-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueBox Build
One trend is to add box build and final assembly to your product offering. In this issue, we explore the opportunities and risks of adding system assembly to your service portfolio.
IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Pre-show
This month’s issue devotes its pages to a comprehensive preview of the IPC APEX EXPO 2024 event. Whether your role is technical or business, if you're new-to-the-industry or seasoned veteran, you'll find value throughout this program.
Boost Your Sales
Every part of your business can be evaluated as a process, including your sales funnel. Optimizing your selling process requires a coordinated effort between marketing and sales. In this issue, industry experts in marketing and sales offer their best advice on how to boost your sales efforts.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
5 Keys to Smart Process Success
January 28, 2021 | Steve Williams, The Right Approach Consulting LLCEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Introduction
It can be challenging to stay current with the vernacular of our industry; terms like IoT, M2M, Industry 4.0 and smart processes appear in just about every publication we see. Buzzwords aside, the substance behind these technologies is here to stay and driving this fourth-generation industrial revolution.
Next-Gen Manufacturing
If we accept that Industry 3.0 is defined as the computerization and automation of factory floor processes to make them “smart,” then I suggest that Industry 4.0 is defined as the expansion of this idea to include all the support processes required to manufacture a quality product. By connecting factory-floor computers with all the logistic-based computers throughout the supply chain, Industry 4.0 will revolutionize how companies make stuff. Adding in smart algorithms, machine learning and customer connectivity will transform our current linear/sequential processing into the next generation of “smart processes.” For this to occur, the five characteristics below are critical for a successful transition.
1. IIoT
Smart factories require the core underlying processes to be connected and “talking” to generate the data necessary to make real-time process decisions, that is, the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things). In a truly connected factory, an ongoing continuous dialog between machines, business processes, suppliers and customers is happening in the background. This dialog is not only interactive, but proactive, as a constant stream of real-time data is tweaking and adjusting processes to drive improvement. It also provides time-critical information on how processes are operating, supply chain pipeline, and delivery status updates—all based on data. When starting this journey, it is important to utilize the right technology, data, and analytics infrastructure for your business model. You will need to re-imagine your processes from end-to-end for software interoperability, data management, speed, and scalability as your IIoT initiative grows and matures.
2. Cyber Physical Systems
Cyber physical systems are the integration of computers, networking and physical processes. Computers and networks monitor and control physical processes with feedback loops; the physical system reacts; the system uses software to interpret actions and tracks results. This system is based on embedded computers and software in devices, not for traditional data computation, but rather as a loop of action and machine learning. The smart factory is a flexible system enhanced by augmented intelligence that can self-optimize performance across a broader network. A cyber physical system can self-adapt to and learn from new conditions in real or near-real time, and autonomously run entire production processes.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the January 2021 issue of SMT007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
Zentech’s Board of Directors Announces the Return of Matt Turpin as President and CEO
04/22/2024 | Zentech ManufacturingTurpin draws upon over 35 years of experience in the electronics industry and has an 18-year history with Zentech. He previously served as President and CEO from 2006 to 2019 after which time he has remained active in the EMS industry as an advisor to Zentech and other industry organizations.
Aaron Woolf, Dylan Peterson Join SIA Team
04/22/2024 | SIAThe Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced Aaron Woolf and Dylan Peterson have joined the SIA team. Woolf will serve as director of global policy for economic security and Peterson will be a communications associate. SIA represents 99% of the U.S. semiconductor industry by revenue and nearly two-thirds of non-U.S. chip firms.
It’s Only Common Sense: OCCAM—the Time Is Now
04/22/2024 | Dan Beaulieu -- Column: It's Only Common SenseOne of my favorite books is a little tome called Who Moved My Cheese? Even those of you who don’t spend a lot of time reading books have at least heard of it and know that it refers to people, especially in business, who are so stuck in their ways that they get upset when something changes. In our business, we know this kind of thinking is especially true. In fact, it always makes me laugh when one of my innovative friends finds a new way to do something and is afraid that someone will steal his idea. I always tell him that no one in our business, especially a PCB engineer, has ever thought about someone else’s innovative idea enough to steal it.
Digitalisation and ESG
04/19/2024 | Marina Hornasek-Metzl, AT&SDigitalisation and ESG are prominent and high-priority topics in the global business community. The first focuses on applying technology throughout the value chain to produce faster, smarter, and more desirable business outcomes. The latter emphasises the broader value a business is expected to create for its stakeholders from an environmental, social, and governance perspective.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Looking Back, Looking Forward With IEC
04/19/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOIEC came to the RTW booth and discussed both the legacy of IEC's past and the vision for its future. Industry veteran Bruno Ferri highlighted his quarter-century tenure in the industry and with IEC since its founding. He still exhibits boundless enthusiasm for the industry. Brando Stone, a young professional and a future face of IEC, talked about IEC's plans going forward and his experience at this year's IPC APEX EXPO.