Manufacturing technologies: What Indian companies need to be future-ready?

We are living in a world where products are made, consumed and disposed of or recycled faster than any other time in history. With the onward march of globalisation, it no longer matters where something is manufactured - not from a consumer point of view at least. But when it comes to companies or countries, manufacturing competitiveness and being ahead of the technology curve matter more than ever.
 
Like other things in life, technology now touches several aspects of manufacturing. The extent and sophistication of tech usage differentiates a progressive, profit-making organisation from one that may soon fade into oblivion. Be it merging the real-world production with a virtual prototype environment by using software such as product lifecycle management (PLM); improving productivity and efficiency through automation and drive technologies; or reducing energy consumption in processes - the future of manufacturing is being defined in terms of its associated technologies.
 
At the heart of this growing use of technology lie the necessities of competition and scarcity of resources. Not only are companies driven to produce more with less but, simultaneously, make things better and bring them to market faster than ever. Customers now demand new, high-quality products and customised offerings at ever shorter time intervals - and firms that cannot meet those demands are headed for extinction.
 
In the context of India, while some manufacturers have taken big strides in aligning their processes and supply chains with technology and best practices, most companies are still lagging behind. It is high time more and more companies looked at the following key paradigms in manufacturing and prepare themselves to compete in the future.
 
Seamless, integrated execution
The need for an advanced production optimisation tool such as a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is increasingly being felt by manufacturers. An efficient MES that supports timely execution of production processes and that guides, responds to and reports on plant activities as they occur can help companies reduce or eliminate non-value-adding activities -thereby enhancing productivity and enabling them to achieve operational excellence.

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For a global manufacturer, MES is crucial to guaranteeing overall component integration, ensuring maximum quality and production efficiency across all global facilities.
 
The PLM imperative
Product Lifecycle Management is fast emerging as the go-to technology for product innovation and end-to-end management. While most Indian companies have implemented ERP, which focuses on planning and executing business processes, few have gone ahead with PLM, which can indeed help manufacturers design, develop and launch profitable products as it gives insights into the entire lifecycle of a product - from design and process documentation to product data management to supplier and warranty management through to how the product is disposed of or recycled.
 
Also, PLM is a set of tools or modules rather than a single software package. By bringing together all the product information and processes the manufacturer needs - product components or materials, best practices, cost factors, regulatory and environmental data and anything related to a particular product - PLM allows it to deliver increasingly complex products while maximising productivity and streamlining operations.
 
Industrial automation getting more intelligent
As we go further into the future, automation is not only getting smarter and faster, it is becoming increasingly intuitive. Computers and robots can now perform tasks that once depended entirely on people. Intelligence is now being built into machines for making decisions or carrying out ever more complex tasks. Such a high level of automation is being effectively deployed by manufacturing plant managers in forward-thinking companies. Using machine-learning technology, manufacturers can identify and diagnose glitches in plants in real time. And the ability to better monitor and control technical faults improves efficiency and hence enhances productivity. The concept of Totally Integrated Automation allows efficient interoperability of all automation components in the production process.
 
Advances in drive technologies
To tackle the high degree of complexity in automation and drive technology across various industries, more and more companies will opt for advanced, integrated drive systems. Such a system is characterised by threefold integration to be most effective: horizontal, vertical and lifecycle integration. This ensures that every drive system component fits seamlessly into the whole system, into any automation environment, and even into the entire lifecycle of a plant.
 
Comprehensive energy management
Energy is consumed at every step of the manufacturing process and, as in other business activities, the quantum of energy consumption by a particular industry or company is coming under the lens. Such monitoring is required not just to control costs related to energy but, more importantly, to be more sensitive to the environment as well as to be a responsible corporate citizen.


 
To be in tune with the best manufacturers in the future, companies need a comprehensive energy management strategy that takes a holistic view of the entire business - from executive offices and data centres down to the shop floor. It is no longer sufficient or advisable to allow each division or operation to consume energy independently of the others. On the contrary, it is critical to know where the energy dollars are going, what latest technological tools or services can be deployed, and where all consumption and waste can be reduced.
 
Besides the above, there are some other technologies that are set to redefine manufacturing in the years ahead: Additive manufacturing/3D printing, sensors and the Internet of Things, and nanotechnology, among others. No doubt manufacturers that take a pioneering step in embracing the most advanced technologies and that can reinvent themselves for a demand-driven, more agile world will stay competitive, stay alive.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Bhaskar Mandal is the country division lead (process industries & drives) at Siemens India