Techdigitalweb – Manufacturing technology is a kind of technology used in the process to produce a product starting from raw materials to finished products. The production volume of a manufacturing company is very big. It is because the products are to be distributed nationally or even internationally. The production process is also conducted with machines to achieve high production targets.
Sure, there are also developments in manufacturing technology. Before the industrial revolution in the 18th century, human energy was still used in the production process. It changed rapidly after the invention of the steam engine. Until now, there have been 4 industrial revolutions so that you can call today’s the 4.0 industry era.
So, what are the manufacturing technology trends in the 4.0 industry era? Generally, it is closely related to the implementation of internet things and environment friendliness. Here they are.
Green Manufacturing
One of the manufacturing technology trends started to use by many companies is Green manufacturing. The trend focuses on the process and production policy. Sure, the main purpose is to preserve our environment for the sake of the future generation.
Commonly, the materials, as well as the machines, tend to be more expensive. The process is also made in such a way as to prevent polluting surroundings. But the higher production cost is not disadvantageous for the company at all. They can even gain more profits from the technology implementation.
There is a type of customer who is concerned a lot about the environment. They prefer paying more for something safe and environmentally friendly to the cheap one but polluted. Besides, certain types of companies get more benefits from green manufacturing as the materials residue are reused or processed to other products. It gains more profits as well as reduces the production cost.
Artificial Intelligence
The next trend of manufacturing technology in the 4.0 industry era is Artificial Intelligence (AI). Since some years ago, the technology has been applied to companies’ operational systems. It is commonly combined with other similar technologies such as machine learning.
Artificial intelligence is a kind of technology that tries to copy human intelligence and apply it to devices. It helps companies to do many things starting from processing data volume, producing more readable data to offering solutions to problems faced during data processing.
AI tends to make jobs finish faster. The operator only needs to submit data gained on the field and automatically, the results are made accurately. Hearing the term of AI, one thing that comes to our minds may be a robot. Sure, it is more than that, even a conventional computer or smartphone can be an example of AI as long as there is a program installed relevant to the job that needs to finish.
Internet of Things (IoT)
Internet of things (IoT ) refers to all the things that are connected to the internet. With the internet connection, a device can be connected also to other devices. A good example is at your home, the connections among your smartphone, laptop, and smart TV and their interactions make them in the category of IoT.
Sure, in manufacturing companies, the internet of things covers more devices and more connections. Even currently, the implementation of IoT has been developed so rapidly in almost all sectors.
Undeniably, the implementation of IoT cannot be avoided in the world of business. Even companies compete to present the most modern and sophisticated IoT technology as it brings them more benefits.
IoT is indeed proven to improve productivity. Not only is it for parts like productions and sales but also financial management such as making reports, and more. With IoT, calculations of cash flow, balance, and more are faster and more accurate.
Real-Time Operating System
The next manufacturing technology that is developed very rapidly is the real-time operating system. The system enables the company to respond to anything more quickly whether among employees, employers and employees, and the company and clients.
When a company is growing bigger, the demands of its product are also getting more and more. That’s why they need to respond to the customers as soon as possible as a way to maintain the customers’ loyalty. Aside from hiring professional employees in the position of customer service, the company needs a set of devices to always connect to their clients.
Nowadays, every company has its website and social media to ease them in reaching customers. Sure, it is not enough. They need further technology so that the website and social media can be used more effectively. And real-time operation technology is the answer.
Mobile ERP
Manufacturing companies use the mobile ERP as a part of their business as it can provide big data accuracy. Besides, it also brings some more benefits such as in terms of operational efficiency optimization and preventing any production delay.
The technology enables a company to do things like accessing sales reports, scheduling asset maintenance, tracking material availability, and still many more. As it covers so many benefits in manufacture, a company indeed needs attempts to make sure that the technology is available.
So, what is actually mobile ERP? It is a kind of system to conduct and execute using mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. With the implementation of mobile ERP, a company can decide over a situation more easily and quickly.
Closing
Aside from those 5 technologies mentioned above, sure, a manufacturing company still needs more. But at least, when they already have them, the business can be operated more smoothly in this digital era. They can also participate well in the tight competition nowadays in getting the customers’ hearts.
Of course, every company needs preparations to enable their employees to deal with the technologies. There must also be more budgets to spend for training, and more. It takes time for sure but the result will be more satisfying. This way, the company is expected to be more ready in facing the 4.0 industry era.
