The Triana Group’s take on a very informative workshop hosted by our friends at the Industrial & Technology Assistance Corporation (ITAC) on “Digital Manufacturing – Transforming the Manufacturing Value Chain”. Participants included the New York State Center of Excellence in Advanced and Sustainable Manufacturing, the Golisano Institute for Sustainability at Rochester Institute of Technology, and IBM Watson’s IoT Group.
Adrien Renouf, who represented us at the workshop, reported: “these topics are directly relevant to The Triana Group’s clients. Speakers discussed advanced Digital Manufacturing (DM) technologies, which integrate systems with simulation, 3D visualization, analytics and various collaboration tools to re-imagine operational processes from start to finish. The discussion focused on the opportunities of Internet of Things (IoT) and IoT-enabled smarter manufacturing for small and medium-sized users.”
“The speakers’ motto was: ‘Collect and Analyze Data, then Optimize’.”
Dr. Michael Thurston from NY State Center of Excellence in Advanced and Sustainable Manufacturing, explained the critical role of data in the “Industrial Revolution 4.0”—the Smart Manufacturing Revolution: Connected objects and real-time data processing transform static mass production lines into dynamically adjustable systems that can mass produce customized products and services. Across-the-board benefits range from reduced costs as well as waste, to accelerated delivery, controlled quality, increased performance at the organizational level and through the entire value-chain, regardless of the industry.
Dr. Akram Bou-Ghannam from IBM Watson discussed how predictive analytics contributes to digital manufacturing. Statistical techniques applied to predictive modeling, machine learning, and data mining, are used to analyze historical and real-time facts to make predictions about the future, or otherwise unknown events. KONE is already using this to prevent product breakdown during peak times. Whirlpool Corporation is using IBM Watson and Cloud to collect real-time data and insights from appliances directly from consumers’ homes; this helps Whirlpool to drive product optimization and provide new benefits to its end-users.
How you can implement similar concepts to your business
IoT-relevant technologies that we (The Triana Group) help channel to new markets, are transforming “things” ranging from bridges and solar utilities to machinery and hand tools, into connected objects and intelligent systems; thus, redefining their users’ core businesses.
Some examples of relevant technology providers we have worked with:
- Optimum Tracker’s real-time monitoring of solar trackers enables photovoltaic power plant operators to perform “just-in-time maintenance”, instead of costly unnecessary maintenance or delayed repair.
- OSMOS Group’s fiber optics technology provides similar benefits in civil engineering, thanks to real-time structural integrity monitoring of infrastructures such as bridges or construction sites, which optimizes maintenance.
- Qualiac has developed ERP modules that manage production processes as complex as hospitals and biotechnology sites, and can directly plug into customer-facing interfaces.
- SAM Outillage earned a World Leader Award thanks to its RFID-connected tools, which create new sources of data and help reinvent production and maintenance processes.
- SpagoBI, sponsored by Engineering Group, provides a variety of business intelligence and data analytics modules that make sense of new IoT data sources.
- Nuance-R enables decision makers to leverage the “R” language’s powerful data analytics capabilities in ways that are otherwise only accessible to advanced users.
- Last but not least, Infolytx leverages structured and unstructured data analytics, as well as cutting edge mobile technologies such as augmented reality, to develop new applications to optimize numerous processes in healthcare and other value chains.
Interested in exploring how our solution providers can help your organization embrace similar technologies? Contact The Triana Group to schedule an introductory conversation!