SupplyChainBrain -Three Digital Manufacturing Trends for 2020

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 this happening to ensure consistent quality compared to a different supplier every time.

If this online and on-demand trend really takes off, job shops will have to invest heavily in CAD, CAM, machine monitoring and cloud-based services (access to the portals of the ecosystem) - all of which are key elements Industry 4.0. If you are wondering about all this - reach out to us at FarStar, we can help!

Read the full article.
Follow the link in the article to the Deloitte 2020 Manufacturing Outlook.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rise of the Connected Worker

Image
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 more

IoT and Asset Performance Management - a short story

Image
One of the key use cases for IoT is in the area of machine and asset performance monitoring. One of my last projects was to have 125 NC (numerically-controlled) machines connected with real-time performance monitoring across 5 different locations in North America. The goal was to better understand their use, but also the down-time with a key focus on the reasons behind those lost hours. Some management folks saw this as an opportunity to monitor, and then improve, operator performance. The truth of the matter is that there were bigger savings to be found by solving the problems that kept the machines out of productive use. The article that follows is a simple narrative that comes to the same conclusion but using an example everyone can relate to. My experience also reflects their findings. Enjoy the article:  https://tulip.co/blog/uncategorized/dishwasher-asset-performance-management/ Source: IHS Markit, DOE “Human Performance Improvement Handbook”, Noria research
Read more

A Predictive Smart Valve Application using IoT

Image
FarStar has partnered with IoTco of the US to bring IoT-based applications to the Canadian market. These include machine monitoring from Forcam and predictive maintenance from Predictronics. Check out this case study  published in print edition of Valve World Americas May-2019. Read the article
Read more