Connected Factories: A future for the Indian Manufacturing Sector
Published on : Saturday 30-05-2020
In the global market, the connected factories are expected to reach over 244 billion by 2024 at a growth rate of around 10% from 2020, as per marketsandmarkets forecast. The report stated that the Indian Government’s Make in India Initiative creates a massive growth in the demand for connected factors in the domestic market.
“The adoption and implementation of strategies such as investment in R&D, skilled workforce, and integration of human-machine interface (HMI) are expected to play a key differentiator factor for manufacturers embarking on connected factories”
The key connected factories service providing companies in the global market include ABB, Emerson Electric, FANUC, General Electric, Honeywell International, Mitsubishi Electric, Robert Bosch, Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric, Siemens, and Yokogawa Electric.
Connected Factories requires a combination of the below-mentioned pointers –
• Connectivity/Digitization of product, process, and manpower
• Investment in solutions related to data gathering, data analytics, and data integration capabilities
• Investment in the industrial internet of things (IIOT)
• Prominence on upskilling and reskilling of the workforce
• Investment in research & development activities
• Robust data security infrastructure
• Conducive policy environment
Opportunities from the Connected Factories –
The industrial companies based on connected factories concepts, have to fill the above requirements to maintain effective and efficient operations. This could expect to create opportunities across various sectors such as raw materials, safety & security solutions, robotics & drones, testing equipment, cloud-based technologies, networked devices, and other smart technologies. In the connected setting in factories, are primarily increase the adoption of robotic arms and drones to initiate the operations and further measure and transmit data in real-time, which expected to help in more accurate measurement and worker safety in the operational zone.
The establishment of connected factories will enhance the production process and increase the production rate with high efficiency as a result to reduce the overall operational cost. This can be reduced owing to integration and the use of Interlinked networked devices, skilled workforce, and self-correct performance devices on the factory floors to minimize the operational errors and lead the production in smooth-run.
Furthermore, it also enhances the production capacity with the use of the interconnected and networked way in the individual factory, which enables the mass customization” of intelligent products to meet the fluctuation in demand from consumers for distinguishing products. In addition, it also enables the delivery of on-demand unusual solutions to meet the crucial challenge of knowledge transfer.
Challenges Incumbering the Mass Scale Adoption
The Indian market comprises of large non-skilled manpower and limited awareness about connected technologies across the industrial sector. Moreover, the non-willingness of investment from stakeholders and investors to invest in the advanced technologies along with the limited availability of solutions for security breaches are the key challenges across the value chain of manufacturing in the connected factories.
In India, the government is pushing connected manufacturing are creating the opportunities that will enhance and encouraged to embrace the factory of the future. The connected factories companies are primarily prioritizing the schemes & training to upskill and re-skill the manpower and emphasize considerable investment in the research & development activities and technologies to ensure Indian manufacturing doesn’t merely survive in the new world but actively thrives.