The current production scenario is undergoing a revolution both globally and locally. Companies’ requirements are increasing and require more flexible and scalable production processes.
Moreover, we are at a time when raw material, energy and human costs are increasingly higher, forcing companies to better control, seek efficiency and increase productivity. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important to convert factories into intelligent and organised plants that not only improve existing processes but also provide us with the necessary information and visibility in real time for decision making.
Technological advances have provided the opportunity to revolutionise all sectors of industry, offering a myriad of possibilities to improve your business. And we are not only talking about automation via the incorporation of collaborative robots, industrial machinery, industrial reality, but we can also work through the digitalisation of processes and the incorporation of IIOT or artificial intelligence.
Why digitise your factory?
On the basis of these new technologies, combined with advanced production techniques, factories have almost achieved full automation of all their processes.
The aim is to control and improve repetitive processes, leaving operators free to do other tasks and avoiding errors caused by the human factor. The key to these changes is to train operators to interact with machines through interfaces (HMI) to be able to make decisions, send orders, control processes, etc.
The challenge for production plants is not to adopt new technologies, but to manage them in a way that enhances production. Therefore, the collection of data, which is a graphical representation of what happens in the plant, is essential.
It is important to have several sources of data collection, and to know how to interpret them correctly, in order to subsequently make decisions that affect the efficiency of the factory. This is precisely what Industry 4.0 is all about.
Similarly, we are now not only able to detect errors, but we also have tools that help us to anticipate them. This is a great advantage that saves costs and generates more revenue.
How to digitalise your production?
If you are interested in digitising your factory, there are several key concepts to keep in mind.
The first thing is to plan what you want to achieve by digitising your factory. Clear objectives must be set and we must consider what resources we can count on and what will improve production. Therefore, it is also necessary to analyse the current processes to see where it is most necessary to have an impact. If the factory is automated, the next step would be to look at how to make the work of these machines more efficient, but this requires measuring and knowing the operational loss factors. For example, nowadays OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) is a fundamental tool in the application of continuous improvement. This parameter is calculated through 3 variables: quality (Measures the good parts produced against the total number of parts produced.), performance (Measures the real production obtained against the production capacity.) and availability (Measures the real production time against the available time.).
There is a multitude of software that communicates with production systems and allows us to monitor, manage and extract all kinds of information, the key is to know which one is best suited to the sector, the type of production and the company’s future plans. It is best to have a system that allows you to scale and has a high degree of adaptability in case your business changes or grows exponentially. In this way, business and software grow hand in hand. By having everything unified, we can have total control and traceability of each production process, improving the operational capacity of the factory.
Finally, the budget you have will help guide you as to whether your objectives are realistic and also to see what resources you can use to reach the maximum level of productivity. At the end of the day, these changes are intended to drive business objectives.
We help you to digitise your factory
In short, the automation and digitisation of processes makes companies much more competitive. This quality and flawless production allows industries to compete much more effectively in the markets and within their own industrial sector.
At Geprom, we are present throughout the entire value chain, focusing our activities on engineering, simulation, manufacturing, assembly, programming, commissioning and maintenance of installations. Thanks to the collaboration of all areas, we are able to realise projects ranging from specific tailor-made projects to large-scale projects.
We combine the most advanced technologies and equipment with a team of industrial experts to offer integral solutions at electrical, mechanical and programming level.
If you are interested in revolutionising your factory and start producing in a smart and efficient way, do not hesitate to contact us.
