities. With the availability of IoT and other connected sensors, manufacturers are pivoting towards new business models focused on providing continued services to their customers, even after the purchase. Guided by end-to-end transparency, collaborative knowledge platforms and cloud-based production lines, a new manufacturing vision ensures total operational agility and efficiency.
Major Shifts On The Path To Digital Transformation In Manufacturing:
• From Reactionary Models To Predictive Models
• From Information Silos To Information Networks
• From Production Lines To Production Ecosystems
• From Linear Supply Chains To Circular Supply Chains
• From Manufacturing Products To Manufacturing Services
This week, we’re sharing 10 trends shaping the future of manufacturing.
REEMPTIVE TROUBLESHOOTING
Real-time analytics and aggregate performance data inform manufacturers or third-party services of past and present conditions with the goal of accurately forecasting maintenance issues before they occur.
ONBOARD COLLABORATION
Real-time streaming devices and platforms are allowing employees to quickly disseminate visual information to coworkers in different departments or who are offsite. By allowing remote teammates to seamlessly share viewpoints with one another, manufacturers and suppliers can quickly accelerate the implementation of new ideas.
TRANSPARENT SUPPLY CHAINS
Suppliers and manufacturers are leveraging data from connected solutions, such as RFID sensors that allow them to track the minute details of their entire supply chain—from sourcing of materials to factory production and warehouse distribution. This transparency not only ensures end-to-end product quality, but empowers operators to more quickly respond to potential issues throughout the manufacturing lifecycle.
DYNAMIC LOGISTICS
New inbound and outbound logistics platforms provide manufacturers with insights and tools to discover cost-effective and efficient ways to move goods throughout all points of the supply chain.
NEAR PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS
Rather than adopting a reactionary approach to operational planning, manufacturers are turning to aggregate data pools that allow production managers to forecast and predict trends that will affect inventory, staffing or production needs.
DIGITAL PROTOTYPING
New visualization technologies allow manufacturers to build scaled models or simulate revisions to the production line process, all in a virtual space. These tools allow developers to revise digital solutions early in the development phase without the added cost or time associated with physical production.
AGILE DEVELOPMENT
Traditional supply chains make it difficult for development teams to incorporate feedback into R&D until after a product is finished, which can slow down time to product and unnecessarily waste resources. Thanks to cloud-connected platforms, developers are now able to seamlessly incorporate feedback from the marketplace into the design process.
ON-DEMAND CUSTOMIZATION
Automated systems are turning away from siloed behavior towards intelligent processes that are supporting skilled labor in enabling at-scale personalization. Because manufactures are no longer limited by the economics associated with custom orders, the ability to offer quality, personalized products at a reasonable price is becoming the path to differentiation for a number of brands.
RESPONSIVE OPTIMIZATION
Actionable insights can now be drawn from IoT devices or cloud-connected software at the speed of business, giving key decision makers the ability to make meaningful operational adjustments in real time. Tech-enabled refinements encourage a continuous improvement methodology and allow for a quicker implementation of production line and staffing efficiency.
MULTI-TASK PRODUCTION LINES
Manufacturers are shifting away from rigid production lines and opting for connected, data-sharing factories with equipment that is able to conduct a variety of tasks. This allows manufacturers to quickly adjust production capacity needed for custom orders, which can all be monitored and controlled through a centralized dashboard.
📚What we’ve read this week
China is 5 Generations Behind in Chip Manufacturing [Digitimes Asia]
China's AMEC CEO, Gerald Yin, blames US-led restrictions for a significant technological setback in China's semiconductor industry. Since 2019, the US has imposed 15 rounds of semiconductor-related restrictions, intentionally keeping China five generations behind in chip manufacturing technology, forcing them to work on mature processes above 28 nanometers. This technological gap has grown from 2 to 5 generations.
AI Startup Buzz Is Facing a Reality Check [WSJ]
Founders and venture capitalists who flocked to artificial-intelligence startups are learning that turning the chatbot buzz into successful businesses is harder than it seems.
5 Aspects of PLM That Can Be Disrupted by AI [Engineering.com]
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to transform Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). AI, alongside technologies like large language models, knowledge graphs, and semantic webs, is poised to impact PLM in five key ways: enhancing requirements management and traceability, accelerating new product development through data reuse, improving virtual assistance and customer support, enhancing user experience, and bolstering planning intelligence.
The Next Chemicals Manufacturing Hub [McKinsey]
India’s chemicals industry has been a global outperformer in demand growth and shareholder wealth creation for a decade. Its strong starting point could make it the next chemicals manufacturing hub.
Scaling Complex Manufacturing in the Aerospace Industry [McKinsey]
OEMs in high-complexity, low-volume industries face skyrocketing demand. But it’s now possible to scale production in ways that preserve product portfolios and profitability.
🎤 Past Events
Host: Mike Ungar and Pingel
Rewatch: Follow this link
👋 Get Involved
Join the Industry 4.0 Club and be part of our vibrant community, dedicated to shaping the future of manufacturing. By actively participating, you can make a meaningful impact in advancing Industry 4.0 and contribute to reshaping the manufacturing landscape.
We’re always looking for new contributors to share their expertise, experience and spread the word. You can contact us directly at info@industry40club.com with subject like “Getting Involved” and follow us on all social media (LinkedIn & Twitter) or donate to help fund the club’s activities.
💬 About Shaping the Future
Shaping the Future is Industry 4.0 Club’s official newsletter. We’ll be experiencing different formats over the coming weeks until we find the one that resonates the most with our members. You can help us improve by sharing feedback and suggestions. The newsletter will land in your inbox every Sunday morning; please subscribe to not miss anything and forward the email to someone you think would benefit from this.
If you were forwarded this and found it interesting, please subscribe and share!