Articles Tagged with ''smart factory''

Developing the next generation of manufacturing engineers requires new types of hands-on education. That’s why Purdue Polytechnic’s School of Engineering Technology (SoET) recently built a state-of-the-art facility that features cutting-edge production equipment.

Audi AG is using Edge Cloud 4 Production (EC4P), a new method of IT-based factory automation, at its assembly plant in Böllinger Höfe.

SAN FRANCISCO—Pico MES, a software company that is enabling digital transformation for small to medium-sized American factories, has received $12.35 million in investment from multiple venture capital firms, including Bosch Ventures, Counterpart Ventures and Momenta. 

The hazards of supply chain gaps and the advantages of domestic manufacturing became painfully clear during the pandemic. Unprecedented pressures are compelling companies to innovate and reshore production back to the U.S. to mitigate global risk and augment resiliency.

How can manufacturers make the critical transition from data to action? How do they effectively navigate the overabundance of data to pick out what’s meaningful? How do they use these insights to drive overall productivity and efficiency in an automotive context?

The answer to these questions involves deploying a three-tiered IIoT approach that provides automotive OEMs and suppliers with a comprehensive digital roadmap for their operations.

Companies achieve manufacturing excellence when people have the tools they need to produce high-quality work. On the shop floor, this comes about through the marriage of workers and machinery and the refining of processes through constant care and iteration. 

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN—Accenture and Purdue University have formed an initiative that will focus on developing a smart manufacturing workforce.

The current paradigm of car manufacturing, which provides a variety of models, colors and options, is called mass customization. However, mass customization is now transforming into mass individualization. In mass individualization, products are uniquely catered to consumers’ desires. For example, some car buyers may want to replace ordinary car seats with luxury brands, such as Louis Vuitton, to differentiate themselves.

Rotor blades, guide vanes and other components for jet engines are made from costly materials and machined to precise tolerances. Such components are typically made in batches, due to the time involved in setting up machine centers. The process also requires a fair number of people to tend the machines and assist in changeover.

KAOHSIUNG CITY, Taiwan—ASE Technology Holding Co. Ltd., one of the world’s largest semiconductor testing and packaging firms, plans to build a highly advanced smart factory here, as the industry grapples with a labor shortage.