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Unpacking all things Industry 4.0, automation, and digital manufacturing technologies.
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- Every argument about putting humanoid robots in factories centres on whether the robot can do the job. But the real question is who tells the robot what to do and checks that it has completed the task correctly? Like any operator, they aren’t ready to roll from the start, which the business case for humanoids often ignores as a cost factor. On a digitised assembly line, the guiding instruction layer already exists to assist who (or what) ever needs it. And, if this happens to be a robot, the instruction should remain agnostic to the brand standing at the station, explains Yanesh Naidoo.
- Every argument about putting humanoid robots in factories centres on whether the robot can do the job. But the real question is who tells the robot what to do and checks that it has completed the task correctly? Like any operator, they aren’t ready to roll from the start, which the business case for humanoids often ignores as a cost factor. On a digitised assembly line, the guiding instruction layer already exists to assist who (or what) ever needs it. And, if this happens to be a robot, the instruction should remain agnostic to the brand standing at the station, explains Yanesh Naidoo.
- Volkswagen in China has halved its vehicle development time – from around 48 to 24 months. Following on from last month’s article, it’s another real-world example of an OEM rethinking its vehicles and being led by software-defined design.
- A common misconception that we see in our business is the thinking that adding a monitoring layer – a live dashboard on top of a real assembly line – will fix all problems when it comes to the flow of production. But management are often unpleasantly surprised when their investment doesn’t deliver significant improvements in flexibility and performance over time.
- Conventional wisdom suggests that manufacturing innovation originates in highly developed economies and flows to developing ones. Because that’s where the cutting-edge technologies and specialist skills are seated, right?
- When developing assembly systems for a host of customers who are all building the same product in wildly varying shapes and sizes, it can be tricky to find a solution that meets every requirement. And it can be tempting to give up in the face of seemingly insurmountable hurdles. But, writes Yanesh Naidoo , if you really listen to the customer problem, you can look beyond the risk and difficulties, and rise to meet the manufacturing opportunity that lies within.
- While the electric vehicle (EV) race has dominated automotive manufacturing strategy and investment for over a decade, the smarter approach might have been to stick with what you know, play to your strengths or, ultimately, pick a lane. In this article, Yanesh Naidoo unpacks why those brands that have done just that are still on track during a time of global upheaval in the sector.
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