Since technology first made its way into the vocabulary of business consultants, entire industries have been trying to adapt in order to accommodate the benefits and, as it turns out, no one is safe from the disruptions; not even the once blue-collar world of manufacturing.
In fact, the manufacturing industry has fast become one of the most exciting areas of new technologies, innovations, and ideas. But it’s not just the changes we have seen in recent years that are worth getting excited about, it’s the future of this market because what we’ve seen so far is just the beginning of something special.
Just a decade ago, and maybe even less than that, the kind of technological change we have seen would have seemed impossible. Something resigned to sci-fi films and madcap speculation. Yet here we are, enjoying the kind of technological implementations that have boosted the manufacturing business on all fronts, from speed to precision, customization to productivity.
It is a brave new world for this once blue-collar industry, where success demands a solid investment in tech. So, without further ado, here are the revolutionary technologies that are changing the game and paving the way for a brighter future.
1) The Internet Of Things
When you think back to the very beginning of manufacturing, you think back to the Industrial Revolution; people working in factories that were able to mass-produce products like never before. But even then there was a common goal in the form of interconnectivity. The Internet Of Things has taken this idea to a whole new level and begun to deliver results that no one could have ever dreamed of. Machines working alongside other machines, sensors providing up-to-the-second feedback, and people being able to work closer together than ever before. IoT has boosted connectivity a million-fold and with it comes better communication, better response times, better efficiency and better profit margins. It could be a system that keeps the fluid levels in a machine at the optimum level using sensors, or it might be improving your automated systems by having each of your devices interconnected. Whatever your business niche, the introduction of IoT promises to enhance and improve your operations and make your entire company future-proof.
2) 3D Printing
We are just at the very beginning of the 3D printing story. Sure, the first chapter may have already been written in the form of product design, but now that the industrial 3D printer has reached the world of manufacturing, the sky really is the limit. It’s opened up Pandora’s Box and allowed for almost any idea to be designed and produced using a plethora of materials – metals, plastics and, as you will have no doubt heard, even human tissue. This means the way we are able to construct, create and build things is about to change. Everything is about to change. But the best thing is the benefits 3D printing brings with it. Idea-to-production time is drastically reduced, lead times will become impossibly efficient, the amount of flexibility granted to manufacturers will skyrocket, the amount of waste will be massively reduced, replacing parts will be so much easier to achieve, prototypes will become less hassle and the overall cost of doing things will be made much easier to swallow. And like we said at the beginning, this is still a brand new concept, which means this technology is yet to explore even a fraction of what is possible. It will get better, more precise, faster, cheaper and more efficient, which is why you need to jump on the bandwagon now and find a way to bring it into your operations.
3) Cloud Technology
The cloud has already touched a million industries and become a staple part of the way they run on a day-to-day basis. For so many, the cloud has become as essential as a website, which makes it a wonder why the manufacturing game was so late to the party (and not fashionably late either). One can only presume it had something to do with the need for connectivity or added security. Nonetheless, these hiccups have fallen by the wayside and with the manufacturing industry has welcomed the cloud with open arms. Those that are reaping the most rewards from this technology are manufacturing companies with more than just one plant, allowing better connectivity across your entire business. Not only does this make sharing, storing and accessing data a lot more seamless, it allows plants to reduce both the time, money and production spent on operating. Not only that but the cloud can help improve the quality and consistency of your processes, which is a great solution for those with multiple plants to manage.
4) Augmented Reality
Even with AR technology becoming a huge success for Instagram, Snapchat, Pokemon Go and so many other social media platforms, the failure of Google Glass proves the world isn’t entirely ready for AR just yet. That said, the very concept of it is exciting the manufacturing industry, especially the idea of AR glasses. The potential is just endless. Yes, it is still a very new technology, but the benefits are already there to see and they all revolve around real-time data. Real-time notifications, real-time instructions, real-time monitoring, real-time delegation and real-time data. The other big benefits they offer are safety warnings, a means of implementing effective training on the job and less time spent on mechanical support. It is going to be so exciting to see how this fresh technology develops over the next few years.
5) Nanotechnology
We will be the first to say this technology is still a few years or so away from being integrated into mainstream businesses, but the progress being made warrants it a place on this prestigious list (and not just because the possibilities shown in Big Hero 6 make it so disarming). For those who don’t know what nanotechnology is, the dictionary definition is: “the branch of technology that deals with dimensions and tolerances of less than 100 nanometers, especially the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules.” What’s more, this manipulation of matter can happen on an atomic, molecular, or supramolecular level. The very concept is mind-boggling, but the possibilities are breathtaking. For some manufacturing companies, nanotechnology will mean they can enhance materials to help them last longer or give them some new properties, such as clothes that adapt to the weather and make you feel warmer or cooler, or clothes that don’t get stained, while the computing industry will allow for much faster processing power and infinitely better storage capabilities. Right now, this technology is limited to industries like biotech and engineering, but it is fast heading toward manufacturers. The thing to be aware of in the meantime is: nanotechnology will have the power to change absolutely everything you know about manufacturing, which is why you need to stay ahead of the curve. Think about it for a moment. If you can build a product from the molecular level up, your control over the whole process will change. That’s amazing.
6) Robotics
The world of robotics has crept up on us in a lot of ways, but that’s mainly because we think of robots as being finished entities like in I, Robot or any number of Will Smith films. But that’s not what next-level robots look like. Instead, it’s factories replacing hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of human workers with a dozen robotic arms. It’s Amazon opening up a shop beneath its HQ where there are absolutely no workers whatsoever. This isn’t meant to terrify you, even though there has to be a philosophical question raised about how we integrate this technology into our day-to-day lives. Instead, you need to think of it in terms of the possibilities, in which productivity will be the main beneficiary. The main issue, however, is innovation. That’s where robotics falls short and probably always will. As such, we shouldn’t look at robotics as a way of replacing human workforces, but rather as a way for them to compliment workers. The phrase is “cobotics” and it’s about working with not replacing. Either way, we’re just at the beginning of this force because no one can deny this technology will have a growing role in the future. Period.
7) Smart-Technology
No one can see into the future, but if there is one thing we can absolutely guarantee it’s that factories will become smart. They will burst out of the limitations currently placed on them by going beyond basic automation and start utilizing technologies integrated along every single part of the process. We’re talking about factories that can utilize a myriad of techs – from artificial intelligence to augmented reality, to the IoT – which will make them fully-connected, incredibly flexible and almost impossibly-efficient. Don’t believe this is possible – just look at the Adidas Speedfactory. This place has been designed to cut the time from design to production to less than a week, meaning it is able to deliver the same quality shoes but a lot faster and a lot cheaper. It will also allow customers to customize their own without any hassle whatsoever. Yup. The future is well and truly here.
