Smart factories: A digital native’s guide

Digital natives working in IT use the latest technology to drive efficiency and innovation. They are typically well-versed in cutting-edge digital solutions and know how to make the most out of them in a traditional workplace. But how do these tactics translate to alternative work settings, like factories?

The way we use technology in a manufacturing environment is vastly different from one within a traditional office. The established processes and daily challenges faced by plant managers are worlds apart from those of IT.

Fortunately, today's technology allows factories to improve operations and efficiency by seamlessly connecting machines, processes, and data analytics. But to build smart factories, we have to understand the specific needs and constraints of the factory environment. We also need to create solutions that serve both digital and physical worlds.

Bridging the gap: Connecting IT and OT

In the factory of the future, IT and operational technology (OT) need to integrate seamlessly. IT managers wanting to implement new digital tools need to understand the technology and the needs of plant managers.

They need to understand both realms, their differences, and similarities. From a smart factory point of view, connecting in the physical world means connecting the real time data across the whole factory.

While it may sound straightforward, bridging this gap is far from easy. And the problem is cultural rather than technological. IT managers and plant managers have different opinions and priorities on how to use data. When implementing new technology in a factory, IT people tend to think it is a lot easier than it is.

Plant managers, by contrast, tend to be more realistic. They want unbroken productivity and minimal disruption. Typically, they prioritize high efficiency, productivity, and keeping production running under any circumstance. This can cause problems as their priorities appear to be opposed.

For example, IT and OT managers have different measurements of success. IT focuses on metrics like service availability, mean time to resolve, support tickets, average handling times, and IT security.

OT, by contrast, focuses on metrics like overall equipment effectiveness, set-up time, jobs per hour, defects, losses, downtime, and utilization metrics. In reality, both the IT and OT side want the machines to work together seamlessly and efficiently.

The first step in smart factories is getting IT and OT to see eye-to-eye. This means enabling the IT side to manage the data infrastructure and software stack on the OT side.

On the OT side, it means supporting them to believe that this shift is beneficial and buy into it. It needs to be practical, working and robust. Once working relationships are established, you can focus on smart factory technology.

Read more: IT and OT: So close, yet so far

Remotely controlling your factory

Asset management and the ability to control your factory remotely is key in a smart factory environment. This is especially true with the increasing shortage of skilled workers.

With the right tools, you can bring all the assets of OT equipment and devices into one dashboard to manage them remotely. From there, you can see all IT and OT hardware assets and manage connectivity to troubleshoot technical issues.

Digitalizing manufacturing means support centers must be more agile and responsive in the event of a disruption. This demands a secure remote connectivity solution that ensures access and control of machines without requiring on-site technicians. As a result, technical teams can gain access to designated devices in an instant.

Setting up an integration layer for the entire plant

Another way to get a step closer to smart manufacturing is by integrating all parts of the plant. One way is to use software, like a factory data hub. This can provide a shared data infrastructure to bridge the technological gap.

This software can be fully managed and owned by the plant, with the gateway collecting, processing, and distributing industrial data on-premises. At the same time, it enables seamless communication between diverse devices, machines, and processes in the smart factory. It decouples the sensitive production environment from critical access requests from any networks.

This method gives OT managers the security they need. Crucially, it also allows IT workers to get large amounts of data flowing in the right direction.

Creating a data foundation for the whole plant network

Once the plant is connected, the next step is to get a data analytics company. The connected machines mean there are various data structures, cycle times, and data items. Having an experienced partner that understands those dynamics is vital.

Collecting, structuring, and analyzing data from manufacturing operations with innovative artificial intelligence (AI) applications can provide various insights. Examining quality control, system-level plant performance, and predictive maintenance enables data-driven decisions that vastly improve operating efficiency and resilience.

Making frontline workers smarter

Having dealt with the machines and the data, the one critical aspect still left is the actual people who make up the factory. That’s where an industrial augmented reality (AR) solution comes in.

Frontline workers can up-skill with augmented reality (AR). Digital tools can empower them. With smart glasses, they can access step-by-step instructions in their field of vision. In their day-to-day work, this helps them to be more efficient and productive.

With AR, factory workers can skip reading the workplace manuals. They won't have to find their supervisor every time they have a query. Instead, they become part of the digital infrastructure. They get live data like work instructions fed directly to their devices.

And with ongoing skills shortages in manufacturing, this technology strengthens the case for a more efficient recruitment and onboarding process.