Articles
Manufacturers must invest in automation technology to increase their competitiveness and productivity, as well as to decrease the time it takes for products to become market ready.
The issue is one of education – manufacturers are simply unaware of the automation technology available or the potential return on investment that it could provide.
This is a challenge that cannot be met by one company alone, which is why we have introduced the Siemens Partner 2020 programme, designed to facilitate access to our network of solution partners and distributors. Working in partnership, manufacturers can gain access to specialist industry knowledge to help make the best use of automation technology.
The education process begins with a digital health check. We take an array of companies and set up a benchmark based on each individual business’s stage of automation readiness.
We then use this information to set up a personalised app, allowing the right questions to be asked about this technology, such as whether or not inward/outward goods are monitored, or whether these processes are linked to purchasing systems. This allows us to give an organisation a score out of 100 on their digital readiness.
The second step in this process involves Siemens’ partners – regional experts with the industry knowledge to provide guidance. The partners aid industries with the adoption of automation technologies from the recommendations of the health check.
Even with this process, businesses rarely have a significant level of knowledge around automation technology, which is where a partnership approach becomes essential. While the digital health check helps companies to discover whether they are ready for automation, Siemens partners guide them to choose the right technology for their operations.
A leading example of automation technology can be found within product lifecycle management (PLM). There can often be hundreds of engineers around the world designing products, all of which are connected to the same hub. When a product’s design is changed or updated, this software automatically updates other products within the network to ensure compatibility.
For example, within a global automotive firm, if the design of a headlight were to be digitally adjusted in the US, a factory in Scotland could then automatically update its chassis designs to incorporate the relevant modification. Siemens’ offering in this field is called Team Centre, currently the world’s most widely used PLM software.
A partnership approach to technology adoption is making automation systems more accessible. This gives a firm focus on increasing plant productivity and efficiency.