The Impact of Manufacturing Intelligence on Discrete Manufacturing 

Manufacturing intelligence (MI) takes data monitoring to a new level. With the revolution of Industry 4.0 in manufacturing, instead of noticing a machine is not running as productively as it once did, we now have real-time data as to WHY the machine is not efficient. This intelligence integrates with your current technology for deeper analytics through big data, manufacturing IIoT, and other technologies. It can help you understand how your machines are running, improve safety measures, and increase efficiency based on machine availabilities.

Understand your production process:

Machine intelligence algorithms can pick up on patterns, anomalies, and correlations within big data pulled from multiple sources. This data helps you understand your machines and refine your processes while also helping to forecast future production needs. By collecting data, manufacturing intelligence gives you full visibility into the inefficiencies and bottlenecks within your production process. Because it has all this information, MI can indicate when and where both workers and machines are performing at their highest productivity rates and when machines may need to shut off for maintenance.

Predictive Maintenance:

Using previous failures as a starting point, MI’s predictive data allows manufacturers to be notified when machines are likely to break down or need maintenance before they do. MI monitors sensory data, like heat and vibrations, to point out defects that can be potentially harmful to a machine in the long run. The more data given to intelligence, the more accurate these predictions become. All this information is brought together to help you schedule preventative maintenance before a breakdown occurs, reducing downtime and increasing productivity.

When you are reacting to a machine breaking down, you’re losing hours, if not days, of production time. By fixing the problem before it manifests, you’re saving yourself time and money. Not only does preventive maintenance allow you to continue using machines, but you are also less likely to spend time and money calling a specialist to fix mechanical problems for your machines. Understanding real-time data when it comes to machinery allows your company to reach maximum productivity.

Quality Control:

Setting parameters for intelligence to maintain allows MI to monitor quality throughout production without the need for manual intervention. MI can analyze the conditions of materials or components that could potentially lead to quality issues. With gathered data, MI uses analytical techniques to help manufacturers diagnose defects. Now a manufacturer may notice trends in defective products that they have overlooked. Once given this mass of information, manufacturers are better equipped to improve designs, tooling, and processes. Engineers manipulate MI data to gain a better understanding of the production environment, identify areas for improvement, and create more effective designs.

Manufacturing intelligence will save manufacturers time and money through a better understanding of their processes, accurate scheduling of preventative maintenance, and monitoring quality without the need for manual interventions. MI will reduce costs and waste, improve overall customer satisfaction by meeting requirements every time, and increase productivity and efficiency through data visibility. If you’re a manufacturer looking for steps to enter Industry 4.0 in manufacturing, consider investing in intelligence to increase production and improve overall business performance.