BY CHENG WEI QUAN
When thinking about the manufacturing process, the first thing that comes to my mind are the automations in assembly lines of a factory, producing goods from raw materials. However, the current trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies, called Industry 4.0, is more than just machines and computers in a factory. The visit to the Manufacturing Control Tower (MCT) at SIMTech was insightful as we were able to understand the workings of a “smart factory” in Industry 4.0, which utilises a cyber-physical system to improve efficiency of manufacturing processes.
The MCT contains 4 main demonstrator areas, namely Timely Supply Chain and Logistics (TSCL), Predictive Enterprise, Worry-free Shopfloor, and Eco-Efficient Resource Management. Each of these areas focuses on the application of computing and Internet of Things (IoT) in order to solve existing problems in the manufacturing industry. For instance, the TSCL showcases the optimisation technologies in MCT, which allows customer orders to be automatically optimised and allocated to meet due dates and reduce fulfilment costs more effectively. With the SIMTech-developed Vehicle Routing Programme (VRP) optimisation engine, automated planning of driver assignments, real-time monitoring of operations and dispatching becomes a smooth and easy process. All the planner is required to do is simply adjust the routes based on any sudden changes or events and the drivers will be notified via the On-the-go Planning and Monitoring Solution application instantly, providing flexibility to meet customers’ requirements.
The aim of MCT is to reach out to manufacturing companies with these solutions to help them increase their overall operational efficiency and effectiveness, while also providing aspiring researchers with the opportunities to join them in their ventures to conduct R&D in the manufacturing environment. Those who are interested in manufacturing research should definitely visit the MCT website for more information regarding the current manufacturing technologies.