OREANDA-NEWS. February 09, 2016. “These days manufacturing hums with connectivity. Products, processes and infrastructure—some physical, some virtual—all talk to each other,” write Raj Radhakrishnan, Vice President and Head of North America Markets, Manufacturing and Logistics, and Badrinath Setlur, Assistant Vice President?Consulting, Manufacturing and Logistics. “Welcome to Informed Manufacturing, where processes interconnect and harmonize, and embedded sensors monitor product performance and serve up an array of details.” Excerpts:

“Informed Manufacturing is still in its early days, but companies are embracing the concept at a rapid rate. The industry buzz around informed manufacturing is giving way to real-life implementations. For example, 3D printing is finding practical application in a variety of sectors, from testing prototypes and machinery parts to artificial limbs and even toys. At the concept level, manufacturers have built houses and cars using the technology.

What’s more, by integrating enterprise data with data from connected products and then applying analytics, companies today are not only cutting costs and boosting customer service, they are also developing innovative business models that let them transition from selling products to providing the product-as-a-service.

Our research indicates that while many companies are still unsure of when and how to embark on the Informed Manufacturing journey, they are often more ready for implementation than they think.

Here’s how your manufacturing can begin to take its first steps to generate information when, where and how it’s needed:

- Maximize use of the data you already have. 

- Start experimenting with process enhancements. 

- Examine tools for improving collaboration.

- Investigate a large-scale supporting infrastructure.

- Explore the integration of product diagnostics into manufacturing and operations, as well as the integration of environmental and customer data.

- Identify patterns by integrating product, customer and process data and then applying analytics.

Informed Manufacturing is not without its risks. For one thing, interoperability is a concern. There is no standard protocol for devices to talk to one another. For another, cybersecurity is often cited in surveys as a top barrier to adoption of IoT-based technologies. Finally, many executives cite lack of clear business case as a reason for slow adoption.

Despite the concerns, however, Informed Manufacturing is forging ahead as the next industrial revolution. A pragmatic, phased approach will help manufacturers successfully navigate the complexities and overcome concerns.”