Edition 14 – Why some smart factories still fail
Walk through any factory and you’ll see machines whirring, parts moving, people working. It all looks like a well-oiled machine — until you dig deeper. That’s when you uncover the hidden complexity of modern assembly lines. And it’s often the reason digital transformation projects fail.
Edition 12 – Beware the hidden costs of overlooked tasks
In today’s fast-paced industrial landscape, minor oversights can trigger major crises. As Benjamin Franklin cautioned, ‘A small leak will sink a great ship.’ In modern manufacturing, these leaks occur in the form of missed maintenance, overlooked safety checks, and untracked procedures – leading to costly operational failures.
Edition 11 – 10 Essential factors when choosing a production line supplier
If only buying a production line were as simple as clicking ‘add to cart’.
When your business is investing millions of euros or dollars on an assembly system that will serve as the heart of your manufacturing facility for the next five to seven years, you need to choose your service provider very carefully.
Edition 10 – Make your manufacturing smarter: AI computer vision
As we head into a new year, it’s time to clean house and explore new ways of making your manufacturing processes smarter, leaner, and more efficient.
Edition 09 – From digital sceptic to Digital Technician of the Year
For a walking example of digital sceptic turned digital ambassador, we chatted to Jaco Bezuidenhout, workshop manager at Mertech Marine. After implementing ODIN Checkpoint, an operational task management app, an initially reluctant Jaco saw the radical time-saving efficiencies it brought to his working day.
Edition 07 – Will digital replace Lean and Six Sigma?
For the past century or so, modern manufacturing has been guided largely by Lean and Six Sigma principles. But is that all about to change with the rise of the digital factory?
Edition 06 – How data-driven decisions outperform gut feel
The arrival of Industry 4.0 has allowed organisations to collect – and analyse – more data than ever before. However, many people fail to understand the mindset shift required and how to start using data to make the best decisions for their organisation.
Edition 05 – The reality of cobots
Cobots, or collaborative robots, are a type of industrial robot designed to work in close proximity to humans in a shared workspace. But while cobots are designed to work with you, they don’t always work for you – and their effective use will depend entirely on the production environment concerned.
In this article, we’ll first unpack their history and purpose, consider the pros and then dive into the cons for various use cases.
Edition 02 – Manufacturing: A future without workers?
As we stand bewildered by the pace of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the juggernaut of Artificial Intelligence, many workers find their job security increasingly threatened by new technologies.
Edition 01 – Demystifying the Digital Factory
For years, Industry 4.0 has been a buzzword promising a digital revolution in manufacturing. However, many manufacturers have been slower to adopt than expected – missing real opportunities to improve efficiencies and productivity.
This article aims to clear up some misconceptions and provide a practical roadmap for implementation.