Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1483130
30 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2022 We develop best practices to ensure con- sistent and optimal operational performance, quality, and consistency. e nemesis of this activity is change, which prevents those best practices from becoming stale and shackling the operation. We must take a more modern approach to best practices, one that embraces the ability to change, and is flexible and adapt- able to cope with the unexpected (which are actually expected) issues. Knowing how to cre- ate change-centric manufacturing best prac- tices comes from experience. Smart factory related projects tend to be driven from a technical perspective, by both Clinging to Best Practices in Worst-case Scenarios internal teams and external solution suppli- ers, neither of which is ideal. Internally, proj- ects tend to be driven by a narrowly focused utilization of Lean and Six-Sigma techniques in refining an operation or process and elimi- nating every form of waste. is is oen done using simulation tools that create the very highest performance, and which result in oper- ational best practices. Any change required in the operation, however, invalidates the opti- mization result. It is too expensive to repeat such projects every time something changes, so such practices are rarely updated. is is no longer acceptable in an environment that Smart Factory Insights Feature Column by Michael Ford, AEGIS SOFTWARE