The digital transformation in industry is both a must in the modern dynamics of industrial and service companies, and a choice to be taken into account in all the subtleties of its implications.
The workings of Industry 4.0 are as complex as they offer unprecedented growth opportunities for businesses. As such, it is fundamental for a company to understand all the issues involved in adopting a digital strategy.
In this article discover :
1. What is a digital strategy in the industry?
2. What difficulties can companies face in such a transformation?
3. What are the challenges of a digital transformation for your field operations?
4. The promises of Industry 4.0
1. What is a digital strategy in the industry?
To understand the dynamics of a digital strategy characteristic of industry 4.0In order to understand the dynamics of a digital strategy characteristic of industry 4.0, it is first necessary to understand the revolutions that led to the industry of the future. The first revolution, in the 18th century, saw the introduction of water or steam powered machines into industry. It was the precursor of all the technological advances that were to follow.
The second saw the introduction of a division of labour organised by production lines, the introduction of electrical energy, and the first mass production.
With the first programmable logic controllers, the third industrial revolution was born. Characterised by electronics and IT, the automation of production was possible.
All these revolutions led to the inevitable birth of the fourth revolution: the birth of cyber systems and the rise of new technologies.
The term digital strategy encompasses all the digital components that will enable the company to optimize its performance in various fields of activity.
Intrinsically linked to the development of the Internet and new technologies, a digital strategy uses incredibly varied and diverse media and methods depending on the sectors of activity, the issues, and the expectations of companies.
In the broadest sense, a digital strategy refers to the action plan on digital and mobile media that will enable the achievement of overall objectives for society.
2. What difficulties may companies encounter in such a transformation?
Digital transformation is facing resistance on two levels:
The reluctance to face the development and integration of smart factory and industry 4.0 technologies in companies.
The need to restructure existing business models with the emergence of new competitive factors and a narrowing gap between industry and services.
3. What are the challenges of a digital transformation for your field operations?
Transform your procedures into digital and interactive procedures
The interactivity of these procedures, characterised by media such as images and videos, adaptability to the operator's responses, and the sharing of information to assist in the correct execution of interventions, allows for a significant increase in the quality of work for operators.
Digitalising procedures will allow your company to gain efficiency, make significant time savings by automatically transforming previous paper procedures, and connect procedures and business software to gain visibility.
Connecting your field operators with these solutions allows for optimal monitoring. This connection consists of three basic elements:
- 360° vision of operations by managers
- Real-time collection of procedures
- Collaboration between teams
Monitor your operations continuously: this will allow a complete and consolidated view of the industrial park, real-time monitoring of operations, and alerts in case of anomalies. In addition, continuous improvement of operations for productivity gains, as well as real-time organization of work schedules.
Improve the quality of work of your field operators on a daily basis: this will enhance the skills of your operators, reduce the time-consuming processes that impact their work, and avoid them carrying heavy paper loads daily - a major issue for operators.
Improve your TRS and reduce your operating costs: digitization can help your business move closer to condition-based or even predictive maintenance. These new dynamics will allow you to anticipate machine downtime and optimize its use.
Connect your data: will allow an optimisation of productivity by a collective real-time vision of the information concerning all the equipment, in addition to an interactivity with the IT environment of your company. In addition to the consultation by managers of the data linked to the equipment on which the operator intervenes, access to the information necessary for the correct execution of operations, on PDFs located on the company's databases, allows for extreme precision in the execution of atypical and specific tasks.
All of these components are elements that will allow your company to achieve optimal objectives.
It is first and foremost a question of understanding the needs of the company, the degree of criticality of the various perimeters and processes identified by the need for digitization, the precise ROI expectations, as well as the use cases concerned and the volume of users affected by this digitization.
After identifying your needs and expectations, the challenges taken up by the dynamics of Industry 4.0 will generate unprecedented results. Optimized quality of work, optimal productivity, immeasurable time savings and consolidated visibility throughout the industrial park will be the order of the day.
4. The Promise of Industry 4.0
In industry, a typical digital strategy of Industry 4.0 may concern the dematerialization of all procedures and data related to interventions carried out on the equipment of the industrial park.
The use of a mobile solution, which allows, among other things, real-time reporting of interventions, feedback of information to managers, consolidated visibility over the entire fleet, as well as optimized quality and safety at work, is generally accompanied by monitoring and training by the company providing the solution.
This point is critical when choosing the solution you will adopt to begin your journey towards digitisation: in addition to the solution's functionalities and their response to your needs, support from the team providing you with the solution, as well as training of your field operators, are fundamental to ensure a successful implementation.
The implementation of this solution is carried out on a determined perimeter and use cases, as well as on a defined and often progressive sample of users.
Some results:
The main ROI can be for example a reporting 2 to 3 times faster, a 25% time saving on daily rounds, a 20% increase in overall productivity, 10,000 new data after an implementation of less than 3 months, a reduced error rate, an unprecedented growth in equipment availability ... For more information on the results to be achieved by digitizing your procedures, find all our case studies.
The inexorable evolution of the industry has led to the rise of a digitally driven dynamic. This digital technology puts the spotlight on data, on the human factor behind the achievement of unprecedented results. As well as the continuous improvement of all procedures and practices in operation.
With an understanding of the pre-requisites for a successful digital strategy - which include team training, a willingness on the part of stakeholders to take this shift and understand the implications, and the restructuring of incompatible models - the status quo (characterized by time-consuming procedures, limited data quality, and limited visibility) is replaced by a quality, productivity and security never before achieved.
