Smart factory is a term coming from the fourth industrial revolution or generally known as Industry 4.0. In the last few decades, we entered the fourth industrial revolution era, an era that emphasises on digital transformation of manufacturing or production and related industries and value creation processes. What exactly is a smart factory?
When looking into the definition of a term related to IT and business leaders, it is best to get it from Gartner. Here is how they define smart factory. “The smart factory is a concept used to describe the application of different combinations of modern technologies to create a hyperflexible, self-adapting manufacturing capability. Smart factories are an opportunity to create new forms of efficiency and flexibility by connecting different processes, information streams and stakeholders (frontline workers, planners, etc.) in a streamlined fashion.” Said Gartner.
Now that we have gathered the definition of smart factory, let’s look at its elements. There are three main elements that make up the smart factory which are smart devices, humans and smart products.
The smart devices that makes up the smart factory is called Multi-Agent System which involves the collaboration of intelligent industrial robots, sensors, controllers, and CNC machines. These smart devices work together and communicate with the smart products and production control system so that the machines and the whole process can be self-optimised.
Next, humans as an element of smart factory refers to employees and customers. The employees are responsible in applying the concept of industry 4.0 such as the application of smart devices and the communication network, while, the customers applies IoT in defining the details of their smart products.
Lastly, the smart products which are the final product or intelligent products that communicate, network and collect data during the manufacturing process and usage.
In summary, smart factory is a concept that involves the integration of smart devices, humans and smart products where smart devices are used to produce products that meet the customer’s demands.
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