The Tech That Runs Today's Hypermodern Facilities.
We’re standing on the edge of a new era. Lay audiences and industry specialists agree that technology has once again nudged us to a watershed moment in the evolution of how we live and work. The global conversation around technology’s blazing rate of progress, inexhaustible possibilities, and wide-ranging consequences is full of conviction, awe, and fear.
A glance at a few of last month’s headlines reveals how deeply tech has penetrated every aspect of the human experience:
Considering that businesses are increasingly looking for tech-driven solutions to their efficiency, capacity, and quality challenges and that socially, we’ve been conditioned to expect technology to advance, what does this mean for the facilities in which businesses operate?
Join us for this month’s edition of Bytes & Insights as we leave the familiarity of the modern facility and enter the realm of the hypermodern.
Beyond the Modern Facility
Occasionally, we see terms outlive their utility, fading from disuse (see: forsooth) or from overuse (see: gourmet). Such is the decline of “modern.” When industrial and even digital technologies are 1) not new to the world; and 2) rapidly advancing in design and function, the concept of something being “modern” loses its precision. What qualifies?
The first conveyor belt systems were invented more than 120 years ago. ENIAC, the world’s first “modern” computer system, was conceived to win World War II. Categorization of these machines as modern must be taken through a very wide lens of history.
Today, industrial technology plays a multifaceted role, with flexibility now a primary operational goal in addition to quality and efficiency. In a climate where bot-to-human and bot-to-bot collaboration is frequent, data collection is unceasing, and everything is network-enabled, integrations between systems are key. So how can businesses maximize the advantages that industrial technology offers?
Dream Big
Business leaders can’t be afraid to stand on tech’s leading edge: rapid technological progress demands agility and adaptability.
When the implementation of innovative technology is closely aligned with a business’s growth strategy, the investment is worth the growing pains. Plant engineers and their design-build partners can position a business for long-term success by designing facilities with extra space and utility connections or by consolidating existing processes with compact, efficient skid systems. Production managers can ensure the success of new operational technology by investing in talent that demonstrates expertise on these systems (or is willing to learn). Both approaches help establish hypermodern facilities that can meet the dynamic needs of growing businesses.
Practice Industrial Yoga
Flexibility in production factors heavily into operational efficiency. Robotics, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, and modular process skids are tools that allow manufacturers to achieve a higher level of production flexibility and efficiency. A more flexible production model enables operators to fluidly switch between SKUs, manufacturing products of varying recipe/composition, size, packaging format, etc. without manual changeovers or lengthy equipment downtime. The adoption of wearable technologies can make workers more efficient by reducing the physical demands of various tasks and providing a convenient reference for complex procedures or quality control metrics, while still giving human operators autonomy.
Embrace the Data
Perhaps no aspect of business has changed more than the availability of data and its impact when collected and used purposefully. A network of IoT sensors placed on critical process equipment reports enough data to paint an extremely accurate picture of your operation. Fieldbus architecture allows for the two-way exchange of data, linking complex networks of sensors, actuators, and programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Thorough analysis of this data will yield opportunities for process optimization, alert you to problems on the horizon, and provide hard evidence to evaluate proposed operational changes.
An abundance of well-sorted data will also save you from the headache of a compliance audit. This is especially helpful for food & beverage processors, who must maintain records demonstrating strict adherence to food safety regulations and regular equipment maintenance.
Byte: The hypermodern facility is defined not by a specific technology, but by its agility. Position your business to meet changes in consumer demand, logistical challenges, and equipment performance by adopting versatile systems that provide the range of function and operational data you need to stay ahead of the curve.
Technology is transforming industrial facilities inside and out. Click here to learn what the emergence of the hypermodern facility means for your business.
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Virtual Reality, Material Advantage
Better use of technology starts long before your facility is ever built. To grow a successful business, you must design for the ambitions you’ll set out to achieve in the years to come, not just for your current goals. Just as leaders need technology that can adequately respond when things go worse than expected, so too do they need “success-proof” facilities and technologies with the capacity to perform when things go much better than expected. That’s when technology’s ability to push the bounds of what’s possible becomes most useful.
Designing a success-proof facility demands a fresh perspective. Where traditional design can feel abstract, technology-assisted design provides clear visuals that better engage our senses and facilitate innovation and improvement. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) offer these benefits and more by transforming design from a static, two-dimensional snapshot to a dynamic, engaging representation of your space and the activity occurring within it.
In a 3D virtual setting, users can more easily account for worker safety, ergonomics, and production targets by simulating actual plant processes. By providing a richer, more sensory experience and in-depth perspective, AR and VR give agency to non-designers as well, allowing them to examine the environments that architects and engineers are building for them.
Byte: AR and VR integration with industry standard systems and protocols makes them viable tools for developing your processes and building systems. These empower decision-makers with real-world data in a comprehensible package.
Want to know more about AR- and VR-assisted design? Read the full article here .
C:\Program Files\Your Business>start techsuccess.exe
We’ve discussed the advantages of incorporating technologies such as AR and VR into a facility’s design, but what benefits do they offer once your operation is fully up and running?
Tech-to-Tech
Product inspection, quality control, and maintenance are driven by a set of critical factors, each with its own parameters. Vision systems and machine learning can help improve how your technology examines and responds to these crucial stimuli. Your business’s IT/OT engineers and an effective system integration partner can ensure your material handling equipment, process & packaging systems, and network architecture are marching in lockstep and that your data is flowing appropriately between systems and control points like PLCs and HMIs.
Tech-to-Human
Of all AR- and VR-enabled wearable technology’s applications for improving industrial operations, its greatest potential lies in its use as a training tool. By simulating a real-world environment and training personnel to perform complex processes or operate dangerous or sensitive equipment, you open the door for your workforce to achieve a level of expertise and critical redundancy that would otherwise be nearly impossible—and with practically zero risk to operators and equipment!
AR can also improve worker safety and performance during daily operations. For skilled labor, AR glasses can display multi-step instructions, highlight equipment hazards such as pinch points, safely guide wearers to their next task, or identify the correct piece of material. For management, network-enabled wearable technology allows users to recognize when an employee may be suffering from overexertion, heat exhaustion, or another health issue, as well as pinpoint the employee’s location. This cuts response times in an emergency and ensures appropriate interventions—two of the most critical factors for survival in a health crisis.
For more examples of AR and VR integration in manufacturing, check out our latest article .
Ever-advancing capabilities have blurred the lines between design technology, information technology, and operational technology. With so many avenues for optimization, the reality is that any facility—not just future greenfield projects—can become hypermodern. Digital transformation and automation offer fresh insights into traditional operations, provide physical and psychological advantages for your workforce, and enhance the efficacy and versatility of your existing building and process systems.