How Modern Technology Is Impacting Manufacturers

The manufacturing industry has been the central hub for most technological innovations. Many manufacturers have benefited from modern technological advances ranging from AI-based robots to big data analytics.

These improvements resulted in reduced human intervention while improving the company’s competitiveness and plant productivity.

Advances in the manufacturing industries, including 3D printing, the internet of things, and Artificial Intelligence, are designed to minimize human errors, promote fast production speed, and reduce production costs.

Considering that productivity is one of the essential elements in the manufacturing industry, all manufacturers need to spend a considerable amount of money to invest in these innovations.

Here is a list of the top technological advances that significantly affect the manufacturing plant. Aside from that, we will also discuss how these technological innovations have impacted the manufacturing sector. 

Big Data Analytics

Big data analytics are designed to support product personalization, improve and speed up the manufacturing process, and increase asset performance.

Honeywell conducted a survey concluding that more than half of the manufacturers in the United States are already acquired big data analytics.

With big data analytics on hand, you can easily create better decisions as these tools develop reports regarding waste and productivity performance.

Because of this innovation, manufacturers can boost their yield while cutting down the overall operating costs.

Virtual Reality

With Virtual Reality development, manufacturers don’t need to spend much time creating complex prototypes. This is because VR can help you streamline the product design process.

Virtual Reality is popular among engineers and designers as it allows 3D product models. This will enable them to create designs and solve potential issues that may arise during production.

In addition, VR also allows customers to interact and check these digital designs. Moreover, it is also used during simulations to efficiently save time and money from designing to production.

For example, car manufacturers also invest in Virtual Reality. This helps them to ensure that their product quality is checked thoroughly.

Doing so can significantly affect the cost and time involved in automobile design, car tolerances, and safety features.

Another essential element involved in the manufacturing industry is its operational efficiency. This has led to the rise of predictive analytics.

Because of that, many experts expect that the number of manufacturers using virtual Reality will significantly increase.

3D Printing

Aside from the manufacturing industry, the rise of 3D printing is also expected in other high-end sectors, such as service and commercial machinery, firearms, automobiles, mining machinery, and aerospace.

This innovative technology is designed to help manufacturers produce physical products according to the complicated product designs kept in CAD (Computer-Aided Design) files.

There are various materials you can use to print digital products. These may include metal, glass, plastic, nylon, and rubber.

In line with that, 3D bioprinting is designed to help manufacturers create a real-looking version of functional organs and living tissues for medical purposes.

One of the best things about 3D printing is that it allows you to make designs and shapes with complicated edges.

You can do these all without additional fees. Because of this, 3D printing has become more popular among engineers and designers.

Additionally, 3D printing in the manufacturing industry also led to MaaS (Manufacturing as Service.

This allows companies to update their infrastructure that several customers can use.

Since you can use this innovation for product designing, it will also help you better advertise your goods and services.

Machine Learning And Artificial Intelligence

Mechanization and robotics are nothing new in the manufacturing industry.

These technological advances are designed to reduce production costs and boost productivity. Many experts believe that machine learning and AI (Artificial Intelligence) will be the next generation for the manufacturing industry.

The production leaders can use Artificial Intelligence to assess information and use it as a basis to cut down operational costs, replace inventory, and ensure that every step in the manufacturing process is under their control.

The generation of unintelligent robots has come to an end.

But, with the rise of machine learning and artificial intelligence, it is now possible for humans and robots to work together.

This partnership can lead to a more agile manufacturing process that improves, assesses, and creates more informed manufacturing decisions.

On the other hand, manufacturers can also integrate intelligent automation and industrial robots to handle repetitive tasks.

Therefore, managers can use their free resources and time to do more productive tasks, including better customer service, improved product line extension, and more efficient research and development.

The Industrial Internet Of Things

The Internet of Things has seen increased usage in manufacturing and industrial industries.

This improvement allows plant owners to boost productivity while reducing process complexity. Some studies claim that around 25 billion IoT-enabled devices will be used in 2020.

The Internet of Things refers to different technologies, including machine automation, cloud integration, sensor data, big data, and machine learning if you don’t know yet.

These technologies are mostly integrated into multiple areas, such as cross-facility operations, supply-chain visibility, resource optimization, real-time monitoring, etc.

Another good thing about integrating sensor-embedded equipment and IoT-enabled devices is that it allows data communication that will help you monitor assets, create a scheduled maintenance program, and more.

Final Thoughts

Undoubtedly, most technological advancements are happening in the manufacturing industry.

Because of its benefits, many manufacturers are using these modern technologies to take everything involved in the manufacturing process under control.

Using these technologies can help manufacturers improve their profitability and productivity.

If you are in the manufacturing industry, you know that investing in this technology is the best way to stay competitive in the market.

ERP for manufacturing is one of the most significant advancements in the manufacturing industry.

This has been developed to ensure that managers, workers, and clients will benefit from each other. If you are still not using these new technologies, your company might be significantly disadvantaged.

So, to ensure that your company will stay on top of the competition, investing in AI, machine learning, virtual Reality, and more is the best decision you could have.