Embracing Industry 4.0: Enhancing Manufacturing Excellence at Aequs

Germany's National Academy of Science and Engineering published its recommendations for implementing the strategic initiative Industry 4.0 in April 2013, which laid the path for adopting Industry 4.0 by industries outside Germany. A successful realization of Industry 4.0 needs to implement horizontal integration through value networks, end-to-end digital integration of engineering across the entire value chain, and vertical integration and networked manufacturing systems.

Similarly, in manufacturing enterprises, smart manufacturing systems focus on maximizing the capabilities to increase multiple objectives, like cost, delivery, productivity, and quality. This necessitates the realization of the business cycle for supply chain management or value chain management, product development lifecycles or digital thread dimension, and production system lifecycles or smart factory dimension, as illustrated in Figure 1.

These lifecycles/dimensions can be mapped onto Industry 4.0 implementations and are supported through various heterogeneous systems/applications (e.g., ERP, SCM, MES, CAD). Industry 4.0 implementations and lifecycles aid in collecting data to build the holistic view of an enterprise, which can then be used to generate new insights by applying AI/ML algorithms for monitoring and controlling business and manufacturing processes, as depicted in Figure 2.

Apart from technologies and their underlying processes, Industry 4.0 stresses the importance of people, specifically from the perspective of the changing technology landscape. Employees will play a critical role in adopting and managing technological innovations, including problem-solving. Overall, this will have an impact on the way we work. For instance, employees need to perform more demanding work.

HIC will cater to MSMEs with a focus on technology, processes, and people. We will set up an Industry 4.0 lab to help MSMEs engaged in manufacturing adopt Industry 4.0 standards and improve their quality and efficiency. The HIC shall deploy Digital Twin, Virtual, and Augmented Reality technologies to train workers, test products virtually quickly, and gain domain knowledge.

Manufacturing Excellence at Aequs

Achieving excellence in manufacturing is not only a desired goal for a manufacturer, it is an essential requisite for manufacturers placed across the value chain, to compete in a fast globalizing market. The journey involves the integration of advanced technologies, global best practices, and a focus on continuous improvement. For instance, companies like Toyota have achieved manufacturing excellence through the implementation of the Toyota Production System, which emphasizes eliminating waste, improving efficiency, and promoting a culture of continuous improvement. Similarly, Aequs has leveraged Industry 4.0 technologies to enhance its manufacturing processes, resulting in increased productivity and reduced downtime.  Manufacturing excellence is a combination of technological innovation, operational efficiency, and a relentless focus on quality and customer satisfaction, which is our Aequs way.