The Most Important Manufacturing Trends for 2023

If 2022 has shown us anything it is that demand and production capacity are at their highest levels in recent years. Even with COVID-19 the manufacturing industry surpassed expectations but several challenges do remain. Think about labor shortages, increased need of automation, inflation and economic uncertainties.

With Industry 5.0 making an entry we would like to focus on a few trends that will shape manufacturing in 2023:

1. Automation Through Artificial Intelligence Implementation

While automation in manufacturing is nothing new, organizations are leveraging robotics more than ever to manage operations, decrease costs, and maintain their position in the market.

Robotics has come to the rescue of other sectors, like agricultural manufacturing, which struggled to fill the labor gap. Other companies have invested in “cobots” to work side-by-side with human employees when they couldn’t attract additional labor. 

But while robotics can dramatically improve how companies operate, they continue to spark concerns about the potential negative impact on the workforce. That’s why Industry 5.0 is focusing on the collaboration of Robot and the Human Workforce to boost each other to newer hights.

2. Enhancing Margins Through Data-Driven Decisions

Downtime in manufacturing can have a crippling impact on the bottom line. As a result, ensuring all equipment functions at optimal performance levels is a critical priority. Manufacturers continue to shift away from traditional time or usage-based maintenance practices in favor of predictive maintenance tools and technologies to catch issues before production is impacted.

Through a combination of IoT, AI, and machine learning, it enables a proactive, data-driven approach to reveal important trends that enable operators to make better decisions. More companies will embrace this proven approach in the coming year to boost ROI, improve output, eliminate unplanned downtime, and reduce machine failures. Implementing the correct Data Integration Platform is critical for success in this approach.

3. Greater Progress Towards Smart Factories

Manufacturers will continue to invest in technology to become smart factories to comply with Industry 5.0 which is knocking on the door. Here are the technologies leading the transformation:

• Sensors: Placed on machines and devices to track and monitor processes. When connected to a network (IoT), sensors can be used to monitor more than one machine at a time.
• Cloud computing: A more flexible, less expensive way to manage the data sensors collect. The cloud makes it possible to upload, store, and evaluate data in real-time to support agile, strategic decision-making. 
• Big Data analitics: Provides insights into production process performance, identifying error patterns and more accurate predictive quality assurance. Different factories and organizations can share the data to solve common problems and further enhance processes. 
• Virtual and augmented reality: Allows companies to create visual simulations of manufacturing processes and environments to support and improve operational processes, product development, and training programs. For example, VR technology makes it possible to design, test, and create prototypes of new products in a virtual environment. 
• Digital twins: Provides a virtual replica of a physical object or process to simulate performance in the real world under varying conditions and circumstances. For example, creating a digital twin for a wind turbine (based on data collected from sensors on a physical turbine) allows an energy company to project how a turbine will function and perform in the environment it’s placed in.  

Get Ready for Industry 5.0

Putting all this trends together to form a cost-effective, productive solution for your business doesn’t have to be confusing. ECS can assist you as we have more than 20 years of experience in the field of Data Integration and Data Transformation. We want you to gain true Smart Manufacturing by helping you to connect all the necessary dots and give you the best possible “big picture” view so you can shape your future in the Industry 5.0 Revolution! Contact us today to find out more.