Panasonic INDUSTRY 4.0 User Manual

INDUSTRY 4.0:

A MOBILITY CHECKLIST

FOR MANUFACTURERS

THE SMART FACTORY

Today’s era of manufacturing automation is creating what is referred to as “the smart factory.” A smart factory is described as a highly digitized and connected manufacturing facility that relies on technologies like cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, big data and analytics, mobile technology, and eventually artificial intelligence to streamline and improve operations.

Smart factories are the culmination of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, referred to as Industry 4.0. In a smart factory, production processes are flexible and run almost autonomously with the ability to self-correct in real time. As a result, employees are no longer focused on repetitive, labor-intensive tasks but rather on handling exceptions and higher-level work.

A 2017 CapGemini study found that early adopters of Industry 4.0 have realized production gains of 20 percent in their smart factories with improvements in on-time delivery, productivity and labor costs. With such impressive business results, it’s no surprise that manufacturers are

embracing the trend. The same study reports that 76 percent of manufacturers either have a smart factory initiative in place or are in the process of planning one.

MOBILE SOLUTIONS ENABLE INDUSTRY 4.0

Mobile devices connected to cloud-based applications become the conduit through which plant managers and workers access and act on information across all areas of the plant, from the warehouse to the shop floor. Employees work in an agile, responsive environment that streamlines operations and maximizes uptime with distributed intelligence and insight delivered directly to their devices and in real time.

INDUSTRY 4.0: A MOBILITY CHECKLIST FOR MANUFACTURERS

Achieving Industry 4.0 requires a complete digital transformation of the factory environment with Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-embedded machines, cloud computing and big data analytics, and machine-learning algorithms to keep production on track. While the business value may be clear, most factories still aspire

to be smart factories. Forrester reports 58 percent of manufacturers have launched digital transformation initiatives while only 19 percent have completed their journey. Mobile solutions that connect workers and physical systems are a crucial first step.

Early mobility initiatives can dramatically improve worker productivity with better task management. Companies further along will be able to gain additional benefits by using

high-performing enterprise mobile devices as powerful edge computing machines that decrease latency by processing data closer to the source.

The purpose of this guide is to help companies select an enterprise mobile solution that connects workers and plant managers to production systems and the supply chain for improved operational efficiency, increased visibility and better decision-making across manufacturing operations.

INDUSTRY 4.0: A MOBILITY CHECKLIST FOR MANUFACTURERS

WHAT’S HOLDING MANUFACTURERS BACK?

Today many manufacturers are in the early stages of digitalization and still utilize manual, paper-based processes across areas of operations. While most plants are using mobile solutions for communications and notifications, they may have a long way to go before they are fully mobile within a smart factory environment. Some reasons for these delays include legacy equipment, the cost to upgrade and challenging plant conditions.

LEGACY EQUIPMENT

Much factory equipment and systems are rooted in legacy technologies that don’t easily connect to modern networking systems or take advantage of today’s powerful mobile devices. While factory machinery continues to function as specified, the electronic interfaces built into them may be technologically dated. For example, many of them require mobile devices that connect to serial ports (RS-232) for data collection and control. Consumer-grade systems are not equipped with these interface options, whereas enterprise-grade, rugged devices can be equipped with these interface options.

For example, the Panasonic TOUGHBOOK 20, a fully rugged 2-in-1 laptop, and the TOUGHPAD FZ-G1 tablet can be configured with serial, Ethernet, HDMI and USB connections.

COSTS TO UPGRADE

When evaluating the costs to upgrade to mobile technologies, manufacturers may be tempted to first consider consumer devices and protective cases because of the perceived cost savings. However, analyst data shows that rugged laptops and tablets deliver a higher return on investment than consumer-grade devices, contributing to a lower total cost of ownership (TCO). And while a price gap exists between consumer-grade mobile devices and enterprise-grade rugged devices, the difference is shrinking.

The price differential is even smaller when decision makers consider the features and device performance that manufacturers need to operate over full shifts or around-the-clock operations. Rugged enterprise-grade devices, even at the higher price point, make even more sense when you look at the true cost of a device over its lifetime—its TCO. Rugged devices are more durable and better suited for the harsh manufacturing conditions, even over a consumer device in a protective case.

TOUGHBOOK laptops, tablets and handhelds, for example, have a longer expected life cycle than consumer devices and boast the lowest failure rate in the industry, even among other rugged hardware. In situations where failure is not an option, TOUGHBOOK devices are more

INDUSTRY 4.0: A MOBILITY CHECKLIST FOR MANUFACTURERS