We’ve all heard the buzz, it’s been around a good while now, but let’s be honest, the momentum is slow; adoption is slow; progress is slow. You may be suffering from 4IR disillusionment, and if you hear about another multi-million-pound project involving 'Digital Twins' and 'Augmented Reality' your head might explode from all the noise and jargon.
There is a false assumption that manufacturers are struggling to get digital transformation projects off the ground. It’s not starting pilots that is causing headaches, however, it’s scaling the most valuable ones. Here’s how to keep that from happening in your business.
Global competition, shifting customer demands and a surge in digitalisation are just some of the trends changing the face of modern manufacturing. To keep up with this change of pace, many manufacturers are now starting out on their own digital transformation journeys. While there is no magic formula, there are some common stumbling blocks, which can be avoided.
There is a growing need for UK manufacturers to embrace new technologies as they face ever-increasing demand to improve efficiency. Whether this is due to foreign competitors, the ambiguity of what to expect post-Brexit, or simply stakeholder pressure, businesses large and small are forced to do more with less.
Digital technologies unquestionably have the power to make supply chains more transparent and more efficient. They connect manufacturers to suppliers at one end and to customers at the other.
Globally, digital transformation in manufacturing processes are moving forward – customers demand more of them, which means they need to invest in gaining that edge, securing growth, improving products and winning in their markets.
Digital twins have been one of the biggest recent developments in the world of technology. The virtual replicas of physical systems, processes or products provide a valuable real-time insight into how a physical asset is performing.
Manufacturing’s landscape is rapidly changing, and many innovative start-ups are embracing this, can any of them make the transition to unrivalled success?
Additive manufacturing technologies have enabled significant changes to the way we design complex components and create early prototypes. But the uptake of these new production methods beyond prototyping and small-scale production remains slow.
