🚀 Shaping the Future - Issue 11
Earlier this month, IFS officially confirmed its acquisition of Falkonry. We extend our congratulations to the entire Falkonry team and its founder and CEO, Nikunj Mehta.
🚨 IFS is acquiring Falkonry
Earlier this month, IFS, the worldwide enterprise software company specializing in cloud solutions, officially confirmed its acquisition of Falkonry, Inc. The California-based company, which specializes in Industrial AI software, offers automated and rapid data analysis services to the manufacturing and defense sectors. Their AI-powered, self-learning system constantly tracks extensive data related to assets, machinery, systems, and industrial operations to detect and assess unusual patterns and the root causes of failures. We extend our congratulations to the entire Falkonry team and its founder and CEO, Nikunj Mehta, who is also a co-founder of the Industry 4.0 Club.
👩🔧 The Art of Putting a Face on Manufacturing
In last week’s episode, Whitney Koch discussed the importance of manufacturers embracing social media and effective storytelling. She emphasizes the value of showcasing the human side of manufacturing, sharing employee stories, and fostering community engagement through factory tours and outreach programs. She further highlighted the need for manufacturers to recognize marketing as a vital business function and the role of social media in today's landscape, advising against the common mistake of ignoring or underestimating social media's significance.
You can listen to the conversation below or watch the show here.
📈 Key Industry Trend to Keep an Eye On
3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a rapidly growing technology that has changed the way companies design, prototype and manufacture products. In smart factories, 3D printing is a popular tool for producing complex parts and components quickly and precisely.
Traditional manufacturing processes, like injection molding, can be limited by the complexity of a prototype’s part geometry, and they may require multiple steps and operations to produce. With 3D printing, manufacturers can produce complex geometries in a single step, reducing manufacturing time and costs.
Additive manufacturing is particularly useful in industries such as aerospace, automotive and healthcare, where complex parts and components are required. This technology also enables manufacturers to produce spare parts on-demand, reducing the need for large inventories and improving supply chain efficiency.
📚What we’ve read this week
How Off-the-Shelf Tech Can Make Factories More Profitable [HBR]
A recent survey found that smaller companies, with revenues under $500 million annually, are significantly more concerned (55%) about the rapid pace of technological change than their larger counterparts (24%). Interestingly, mid-sized manufacturers are discovering that implementing smart factory solutions can be more affordable and quicker than previously assumed, with many of them currently underutilizing valuable data sources, such as labor hours, that have the potential to enhance operational efficiency. A prime example is a commercial bakery that realized $1.5 million in annual savings, increasing EBITDA by 4.8%, through targeted smart factory solutions addressing three critical business issues: the installation of digital scales and sensors to reduce scrap by 25%, the implementation of a labor visibility and utilization dashboard reducing overtime by 50%, and the utilization of IoT sensors to monitor utility consumption, resulting in a 5% reduction in annual utility spending by revealing unnecessary equipment operation.
When is it better to insource production? [Industry Week]
A trend within U.S. manufacturing is the increasing shift toward insourcing, driven by evolving consumer demand patterns and disruptions in global supply chains. Tesla's success in insourcing critical components has served as a catalyst for other international manufacturers to reevaluate their supply chain strategies, offering benefits like heightened product quality, expedited time-to-market, improved supply chain transparency, and the adoption of industry best practices. Insourcing proves advantageous in mitigating the impact of macroeconomic events and uncovering hidden supply chain expenses. Nonetheless, it necessitates consideration of financial implications, including substantial capital investments and elevated labor costs, while also factoring in maintenance expenses and the availability of skilled personnel. Insourcing often demands the development of new capabilities and expertise, potentially leading to time constraints and reduced internal flexibility.
Big Pharma Implementing Analytics in Manufacturing [Pharmaceutical Tech]
According to Allan Myerson, a professor at MIT and principal investigator at the Novartis-MIT Centre for Continuous Manufacturing the adoption of continuous manufacturing technology in pharma is still an open question. The incorporation of process analytical technology (PAT) in manufacturing protocols has not been readily adopted. Although manufacturers widely use PAT for simple things [like] pH, flow rate, and temperature), more advanced forms of PAT may not be utilized once continuous processes are fully implemented. This is because you must validate the method and make sure it actually measures what’s intended. You need to get the requisite sensors in your system and make sure they are compatible with the solvents, temperatures, and pH and do not impact the process. As a result, while there is a move towards reducing waste and improving the environmental impact of pharmaceutical manufacturing, the widespread adoption of continuous manufacturing methods will be a slow process.
How can LLMS Help in Design and Manufacturing? [MIT]
A great research paper from MIT focusing on evaluating the applicability of LLMs across generating a design, constructing a design space and design variations, preparing designs for manufacturing, evaluating a design’s performance, and discovering high-performing designs based on a given performance and design space.
Apple Using Metal Binder Jetting for Apple Watch [Voxel Matters]
Apple is reportedly testing metal binder jetting technology to manufacture watch cases in steel and titanium for the production of the Apple Watch Series 9. The company may be partnering with various 3D printer manufacturers depending on where the watches will be manufactured, with the US and Asia being potential locations. Desktop Metal and HP are among the leading candidates for US production. If production occurs in Asia, Apple may collaborate with local 3D printer manufacturers like EasyMFG, which has demonstrated 3D printed titanium watch casings using binder jetting technology. Additionally, Foxconn, Apple's current manufacturing partner in Asia, has been working with Triditive to develop a metal binder jetting technology, specifically designed for high-speed printing of metal parts, which could be suitable for the Apple Watch cases.
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💬 About Shaping the Future
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