What will the factory of the future look like? What does the European manufacturing industry need to maintain its strong position? Tebodin listed a number of success factors in the white paper 'The three success factors for the factory of the future'.
The company starts by noting that the European manufacturing (and process) industry is reasonably ahead when it comes to quality of the final product and reliability and efficiency of factories. But in terms of process optimisation, innovation and making factory facilities more sustainable, other economies (such as Asia) are getting closer, so it is important to be and stay engaged with them.
Tebodin, in consultation with its own specialists and engineers, identified three key pillars for the successful operation of a (process) factory in the near future.
Industry 4.0 1.
We are now facing the fourth industrial revolution: Industry 4.0. Tebodin says that Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and machine-to-machine (m2m) communication in particular are important spearheads within this. "One of the most important goals of the factory of the future is therefore to connect all facets of the primary (production) process. New, modern factories are already technically integrating systems that transcend horizontal processes, geographical boundaries, hierarchies and value chains. Industry 4.0 seems to be the ultimate catalyst for this, with the Internet of Things driving it."
But how do you optimise production processes? Through smart sensors, machine-to-machine communication, mobile devices, cloud computing, real-time analytics, robots, cameras and microphones (monitoring frequencies of machines) and big data analytics. In the factory of the future, plants and machines will be equipped with more sensors than ever before."
Factories are not expected to look very different in the future. The changes will mainly take place behind the scenes. "You will mainly see factories being operated, automated and digitised differently. For this, smart technologies need to be incorporated already in the design phase to ensure that the factory is more resource-efficient, more accurate with its energy use and more self-aware of its state of maintenance."
2. Circular production process
Sustainability is also going to have an important place in factory operations and plant design. In the white paper, Tebodin highlights two key factors: the carbon footprint of the production process on the one hand, and renewable energy on the other.
Reducing the footprint can be tackled in several ways, although it all starts with understanding your own carbon footprint. Then, through vertical (preventing emission losses throughout the production process) and horizontal (preventing end-of-life waste by reusing products or using residual materials as raw materials in other production chains) circulation, a company can reduce its carbon footprint. Using waste heat via heat networks can also further reduce the carbon footprint in the production chain.
Renewable energy will also be an important spearhead, both for the operational side (power supply) and for generating industrial heat (electrification). Smart software will help reduce and optimise energy consumption in the factory of the future.
3. Flexibility
According to Tebodin, only factories that are smaller, scalable and committed to innovative and specialised products stand a chance of success today.
Necessary is flexibility; especially with the increasing demand for special and even personalised products and the short product life cycle.
The conclusion is that the European manufacturing industry still has plenty of assets for the future, provided these assets are played out in a smart and innovative way. Holding on to the current market position is not enough. Therefore, in the future, factories must in any case fully commit to digitising their production facility and manufacturing processes.
Delft and Eindhoven
Meanwhile, software company Exact and industrial automation specialist Festo have signed an agreement on the joint creation of a test environment set up for the digital factory of the future. Some are already in use in Germany, now the Cyber Physical Factory (CP Factory) is also coming to the Netherlands, to Festo's facility in Delft. In the production environment of the future factory that the CP Factory is the model for, there will be a fully automated and flexible assembly line.
Another 'Factory of the Future' being realised in the Netherlands, at Brainport Industries Campus in Eindhoven, also involves Festo. This factory should become a demonstration of the integration of Dutch industry, entrepreneurs, field lab and technical education and competence development in one location.
