Does anyone have experience with Industry 4.0 / Smart Manufacturing?
August 02, 2021
by a searcher from Purdue University in Chicago, IL, USA
My current PPM is prioritizing both companies that have a significant automation opportunity or a automation or factory analytics company focused on manufacturing. It seems a lot of manufacturing advancements and analytics are focused on $1B+ companies with few niche players. Has anyone played in this space?
from Texas A&M University in Johnson City, TN, USA
You could call up a local automation company, let them know that you're evaluating a manufacturer in x-industry to buy, ask what they're solutions look like for that, etc. Ask for some budgetary pricing. Unless your target has in-house automation techs, you'll probably be relying on a 3rd party to design, deliver, install the solution, then train some plant personnel on basic operation of the robotic cell for instance.
However, there is a limit with automation in certain types of segments, for example, hand loading of injection molding pieces still exists in certain industries, volumes, etc. The higher your volumes of a single product design, the more automation makes sense in general.
For IOT/4.0, etc. Start by looking at the basics, ERP/CRM/MRP, etc. You can find solutions there to fit your budget. Your automation vendor should be able to help you setup cloud/data solutions, if you have a specific need,
in Portland, OR, USA