AUTOMATISATION IN INDUSTRY
We have started a series of posts in which we will be trying to successively answer frequently asked questions.
We hope that you will like this form of presenting our approach and solutions.
Today we are bringing up the topic of automatisation. Below you will find a few issues that we often
talk about during our meetings.
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Question: The automatisation of digital processes in factories has become a reality.
From the point of view of SYLOS employees and their experience, how do you assess this process on
the Polish market?
Answer: MP (Michał Pytlak)
This process continues, but with uneven intensity. If we look at large production companies, especially those with foreign capital, we will notice a great engagement in digital transformation.
In these companies the concept of Industry 4.0 has been a very important, specific term for a long time and has driven changes and accelerated digital transformation.
On the other hand, there are a lot of companies that do not see (or do not want to see) the need to implement such solutions in their branch at the moment. The reasons why they think so are, of course, the cost and the general problem of human resources. Additionally, digital transformation usually forces the modernisation of the IT infrastructure in the company… and here we come back to the previous sentence. We turn the full circle.
Question: What does really make up the costs of automating a manufacturing or production company?
Answer: MP
Automatisation of the production processes is no longer a new concept and has been present for many years. It is a standard that functions in a larger or smaller form in all companies.
Market popularity of this type of solutions automatically reduces their costs.
The cost of the IoT solutions is even more interesting issue. They are, after all, a fundamental element of Industry 4.0. This gives hope for a faster development of digital transformation in the Polish production sector. Naturally, we must remember about the application layer, which will allow us to achieve the intended results for example by operating in the IoT ecosystem.
Interesting fact
GP report. Bullhound, 2019 provides some interesting data on the cost of automatisation. (Between 2007 and 2014, the cost of robot units dropped from $550,000 to $20,000, and the cost of IoT
devices dropped from $40,000 to $100).
Question: What is the greatest challenge for you when it comes to data management in Industry 4.0?
Answer: MP
Our client's IT infrastructure, for sure. The problem may be caused not only by the computational layer, but also by the place and the way of storing the collected information.
In SYLOS, we have built a modern and efficient module to manage the flow and the collection of data. It is able to receive and manage any amount of information. However, apart from the implemented data capturing mechanisms and selected database engines, the customer's infrastructure should be adapted properly as well. Therefore, Industry 4.0 projects often force clients to invest in IT departments.
Interesting fact
Factories and manufacturing industry generate 1.8 petabytes of data annually. This is twice as much as other sectors.
Question: What are the major human resource obstacles you face in the digital transformation of the production sector?
Answer: MP
We look at this issue from two perspectives. The first is our own. We need to secure a competent team of software developers who are proficient in the world of industry and production. They understand the mechanisms and production processes. We select people very carefully and, to be honest, it is not an easy process.
The second aspect concerns the client's resources, which are also crucial for us. We have some positive experiences in this area. So far, we have always come across professional and committed project teams who carefully helped us describe the processes and then implement them. The people who work in manufacturing are often really passionate about what they do. It does not matter whether it is a representative of the business, production, automatics or IT team. Production is simply interesting.
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If you are interested in our approach,
contact us:
Michał Pytlak
CEO
michal.pytlak@plumsoftware.pl
+48 603 85 75 41
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