Auto Parts Asia — October 2017

AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2017 | 43

Increasing Role Of

Connected Machines

In Connected World

By ShamPrasad

every production step) will reduce
manufacturing defects and other
quality-related costs.

New technologies will bring down the
cost associated with manufacturing
complexity. Advances such as
smart robots, smart products and
modularized production are designed
to handle complex production
processes efficiently. In this way
digital factories will be designed to
troubleshoot production problems
and other issues as quickly as
possible. Potential savings in this area
are estimated at 60-70 percent.

In digital factories maintenance
will be more efficient and cost-
effective. Numerous technologies
will work together to keep a plant in
optimal working order, and reduce
maintenance cost by 10-20 percent.

Stakeholders

Three groups of players need to
work together to create a digital
factory. They are the providers of
infrastructure like telcom along
with the supporting structures and
services including cloud computing
or storage for big data;the technology
companies that supply collaborating
robots or remote maintenance
systems; and the globally operating
manufacturers and all the other major

global OEMs that form the heart

of Industry 4.0. The three groups

can thus create a new industrial

landscape to make better products,

which are more tailored to suit

individual requirements.

Industry 4.0 has highly intelligent

connected systems that create a fully

digital value chain. It is based on

cyber physical production systems

that integrate communications, IT,

data and physical elements and these

systems transform the traditional

plants into smart factories. Cost

pressure due to emission regulations,

electrification, need for more capacity

and changing consumer preference

have made the atmosphere very

favourable for digital factories.

Where India Stands

The global automotive giants that

manufacture in India for the world

have transformed the manufacturing

environment here from Industry 1.0

and 2.0 to Industry 4.0 and beyond.

By 2020, India is expected to become

a major automobile manufacturing

hub and the third largest market for

automobiles in the world contributing

approximately 25 percent of the

gross domestic product (GDP). With

this vision, the automotive industry

is expanding and gearing up to

step into the next level of industrial

revolution, where the machines

talk to other machines and also to

products. Information is processed

and distributed in real time enabling

businesses to make quicker and

smarter decisions.India needs to

invest in the right infrastructure to

adopt Industry 4.0 as the major

manufacturers are taking concrete

steps to set up smart factories.

Manufacturing is no longer the task

of factory owners alone. Software

companies have a larger role to play.

Software firms like Tech Mahindra,

and Siemens have been ramping

up and establishing model smart

factories as the manufacturing

segment gears up for the next phase

with connected devices powered by

IoT and minimum human intervention.

Tech Mahindra has opened its

first ‘factory-of-the-future’ centre.

“Industries world-over are going

through a massive transformation

driven by the advances in newer

technologies, especially things like

IoT and Robotics,” L Ravichandran,

President and Chief Operating Officer,

Tech Mahindra, said.

Known as the factory of the future lab

the centre focus is on areas of digital

manufacturing, connected machines,

additive manufacturing, robotics

and automation, artificial intelligence

and analytics, augmented

and virtual reality. The lab

demonstrates solutions and

products built in association

with leading software

and hardware vendors

to showcase industry 4.0

concepts central to the digital

backbone of its clients.

Tech Mahindra is working

with IBM at its newly-

opened Watson IoT centre

in Munich. A team of six

developers and engineers

are working within Watson

IoT h.q., co-creating