Digitisation in manufacturing: is there a competitive advantage?

Is there a competitive advantage offered by digitisation in manufacturing? MachineBuilding.net asked Greg Hookings of Stratus Technologies for a view.

History has shown us time and again that companies which adopt emerging technologies gain a competitive advantage over those which do not. The competitive advantage of digitization in manufacturing is a tale almost as old as time. In 1913, Henry Ford was the first to adopt and apply the automated assembly line process (then used by the food industry) to his own factory floor. Doing so shortened his production rate from 12 hours to 2 hours and 30 minutes per vehicle and made Ford a household name.

On the flipside, history also shows us that companies who fail to restructure their processes in order to keep pace with innovation risk their bottom line. A well-known video store resisted change and ultimately found themselves buried by the door-to-door delivery of the DVD, and streaming giants. The company's reluctance to adapt their business model to keep pace with emerging media delivery systems ended with the organisation filing for Chapter 11 with $900 million in debt in 2010.

Today, advances like the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0 have brought to the manufacturing world smart machines that are capable of constant, intuitive communication. We are truly on the edge of an industry-wide transformation as the number of these devices continues to rise. Manufacturing organisations which are willing to take the leap and leverage this new, cognitive computing by integrating their Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) systems will become the industry's next success stories. By emulating the flour mills and canning factories whose assembly lines were structured for efficiency and fast production Henry Ford was able to lead the automobile industry. Similarly, manufacturers who adopt the digitisation that has served other industries so well will be the ones that rise to the top in modern manufacturing.

Machine builders might note that our ebook, The Power of On-Machine Intelligence by Stratus Technologies and the International Society of Automation (ISA) states, "Machine builders that incorporate onboard computers which support digitisation will be the preferred suppliers". Those who automate to keep pace with the innovations that the IIoT and Industrial Internet 4.0 is bringing will ultimately be sought after and valued for their efficiency.

Go to www.stratus.com to learn more about the potential offered by digitisation in manufacturing.

Stratus Technologies Systems Ltd

Watermans House
Watermans Court
Staines, Middlesex
TW18 3BA
UNITED KINGDOM

+44 (0)1784 415220

kasia.licwinko@stratus.com

www.stratus.com

More news
1 day ago
Phoenix Contact celebrates its 100th anniversary
Phoenix Contact is celebrating a century full of passion for technology and innovation. In the past 100 years, the family-run company Phoenix Contact has evolved from a commercial agency for industrial products into a global manufacturing company.
1 day ago
Igus reveals its secret to keeping manufacturers stocked and ready
Buyers of common cables, who would typically assemble their own cable sub-assemblies, are now ordering Igus e-chains and ready-to-connect cables due to Igus’ ability to deliver quickly.
1 day ago
Thorite enhances systems expertise with new appointments
Compressed air and fluid power specialist Thorite has made two new appointments to develop its specialist support in electric automation and systems building.
1 day ago
Piab Group acquires IB Verfahrens- und Anlagentechnik and Coval
Piab Group has boosted its capabilities in vacuum conveying and in robotics with the acquisitions of Coval and IB Verfahrens- und Anlagentechnik.
2 days ago
Latest Norgren acquisition sees customers access enhanced electric motion soluti
Continuing a strategic commitment to offer the widest customer choice, Norgren’s extensive range of electric motion solutions has been further enhanced with the introduction of a new portfolio of linear and multi axis systems.
5 days ago
RS unveils Better World product range of sustainable products
RS Group, a global omni-channel provider of industrial product and service solutions, has announced the launch of its Better World product range.
5 days ago
Sumo processing system offers big benefits thanks to Yaskawa robot
A new robotic handling system based on the MOTOMAN GP7 robot from Yaskawa has proved to be very successful on an automatic grinding machine for a major German pump manufacturer which specialises in supplying customised pumps for automotive engineering applications.
1 week ago
Schaeffler destroys ten tonnes of counterfeit rolling bearings
Schaeffler takes regular and consistent action against counterfeit products, and now it has had around 30,000 counterfeits with a total weight of ten tonnes destroyed in Schweinfurt.
1 week ago
Klüber Lubrication awarded with gold medal for sustainability again in 2023
Klüber Lubrication was awarded the ‘gold medal’ by EcoVadis, a leading company for sustainability ratings, for the second time after 2022. This makes the lubricant manufacturer one of the best four percent of more than 100,000 companies rated worldwide.
1 week ago
Festo highlights the benefits of standardised hardware
Festo says its standardised hardware and the ability to work with the industry leading control architectures makes its stepper and servo drives, remote I/O and valve terminals a natural choice for machine manufacturers and end-users.

Login / Sign up