The future of industry is heading down a path to fully autonomous manufacturing facilities. These facilities leverage Industry 4.0 technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to directly manage and optimize production operations. A completely autonomous factory operates without human intervention.
Autonomous manufacturing facilities are the smart factories that will power the future of industry. By 2030, the smart factory market size will reach $727 billion, according to a 2022 Straits Research report. To reach this number, the report predicts the market will have an annual growth rate of 12%. This statistic is a clear sign of the rapid advancement and adoption of autonomous technologies within the manufacturing industry.
With the increasing adoption of smart technologies, manufacturing is advancing toward an autonomous future. Manufacturing companies that have not taken the steps to implement automation and other technologies are approaching a precipice: Either take the leap or get left behind.
Staying Competitive With Autonomous Manufacturing
Why exactly is it so important for manufacturers to embrace autonomous technology? One key factor is being able to remain a competitive player in the industry. As more manufacturers adopt these technologies, their operations will advance past the capabilities of traditional manufacturing facilities. With more digitally connected facilities utilizing autonomous technologies, any manufacturing facility not leveraging them has a disadvantage.
Manufacturers who aren’t currently looking into digital technologies for their operations risk losing current and new business to more advanced companies. Businesses with smart technologies are preferred by customers for several reasons, among them the many benefits offered by these technologies.
Autonomous manufacturing facilities have more production efficiency, create higher-quality parts, and generate less waste. Improved production capabilities enable more accurate and consistent manufacturing processes. In turn, these enhanced processes help to optimize energy usage, reducing the environmental impact and improving the sustainability of a manufacturing facility.
All of these benefits make manufacturers more attractive to potential customers because they can provide better-quality parts at a reduced cost. Additionally, benefits like reduced waste and more sustainable operations are advantageous to companies. From manufacturing customers to direct consumers, the world is looking for more sustainable operations from companies to lessen their environmental impact.
In addition to optimizing operations and saving costs, autonomous technologies also afford manufacturers more flexibility. Autonomous facilities collect and analyze real-time data on production processes. Aside from using this data to optimize, AI-enabled facilities can adapt production output based on changes in demand or pivot to meet different production requirements. Overall, autonomous facilities empower manufacturers to become more competitive in a shifting industrial landscape and take more control over their production operations.
Leveraging Autonomous Technologies for a Smart Factory
The benefits of having more autonomous operations are clear, but how do manufacturing facilities achieve this? The first step is to explore and integrate smart technologies that have the ability to digitally connect disparate production processes within manufacturing facilities. Some of these technologies have already been mentioned, such as AI, IIoT, and automation. Other options include sensors and edge computing.
Sensors in particular are a necessary technology for autonomous facilities. In smart factories, sensors are added to machines and equipment throughout the production floor. These sensors collect performance data, including the physical condition of a machine and its output. This data helps set a baseline for machine performance and can be used to track deviations.
In more traditional manufacturing settings, these sensors provide data directly to machine operators. In an autonomous factory, sensors can digitally connect to software, including analytic tools and AI-enabled systems. By connecting with these other advanced technologies, sensors can feed real-time data and actionable insights to control systems. These AI-enabled systems then use that data to optimize machine performance.
Additionally, the level of production visibility offered by sensors helps ensure all processes are running optimally. Autonomous facilities continuously monitor machines and equipment to ensure output is maximized while reducing waste. This includes mitigating unplanned downtime by effectively analyzing the machine data collected from sensors. With this data, systems can automatically schedule preventive maintenance on production-floor equipment. That way downtime for a specific machine is planned to have a minimal impact on the rest of the factory’s operations.
While sensors are used to monitor performance and collect data, AI analyzes that data and determines how best to optimize operations. But this requires more than just individual technologies; it requires a connection between all of them. This is where IIoT — which digitally connects technologies through the internet — comes in.
The connections between all of these advanced technologies are really what drives a manufacturing facility to be autonomous. With IIoT, sensors aren’t just collecting data, they’re sending data to an AI system that then uses that data to improve operations. And for this process to work, machines, equipment, and production processes throughout the factory floor must be automated.
All of these technologies working together — automation, sensors, IIoT, and AI — are essential for autonomous manufacturing. Many of these are already being incorporated into industrial facilities to improve production and increase efficiency. When it comes to autonomous operations, the question isn’t if it will be the future, but when. Manufacturers are already seeing the benefits from adopting advanced technologies, and the smart factory of the future may be closer to the present.
Embracing Autonomous Manufacturing
Adopting advanced manufacturing technologies can seem intimidating for some companies, but it’s clear the future of industry is heading in this direction. Some manufacturing companies are already embracing autonomous operations, and a handful of smart factories already exist. For manufacturers who have yet to embrace digitalization, the next step is to learn how technologies that are already out there can benefit their operations.
Manufacturers who are on the fence about these technologies can see that the benefits speak for themselves. Autonomous manufacturing facilities are more efficient, produce higher-quality parts, and have more flexibility. These advantages alone will give manufacturers with autonomous capabilities a competitive edge over others in the industry. Additionally, autonomous operations enable manufacturers to have more sustainable production processes, another positive in a market that is increasingly focused on minimizing environmental impact.
What a lot of companies don’t realize about autonomous manufacturing is that it’s not an all-or-nothing model. Manufacturers can begin to implement advanced technologies like automation and AI slowly, making sure to do it correctly and ensure the benefits are apparent before continuing down the path to autonomous operations. But manufacturers will need to start investing in these technologies to stay relevant and remain competitive in the future state of manufacturing.
If you’re a manufacturer who’s eager to explore autonomous manufacturing processes and advanced technologies, learn about the Smart Manufacturing Experience.