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From Concept to Use Cases: Big Data Analytics in Manufacturing

Bhagyashri Kambale | March 07, 2022 | 550 views
FROM CONCEPT TO USE CASES
Big data analytics in manufacturing is all you need to improve your business's efficiency, quality, and productivity in today's data-driven industry. It helps you transform your business data into actionable analytics to make informed decisions on business processes and operations.

“Data is the new science. Big data holds the answers.”

– Pat Gelsinger, CEO at VMware

The significance of manufacturing industry data analysis is critical, and many manufacturers have recognized this and have started incorporating it into their manufacturing operations. According to Research and Markets, the manufacturing sector market was worth $904.65 million in 2019 and is predicted to grow to $4.55 billion by 2025.

In this article, we'll look at the importance of big data in manufacturing, its applications, and how some of the industry's major players are incorporating it into their manufacturing processes and operations.

Why Do Manufacturers Need Big Data?

Big data analytics in manufacturing helps manufacturers find new information and identify trends. This enables them to improve operations, increase supply chain efficiency, and identify variables that affect production.

Many leaders from the manufacturing industry recognize the importance of big data and have either started applying it to their business or are planning to do so.
  • According to a KRC research report, 67% of manufacturing executives considered investing in manufacturing data analytics, especially in the face of pressure to minimize costs in this volatile market.
  • According to MicroStrategy, 59% of organizations worldwide are using big data analytics.

Big Data: From the Past to the Future

Herman Hollerith invented the first punch card tabulating machine that marked the foundation of data processing. Hollerith's tabulating device was utilized to process data from the 1890 United States Census. Later that year, in 1911, he formed the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company, which evolved into IBM. It is now based in Armonk, New York, with operations in more than 171 countries.

This international corporation develops computer hardware, software, and middleware, and provides hosting and consulting services in different sectors, ranging from mainframe computers to nanotechnology. The company is a significant research institution that has set the bar for the number of U.S. patents generated annually by a firm for the last 28 years (as of 2020). 

Companies Using Big Data Analytics 


Amazon

The enormous benefit of big data is its capacity to assist businesses in innovating and redeveloping their products. Essentially, big data has evolved to generate additional revenue streams by enabling innovations and product development. Before developing new product lines or redesigning old products, organizations begin by fixing as much data as possible.

How does Amazon make use of big data?
Most people are familiar with Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market. This is an excellent illustration of how big data can benefit the growth of innovation and product creation. Amazon uses big data analytics to get a foothold in a vast market. Amazon's experience in data-driven logistics enables the creation and achievement of more value. By focusing on manufacturing analytics, Amazon Whole Foods deciphers how customers purchase products and how suppliers engage with the store.

PepsiCo

Big data enables supplier networks to operate with increased precision, clarity, and insight. Suppliers achieve contextual insight throughout supply chains by utilizing manufacturing data analysis. Essentially, providers can overcome previous limitations using big data analytics.

How does PepsiCo leverage big data to optimize its supply chain?
PepsiCo is a consumer packaged goods company that depends mainly on massive amounts of data to operate its supply chain efficiently. The organization is committed to restocking the shelves of shops with the proper quantities and varieties of products. Clients give reports on their warehouse and point-of-sale inventory, which the company uses to reconcile and estimate production and shipment requirements. This way, the corporation guarantees that shops have the appropriate products, in the appropriate quantities, and at the appropriate times. Read our latest infographic to learn more about increasing the efficiency of your manufacturing business. 

Big Data in Manufacturing: Use Cases


Supply Chain Management

Big data allows manufacturers to track their products' actual position. The ability to track is one of the most important features offered by big data to manufacturers. Traceability is important since many products released by manufacturers are lost or hard to trace. Barcode scanners and radio frequency transmission equipment can set up a parcel's coordinates. These devices broadcast the product's location, pinpointing its exact location.

Identifying client needs is a challenge when predicting market trends. Big data assists by predicting client requests and assisting with product delivery timings. This type of forecasting can help businesses improve their profits and workforce by looking at their supply chain.

Production Management Once businesses have discovered market requirements, the same analytics for manufacturing can assist them in evaluating the volume of products necessary in the market. Previously, when big data analytics did not exist, businesses relied on human estimates, which frequently resulted in excess or insufficient production. This technique has been deemed obsolete because of its inaccuracy. Instead, organizations gain intuitive insights from the data they collect and analyze using big data analytics for manufacturing.

Machine Maintenance

When a company manufactures something, it intends to maintain its machinery, from how it currently runs to what changes are required to keep it working properly. These robots' sensors may continuously collect data. Device data helps firms determine when and how much maintenance a machine needs. Big data analytics can help manufacturers keep track of their machinery by assessing and improving their efficiency.

Daily Production

For a company to run properly, they must monitor their daily activities, production capacity, and financial performance. Big data analytics can help manufacturing organizations by giving intuitive insights from numerous sources. These sources include operating machines, databases tracking unit production, and employee records. This data can help corporations make profitable improvements.

Quality Assessment

Quality control is important in manufacturing since the products must be of the highest quality. Big data analytics can also help here by providing vital information about any changes in the development process.

Businesses recognize the need to utilize technological breakthroughs as manufacturing transforms. Big data analytics helps enterprises not only track and forecast market demands but also maintain quality measurements and standards. This ensures product quality and increases profitability for a manufacturer's products.

Final Word

We understand the significance of big data in manufacturing, and the sooner you start collecting data on your manufacturing processes, the sooner you can implement the latest advancements. Therefore, delve further into big data, data analytics, and data science services to assist your manufacturing organization in growing and blooming to the next level.

