Technology is advancing at an exponential rate, and the advancement is changing the entire manufacturing and industrial process scenario. We are entering the era of Industry 4.0, where factories are integrating technology into the factory’s operations. So, things that seem to be futuristic are now becoming our reality because of the Smart factory. 

What is Smart Factory?

The term smart factory is an environment where the machinery and equipment involved in the production line can self-optimize and automate the operations. The highly digitalized factory provides the owner with benefits besides the production of goods. With the data generated, you can improve your product development process, future planning, supply chain logistics. 

So, a smart factory’s structure combines the four essential components, that are-

• Production 
• Information 
• Communication in between Technologies

To combine the above component, the Smart factory uses IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things). 

Impact of Smart Factories on the Manufacturing

• Connecting Different Levels Of Production

You need to divide the entire manufacturing process between different floors or levels in your factory to handle additional production processes. Smart factory enables better communication between these floors and levels with the help of manufacturing data. The new Technologies use in Industry 4.0 allows you to apply the smart decision at every production process level. 

With the data’s help, you can achieve the desired results as you get more insights into the factory’s operation. Now you can easily reduce cost by maintaining the quality of the product. Moreover, when deciding to customize a process, get more tools in your hand to be more flexible, and make a reliable decision. 

• Jobs

In a smart factory, the job roles are evolved. Workers have to take on more complex roles in manufacturing, which requires the use of intellect. The automation will take on monotonous, repeatable, and mundane tasks. Moreover, automation also takes the job roles that are dangerous or often see a shortage of labor.

Therefore, labeling Automation as a threat to the jobs, instead the automation creates whole new opportunity and new job roles that require digital skills. The need for people with digital and data handling skills is increasing. Companies often fall short in finding people with the necessary digital skills when handling the complex task present in Industry 4.0. That means there is a need to invest in generating talent, and companies need to invest in developing the worker’s digital skills.