Indeed, four out of five manufacturing companies do not have an integrated Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) system, something we almost take for granted as a starting point to go down the route of Digital Transformation towards the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
The analyst sees two issues emerging in the MOM suite versus individual applications discussion as manufacturers move towards the realization of the fourth industrial revolution, typically referred to as Smart Manufacturing or Industry 4.0:
- Production execution, scheduling, and plant quality are applications many MOM vendors include in their offering, and manufacturers that need new solutions in these areas can be expected to move towards appropriate MOM solutions.
- As manufacturers move towards true Industrial Internet of Things platforms in implementing smart manufacturing strategies, integrating new applications into the platform will become easier and deliver more value as apps access information from all enterprise sources.
LNS’ recommendation: “Manufacturers without any integrated plant floor solutions [should] consider first traditional MOM solutions. In making a solution selection they need to take into account their potential vendors’ IoT strategy for long term peace of mind.”
Our Strategy
At iBASEt, our IoT strategy is integral to our vision of Smart Manufacturing, where the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) enables the connection of all things in the factory to support the Smart Factory (i.e., a collective term for technologies and concepts of value chain organization that draws together Cyber-Physical Systems, the Internet of Things, and the Internet of Services). iBASEt believes that the Smart Factory needs to go beyond the IIoT functions of sensing and analyzing. The Smart Factory needs the controlling and acting functions added by a MOM solution like Solumina to provide the building blocks for the Smart Factory (i.e., sensing, controlling, analyzing, and acting functions) to continuously improve the manufacturing process.
There are three foundational support elements to iBASEt’s strategic roadmap to Smart Manufacturing:
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Digital Thread Support, including:
- Model-Based Enterprise:driving 3-D model-based definition into manufacturing and supply chain processes
- Facilitating accelerated engineering change management
- Customer and supplier network integration via APIs and Hubs (e.g., supplier network quality management hubs; as-built, as-maintained hubs)
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Smart Factory Support, including:
- Next-generation machine integration interfaces, such as those being developed at the UK Manufacturing Technology Center (MTC), where ATS’ Service Bus has been leveraged by Solumina MES for direct machine data exchange
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Smart Manufacturing IT Platform Support, including:
- Modular applications integrated via APIs
- Cloud-based B2B communication and authentication mechanisms, hubs, and modules
- MES, Inspection Planning, Process Detailing, QA at Source, MRO, etc.
By encouraging manufactures’ participation, partnering with other vendors, and sponsoring initiatives like those at MTC (a joint endeavor with Ubisense, ATS, and iBASEt) in developing the next-generation of manufacturing, and facilitating the progression of Smart Manufacturing, should engender confidence among those organizations considering iBASEt for MOM/MES implementations.
To begin your journey into a Smart Manufacturing environment you must first understand the foundation which it leverages: the Digital Thread.
As Chief Marketing Officer at iBASEt, Tom brings over 25 years of enterprise software marketing and business development experience to the executive leadership team. He is responsible for the strategic growth of the company. Tom earned his MBA at the University of Southern California and holds a BS degree in Management from Northeastern University.
