Implementing Industry 4.0 in a company requires the fulfillment of a series of steps. With this type of industry, the aim is to integrate the company’s machinery with technological equipment.
The aim is for both sectors to work together to maximize production processes. As well as to improve the supply chain and meet the delivery of orders to customers within the established goals.
Now, you may be wondering what steps you need to apply in your company to make this a reality. Here you will find the answers to this and other questions related to this topic.
Steps to follow to implement Industry 4.0 in your company
Today, there are many companies that want to implement Industry 4.0. However, they are unsure of the steps steps to follow or what they need to do to carry it out.
To help you solve this unknown, we have selected several steps that will make your company’s incursion into this wonderful world of Industry 4.0 easier:
1. Connecting equipment and machinery
This step is the main one to be taken into account, although for some people it is somewhat complicated. However, it is of utmost importance to start creating communication links in the company.
First, a common network must be set up, bringing together the existing machines throughout the company, the peripheral equipment and the database. This important step will contribute to the activation of fluid communication in the company.
For everything to work properly, a control center must be installed, in order to have access to the equipment and machinery from any location. Thanks to this point, production activities become less monotonous.
2. Obtaining data
Once the connection between equipment and machinery is achieved, the collection and storage of production-related data follows. This is something that is already done in every company, but with 4.0 technology it is simpler. In order for this step to be carried out, several means can be used:
- Collect relevant information in a local buffer
- Using a database server is the most common method used by companies to prevent important details of their internal management from being disclosed to the outside world.
- Storing in the cloudis a medium that over the years and technological advances has been gaining customers in the industries.
The most important thing when adopting any of the above options is to ensure the security of the company’s data. The optimization of the information gathering process brings about the unburdening of the common network.
3. Display production data
The entire Industry 4.0 environment revolves around enterprise data. The aim is not to store them, but to make the most of them by learning how to visualize the data provided by the production process.
Through this step, the person has the opportunity to filter the data obtained to acquire knowledge regarding:
- Frequent errors that often occur on shift machines.
- Quality of all production.
- Machines that decrease production and consequently product quality.
For data visualization to bear fruit, the information obtained must be managed by the user. The software does not have the capacity to interpret the information so far.
4. Analyze and automate
Finally, it is necessary to analyze and automate the entire process to obtain favorable results that lead to the consolidation of I4.0 in the company. To this end, operators must be provided with data that can be processed quickly.
It is important to have unlimited access to information 24 hours a day to improve productivity and the product supply chain. In terms of automation, the equipment becomes able to maintain itself, making decisions that lead to its smooth operation.
The operator’s job, in this case, would be to approve the tasks once they have been evaluated. The incursion into Industry 4.0 from your company will bring substantial improvements that will lead you to achieve your goals in the short term.