Simplify Before You Transform

Technology is maturing at such an exponential speed that manufacturers of all sizes will eventually be able to elevate their manufacturing processes to a smart manufacturing platform. Before embarking on this journey, there are two broad questions that manufacturers need answers to. First one is-how do you plan and scale the automation of your manufacturing layout to transition to a smart manufacturing platform? The second one is -how can you strategically re-engineer your existing manufacturing layout to develop best in class manufacturing layout and make it easier to develop smart manufacturing capabilities? In this article, though, we will explore the answer to the second question.

But why is this reengineering necessary or advantageous from smart manufacturing perspective? One aspect is that in some cases, as you will see in subsequent sections, the simplification leads to ease of implementation.

However, my primary take on the advantage is the value of data generated from smart manufacturing platforms implemented on optimally designed processes and optimal manufacturing setups.

Think about this from an analytics perspective. If one of the types of process redesigns discussed here allows you to consolidate data points for a sub-process for multiple products, it gives you an opportunity to leverage analytics on that data to identify transformation opportunities. The data fragmented across locations/plants might not generate the same scale and focus. Remember that smart manufacturing is actually not about automation. It is more about how you will leverage the data captured from the automation to transform your manufacturing capabilities and business models.

The Five Levers of Redesigning Processes for Smart Manufacturing

In the early 1980s, Groover et al. proposed ten manufacturing automation strategies. The definition of automation and the technological capabilities of automation technologies were different back then. If you review those strategies in 2023, not all of them are relevant in today’s context. But by combining some of the relevant ones, you can develop five key levers to strategize about redesigning your manufacturing processes to make them a good candidate for digitization of Manufacturing. Those five key levers are:

• Specialization
• Combination
• Parallelization
• Integration
• Flexibility

Let us explore the role data and analytics can play in each of these levers.

Specialization

I consistently emphasize the importance of flexibility in manufacturing, and often, it is perceived that flexibility comes at the cost of specialization. However, that is not always true. Specialized equipment and capabilities can also exist within a flexible manufacturing environment. Specialization within manufacturing setups can generate significant efficiencies and, from a smart manufacturing implementation perspective, simplify processes. You may have a flexible facility that manufacturers a plethora of products catering to different markets/segments but all of them may need to go through one specialized manufacturing sub-process.

When it comes to designing a manufacturing footprint that balances flexibility and specialization, analytics can play a key role in designing flexible, yet specialized manufacturing setup. You can enhance your manufacturing network design models by integrating them with product attribute models and simulation tools to develop granular manufacturing network foorprints, that can go as granular as sub-processes.

Flexibility

Flexibility in Manufacturing, as you may know, pertains to achieving maximum utilization of assets/equipment by using the same assets/equipment for various parts and products. Flexible manufacturing setups generally already leverages some programmable or flexible automation to achieve flexibility. In addition to capacity utilization and optimization, this setup has other benefits, like reduced setup time, lower manufacturing lead time, and less work in progress. As indicated above, in most circumstances, you need to design a footprint and shop floor setup that balances flexibility as well as specialization.

The analytics levers discussed above can also help you define which manufacturing locations need to be balanced with flexibility and specialization.

Combination

Production is often done in a sequence of steps, each of which may leverage several processes. Some complex parts may require several processing steps. Leveraging the strategy of a combination of processes, you can reduce the number of distinct production machines or workstations through which the path travels. Variety can be achieved by various approaches, like performing more than one operation at one workstation or device. It should not be challenging to imagine that engineering machines/workstations to multitask will also reduce the complexity of digital manufacturing implementation.

Simulation tools can help you experiment with designing shop floor operation that can look at combination opportunities, in tandem with the flexibility and specialization balance, discussed in the prior section.

Parallelization

This is a logical extension of the “combination” lever, where you essentially simultaneously perform operations that have been combined at one workstation. In effect, two or more processing (or assembly) operations are performed simultaneously on the same work part, thus reducing the total processing time. And just like the “Combination” lever, this multitasking will also reduce the complexity of digital manufacturing implementation, and just like combination, simulation tools can help you identify optimal parallelization opportunities in your shop floor design.

Integration

The “Integration” strategy involves linking several workstations into a single integrated mechanism, using automated work handling devices to transfer parts between stations. This reduces the number of separate work centers through which the product must be scheduled. Several features can be processed simultaneously with more than one workstation, thereby increasing the system’s overall output.

As you can imagine, this “integrated” system allows you to implement these interweaved stations as one system in your digital manufacturing implementation, thereby significantly reducing the complexity of implementation.