Industry4.0 Guru

It's easy to get lazy, or just make a mistake, when using TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) and technical jargon. I know that I am guilty of using IoT vs IIoT almost interchangeably or without distinction. There is a difference and this article from LNS RESEARCH explains those differences in detail.  The Venn diagram below is a very helpful visualization. READ THE ARTICLE Courtesy of LNS Research. All rights reserved.

LNS Research publishes very good, timely and relevant articles on a variety of manufacturing- related topics. A current article is about the trends driving "connected worker" initiatives. Most definitely an aging workforce needs to be a major consideration. Companies are losing significant talent due to retirement. What they may not realize, is the "tribal knowledge" that leaves with those workers. Over the years, people have learned/discovered ways to get the job done that is often not documented in engineering drawings, manufacturing engineering process sheets, standard operating procedures, and all the other means of internally communicating process information. Ideally, companies would work with senior employees to ensure that information is captured before departure. Process audits are one way to do this. In my opinion, a better way is to have someone watch and document the training of new/newer employees by those who are planning on retiring. The provides di

Read the article. The way I read this article, the forecast is for a "gig economy" approach to machining and other "metal-bashing" industries. In the section headed "Online and On-Demand", the article describes individual part fabrication being completely outsourced through an online network of firms the way 3D printing has evolved. I see this as great news for firms looking to buy one-off items while at the same time increasing competition, and decreasing margins, for job shops. I see this somewhat at odds with the following section on "More Partnerships, Joint Ventures". If firms can get multiple quotes and select a different supplier every time, it is hard to see the partnership aspect. Unless, of course, over time the major users of these online services decide to focus on working with a select few vendors with whom they can develop Long Term Agreements (LTAs) based on negotiating rates, volume, lead time and quality. I would see thi

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