Smart manufacturing – indispensable trend for development

Smart manufacturing, with the support of information technology, is being applied to all aspects of modern manufacturing processes to improve production efficiency, shorten time and improve competitiveness of enterprises. Global pressures require manufacturing enterprises to improve processes, apply automation in operation monitoring and management to respond to the rapid and vigorous transformation of the market.

According to Worldwide Digital Transformation 2018 Predictions, by 2019 total digital transformation spending will reach $1.7 trillion, more than double the GDP of the three Southeast Asian countries: Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam; 35% of the world’s big manufacturers will use smart manufacturing solutions; 75% of big manufacturers will rely on Internet of Things (IoT) and big data analysis for fast and efficient product launches.

Smart manufacturing is the concept of applying information technology to manufacturing technology to optimize processes, improve efficiency, minimize waste, analyze information support decision making and predict to adapt to the market, improve efficiency and reduce risks.

Operation Monitoring, or Manufacturing Operation Management (MOM) is the most important level in smart manufacturing, which is digitizing the manufacturing process from the manufacturing data collection generated. , optimization of manufacturing planning and schedules, quality assurance of manufacturing, and provision of transparent information for Managers.

To achieve this, it is necessary to apply the following technologies step by step:

• Sensor technology: Many types of sensors are available on the market, support for monitoring, product counting, measuring consumption or operating conditions … Sensors mounted in equipment, machinery, products and generate input for analysis activities to optimize.
• Wireless Network: The connection is made over the growing wireless protocol, proving superiority, simplifying the implementation, promoting IoT development. So, Industrial IoT (IIoT) – IoT applications in the industry also inherited to flourish.
• Data Analysis: With rich and diverse information collected from sensor systems, production lines, factories, and points in the supply chain … IIoT creates huge data blocks. With big data analysis technology, enterprises will be able to exploit data warehouse values, help identify problems, formulate forecasts, optimize suggestions and support decision making.
• Robots: Industrial robots are increasingly accessible to modern technology, effective and cheap cost , highly customization, durable and flexible. Therefore, the robot application is indispensable in smart manufacturing, especially in harsh conditions, the products need high accuracy or bulk.

With the ongoing Industrial Revolution of 4.0, smart manufacturing is changing the way we think, from design to production, distribution and operation, to maintenance in every industry worldwide. Therefore, the expectation of Vietnam’s “cheap labor” competitive advantage is no longer there. Thus, the manufacturing enterprises have to change, identify its objectives, research and apply each step to continue to improve and maintain its competitive advantage based on efficiency, quality and a progress by smart ways.