Digital Transformation in Industry is connected by data. In this environment, technological production management systems will generate new insights from large amounts of data. The invasion of technologies in the industry has made complex data networks more transparent in the business environment and improved collaboration beyond corporate boundaries.
Value creation in industry will be driven by the use of data and analytics, resulting in significant benefits in three categories:
- Increased productivity;
- Better customer experience;
- Positive impact on society and the environment.
In this article, we explain the value of data in each of these categories and how industrial transformation is digital.
Increased Productivity
Data correlates with productivity by enhancing process automation from the factory floor, improving production and product quality.
According to a BCG study, it is estimated that data analytics in industrial production can reduce production costs by up to 20%. According to this study, the applications of data in industrial production are reflected in:
- Quality management: machine learning models help determine the root causes of defects and predict/prevent future problems.
- Equipment maintenance: data transparency helps monitor product conditions, and machine learning models predict and prevent failures.
- Supply chain management: end-to-end data flows enable tracking and traceability of material along the supply chain, as well as facilitating sales and operations planning. They enable data-driven supply chain risk management and rapid reconfiguration scenario simulation.
For greater data optimization and smarter planning, this capability can also be extended to a larger data set, such as those present in billing systems (ERPs) and other transactional data from external suppliers.
Enhanced Customer Experience
In addition to productivity improvements, data and analytical applications allow companies to enhance customer experience in various ways, such as:
- Just-in-time delivery of critical goods: more accurate sales and operations planning, as well as real-time tracking of critical materials, prevent stockouts and improve their availability to customers.
- Improving product quality: through design changes informed by operational data.
- Transparency about product provenance: provides real-time visibility in case of recall and allows verification of product authenticity, preventing counterfeiting.
- Increases personalization: individual customer data is used in production processes to tailor products to customer needs.
Positive Impact on Society and the Environment
Industries are increasingly applying data and analytics to create a positive impact on society and the environment. This impact depends on three areas:
- Ethical production: end-to-end traceability allows verification of product origin and working conditions involved in their production.
- Increased resource efficiency: manufacturers apply machine learning algorithms to optimize process parameters, aiming to reduce energy consumption and other natural resources.
- Environmental footprint transparency: sharing product characteristics along the supply chain creates greater visibility of their environmental footprint, as well as their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
While energy consumption traceability can be done internally, much data is captured through collaboration and transparency between supplier systems.
Flow Manufacturing Technology
Flow Manufacturing is an MES management software capable of monitoring the entire production process and is integrable with most market ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning). In this way, and to optimize the entire production process simply, Flow Manufacturing has a user-friendly Back-office and Front-office component. Flow also has the ability to integrate with scales, weighbridges, and calibrating machines.
Flow Manufacturing Functions
Flow M is a management tool based on Industry 4.0 and provides companies with the execution of various essential tasks for the day-to-day operations of any horticultural company in an automated and simplified manner, such as:
- Real-time stock control;
- Production control – WIP Overview;
- Quality and laboratory control;
- Industrial costing;
- Paperfree management;
- Traceability;
- Management of legal and regulatory requirements (IFS, BRC, ISO, FSSC) without paper use.
The software allows industrial management and real-time tracking from the moment of raw material receipt to the final and subsidiary product stage, thus enabling control of the entire production process.
Flow M is part of the portfolio of industry solutions (MES) partnered with PONTUAL. Want to know how this industrial management software will help you optimize your company’s production process? Contact us!
