‘Make in India’ grows with smart manufacturing

January 14, 2021 10:18 am

The use cases are – autonomous mobile robots (AMR), collaborative robots, digital twins, augmented reality, and asset condition monitoring. The report shows that all the use cases can pay for themselves in three to five years, and when all five are deployed together, payback can occur within two years.

According to the World Bank, manufacturing accounts for around 16% of the world’s GDP, and is one of the foundations for the global economy. With a growing concern around falling GDPs across countries, stabilizing the manufacturing sector is critical. The need to do so is more profound in countries like India which are positioned to be the manufacturing hubs for the world. Smart manufacturing together with Industry 4.0 is emerging as the next step towards calibrating manufacturing for the future.

In a recent report on connected manufacturing, Ericsson and Hexagon examined five different smart manufacturing use cases that will enable manufacturers to conduct their operations more efficiently.
While the rapid uptake for robotics and overall automation on industry shop floors was projected for long, challenges confronting the sector are many. Customers today are increasingly expecting faster delivery and more customized products, which requires factories to support flexible production. Supply chain disruption, outdated machinery, data security concerns and restricted production adaptability also remain some of the long-standing issues.Connected factories can boost efficiency, safety, reliability and ultimately profitability with private cellular networks. According to a 2019 survey by Deloitte, a significant majority of manufacturing executives believe smart manufacturing initiatives will drive competitiveness over the next five years. Manufacturers are increasingly seeing the value of private networks to make their business more agile and earn a competitive edge. Private networks today operate mostly on 4G LTE. Through private networks, enterprises can cut the wires for maximum autonomy on a “secured” network slice. Private networks have the potential to connect and manage entire lifecycles of devices with zero-touch.

Manufacturing companies are also betting on 5G to deliver ultra-low latency, high bandwidth, and reliable communication to realize the smart factory vision. The private networks based on newer 5G technology are expected to become widely available by 2021 and will play a critical role in bringing about smart manufacturing.