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The manufacturing industry is moving towards a new era: Industry 4.0. Digitization is seen as the engine of growth: it should make organizations more resilient, for example when they have to deal with a crisis such as COVID-19. In this blog we explain why an integration platform accelerates the digitization of the manufacturing industry.
The manufacturing industry is moving towards a new era: Industry 4.0. In this new world, everything is interconnected. Investments in IT must make organizations more future-proof and sustainable. This is an essential digitization effort: customers are raising the bar, there is competition from low-wage countries and there is the transition to a circular economy. In this blog we explain why an integration platform accelerates the digitization of the manufacturing industry.
Digitization is seen as the engine of growth: it should make organizations more resilient, for example when they have to deal with a crisis such as COVID-19. That is why digital transformation is central to the fourth industrial revolution. Industry 4.0 stands for smarter production, through a combination of production technology with modern software, and the possibilities of new communication solutions. This development helps to optimize production processes, develop new and personalized products and improve business models.
By connecting computer systems and machines, efficiency gains are possible. That is why the number of 'connected factories' will increase significantly in the coming years. With this, organizations hope to optimize the use of raw materials, make the switch to predictable maintenance and accelerate and automate business processes.
Cloud computing should allow easy access to data, connecting the Internet of Things devices. With Artificial Intelligence, computers can more quickly recognize patterns in large amounts of data, and thanks to robotization, machines are getting smarter. An example of such a modern application is the 'digital twin', a virtual representation of a new product. Through simulations you can discover errors already in the design phase. This helps, among other things, to prevent wastage of raw materials.
The desire to digitize does not immediately make old machines obsolete. With a technique such as EDI (electronic data interchange) new and old technology can be combined. EDI has been around for decades, but has evolved. It is now a cloud service, in the form of an integration platform. Applications are seamlessly linked together so that they can communicate with each other. Messages are sent and received automatically. In the meantime, the provider ensures that everything works properly.
The benefits of EDI for the manufacturing industry are enormous. Not only can the order-to-cash process be largely automated, but data analytics can also improve processes:
By better combining and synchronizing data, organizations can provide up-to-date information online, for example about availability and price. This service is no longer a wish, but an expectation of the supplier and customer. A suitable integration platform makes this optimally possible. By purchasing this solution as a service, the implementation does not have to be a big task.
Contact us today to find out how an integration platform can help your organization.