In this two-part blog series, we discuss how smart factories can stay connected during lockdowns. Part I highlights Tools for Speed, Certainty, and Stability Now and Post-COVID-19.
The need to stay connected with remote teams and work collaboratively is more pronounced than ever in the current global situation. To this effort, Cyient’s design-led manufacturing (DLM) printed circuit boards and system build manufacturing facility in Mysore, India, is a prime example of how Industry 4.0 concepts can enable businesses to stay connected with remote teams and suppliers.
Figure 1: Cyient PCB manufacturing facility and its digital twin
Leaders form the manufacturing facility worked with Cyient’s digital solutions teams to implement IoT connectivity and a high-quality digital twin of the entire factory. The real-time machine data and digital twin provide a detailed simulation of the DLM operations from the facility layout, assembly lines, and machines to the integration of safety protocols, messaging, and real-time production dashboards.
Digital information captured from machine data across the factory enables customized views of job details, machine utilization, cycle times, and production output. Cameras placed strategically in the factory capture streaming video of specific machines to view the operation in real-time.
“Since the COVID-19 lockdown was initiated across India, our teams have relied heavily on remote connectivity to access real-time operational data through BI dashboards. From my home office in Hyderabad, I can review manufacturing output, quality metrics, and machine utilization in real-time to ensure that we meet our customer commitments. The digital tools were essential as our Mysore facility modified production to ramp up manufacturing of COVID-19 test kits for our customer Molbio Diagnostics.” - Rajendra Velagapudi, Senior Vice President and CEO, Cyient DLM
BI Dashboard
Leaders and teams across the company access the BI dashboard to manage daily manufacturing tasks and priorities and integrate them into their weekly and monthly operations reviews with senior leaders. Customers can also access their product information through the BI dashboards
Virtual Reality meets Smart Factory
The DLM team also worked with our digital experts to develop a virtual reality (VR) training application. The app, while initially intended for training employees and providing virtual tours, helped enhance remote communications during the lockdown. It enables viewing real-time BI dashboard information within the virtual factory environment, further enhancing collaboration among remote teams.
How can Smart Factories, BI Dashboards, and VR Apps benefit manufacturing operations?
Virtual Employee Training
- Introduce new safety procedures
- Explain new procedures for social distancing and cleaning
- Ramp up new employees and test skill levels before deployment
- Train employees on the impact of process changes or modified workflows
- Enable remote assistance from experts in the simulated environment
Virtual Remote Communications
- Communicate production status in real-time through consolidated dashboards
- Provide additional transparency in operational and quality metrics in a simulated environment
- Offer virtual tours for prospective customers
Virtual Management Reviews
- Visit the factory virtually when travel is limited or prohibited
- Go on-site virtually to review KPI’s by product, machine, assembly line or across the factory
- Model scenarios to make decisions on operations
- Simulate new product introductions or factory layout changes
Remote connectivity, digital technology, and access to real-time data have enabled Cyient’s DLM facility to adapt and react quickly and reliably under the lockdown environment. Tools such as BI dashboards, digital twins, and integrated VR applications are enabling better management of resources, fast data-driven decisions, global remote communications, and agile capacity adjustments to meet essential production needs in the battle against the coronavirus. Learn more.
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