FAQ


Is data science the same as big data?

No, data science and big data are not synonymous. Big data collects varied and complicated data, whereas data science is a multidisciplinary area that tries to generate broader insights from data.

What purpose does data serve in manufacturing?

Manufacturing data provides a deeper insight into market trends, a complete grasp of client needs, and predicts future trends. In a nutshell, it includes everything necessary for manufacturing companies to maintain a competitive edge.

How are manufacturing data defined?

Manufacturing data refers to all data, information, materials, and documentation developed or generated in connection with the product’s manufacturing. This includes manufacturing and control data as well as additional data and documentation requested by or submitted to a Regulatory Authority.

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Epicor Acquires MES Provider eFlex Systems, Expanding Industry 4.0 Capabilities to Modernize Manufacturing Production Processes

Epicor | October 07, 2022

Epicor, a global leader of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, today announced it has acquired eFlex Systems, a provider of cloud-based Manufacturing Execution System (MES) technologies. The acquisition expands the Epicor portfolio of Advanced MES capabilities to help manufacturers increase productivity by modernizing their production environments through digital work instructions, advanced process control, and real-time visibility. Financial terms were not disclosed. “I am thrilled to bring eFlex Systems into the Epicor family! Shop floors are a complex intersection of people, machines, robots, and materials, and it’s critical they work seamlessly together, People will continue to be at the heart of manufacturing, and our acquisition of eFlex Systems extends our ability to give Epicor customers the information they need to improve the user experience and unlock new levels of productivity.” -Steve Murphy, CEO Epicor. The eFlex Systems Manufacturing Integrated Platform (MIP®) enables manufacturers to manage and visualize global operations in real time, connecting devices, sensors, and machines with people to help operators build the right part, with the right tool, at the right setting in a safe and repeatable way. This helps manufacturers solve labor challenges by simplifying tasks and extending workers with connected devices which improves productivity. Epicor customers will be able to digitize processes through operator guidance, alerts, traceability, and data collection at the individual task level. Workstations can be configured and connected to their environments through open protocols and tools such as RFID, MQTT, and Node-RED, enabling operators to seamlessly leverage IoT devices such as DC tooling, barcode readers, weight scales, pick lights, PLCs, and others to complete the task at hand. “We’ve always been focused at eFlex Systems on helping customers reimagine manufacturing through sustainable, world-class production processes, By joining with Epicor, we’re furthering our mission to modernize manufacturing and bridge the data gap with cost-effective, easy-to-use solutions that drive efficiencies and throughput.” -Dan McKiernan CEO eFlex. About Epicor: Epicor Software Corporation equips hard-working businesses with enterprise solutions that keep the world turning. For nearly 50 years, Epicor customers in the automotive, building supply, distribution, manufacturing, and retail industries have trusted Epicor to help them do business better. Innovative Epicor solution sets are carefully curated to fit customer needs and built to respond flexibly to their fast-changing reality. With deep industry knowledge and experience, Epicor accelerates its customers’ ambitions, whether to grow and transform, or simply become more productive and effective.

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3D PRINTING

Fortify Ships FLUX CORE 3D Printer to IERUS Technologies

Fortify | October 06, 2022

Fortify, provider of advanced composite-photopolymer printers, announced today that IERUS Technologies received a FLUX CORE 3D printer and Flux Developer materials onboarding software for design and engineering of Defense Systems. The 3D printer will be used to realize complex RF (radio frequency) applications. "Placing a printer at the IERUS Technologies headquarters provides a critical resource to support the growing need for additive manufacturing solutions in electromagnetics for Defense, Fortify's printers are uniquely positioned to print low-loss 3D printing materials, enabling performance advantages where traditional manufacturing falls short (due to machining, weight, and size)." -Eric Versluys, Director of Defense Programs at Fortify. IERUS Technologies, a provider of engineering and design solutions for Defense and commercial customers, such as sensors and strategic systems, is designing novel RF structures such as Graded Refractive Index (GRIN) lenses leveraging Fortify's FLUX CORE system. The Flux Core system enables companies like IERUS to take advantage of the design freedoms enabled by RadixTM, a 3D printable low-loss material developed by Rogers Corporation. "The Fortify 3D printer line will enable IERUS Technologies to develop complex RF structures that push the limits of traditional RF architectures with novel electromagnetic phenomenologies." -Jason Keen, CEO of IERUS Technologies This announcement comes a few months after Fortify's strategic investment from In-Q-Tel and the development of a portfolio of electronic 3D printing materials. IERUS will leverage the FLUX Developer toolkit, an open platform for the development of viscous and filled resins, to optimize printing of RF devices. Fortify will be showcasing 3D printed RF structures printed on the FLUX CORE 3D printer at Array 2022 October 11 - 14 in Waltham, MA. About Fortify: Fortify is transforming the 3D printing industry with its patented DCM (Digital Composite Manufacturing) platform. DCM delivers new levels of additively manufactured part performance by introducing functional additives to photopolymers. By combining a deep understanding of material science with high performance mixing, magnetics, and polymer physics, Fortify is able to produce custom microstructures in high-resolution 3D printed parts. The company is currently focused on applications ranging from injection mold tooling to high performance end-use parts with unique mechanical and electromagnetic properties. Founded in 2016 and based in Boston, Fortify4 technology enables material properties and components unattainable using other additive or traditional manufacturing processes.

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