Industry 4.0 Business Model Dilemma for OEMs

whitePaper | August 3, 2022

Automakers, OEMs, and suppliers have faced unprecedented challenges in the wake of COVID-19. From chip shortages to truck barricades on the US–Canada border cutting off the flow of products, the automotive industry has been severely impacted by challenges that are leading to a loss of sales and frustrated customers. Advanced technologies are no longer “nice to have” but are now essential as automotive manufacturers step up their game to provide customers with more for less. Patched together, legacy systems, and outdated functionality tend to create more confusion than answers. Disconnected, siloed teams struggle with unreliable data and no clear vision for gaining new customers and retaining the old.

whitePaper | April 25, 2023

Automation is crucial to increase productivity and efficiency in the manufacturing industry. Remote access to industrial automation devices is essential for manufacturers to control and update their devices from anywhere at any time. However, this is often a challenging task due to cybersecurity requirements, communication protocols, and complex network architectures. The white paper discusses a secure connectivity service that enables remote access to industrial automation devices from SDA’s cloud‑hosted services.

whitePaper | October 3, 2022

If yours is like most businesses today, you run a tight ship. When you see problems on your production line, you do not wait to solve them, and the result is a lean operation that does not let issues linger or snowball into larger problems. But it is impossible to fix what you cannot see or track. While Industry 4.0 is often a buzzword, Watlow® is already providing solutions that are helping manufacturers proactively forecast future issues and reduce costs. Given that the average cost of an hour of downtime in manufacturing was $532,000 in 2021, there is so much opportunity for businesses to save money with Industry 4.0.

whitePaper | October 11, 2022

Identifying problems before they cause equipment failure and costly, unplanned downtime is the purpose of proactive and predictive maintenance programs. And one of the most reliable ways of catching problems before they become failures is to detect when a piece of equipment is beginning to operate outside of its normal parameters – especially if it is beginning to run too hot or too cold. Variations from normal heating are often the first signs of impending equipment failure, so frequent thermal inspections of critical equipment such as motors, belts, and drives not only helps extend the life of these assets, but keep your entire operation up and running normally

whitePaper | November 11, 2022

The manufacturing and hi-tech industries are accustomed to economic downturns, legislative impacts, tax and tariff complexities, and supply chain concerns. During the Great Recession, the United States’ manufacturing downturn resulted in a loss of 10% of its GDP, compared with only 4% for the overall economy. With these already poignant experiences, it is not hard to believe the pace of change has picked up in the last decade.

whitePaper | July 1, 2020

Read this resource for tips you can use now to increase your OEE (overall equipment effectiveness) and modernize the maintenance program at your manufacturing organization to reduce risk and increase efficiency. This e-book can help you unlock new efficiency and drive profit with tips around