Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1058015
80 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2018 still has to make sure that the total demand for the family of cars that each line produc- es exactly meets the customer demand, so as not to create a buildup of finished goods stock. There is no scope for the line to make any model changeover. Sales and marketing will create campaigns and incentives in the market to drive a constant factory demand, but even so, making to customer order has to be mixed with some standard builds to keep the line running continuously, which are often sold at a discount. One would imagine that if you ordered a new car in this situation—even with a bespoke set of features—it could be made quite rapidly, as it is clearly shown that just a couple of days lead time in the factory is all that is required. Instead, the reality of the situation is that the waiting time for a production slot can be many months. People tend to want to look elsewhere for their cars when faced with this ordering lead time. The reason for the long lead time is the planning that goes into the final assem- bly line. To ensure that it never stops, there is a buffer of orders upfront. This is needed JIT to give the forecast of demand for subassembly options and configurations to be supplied to the facto- ry. The cost of flexibility is simply being passed upstream. Suppliers to automotive final assem- bly lines receive a somewhat variable produc- tion demand, often volatile, with which they have to comply. Delivery must occur within a specific window—no sooner, and certainly no later. Optimization of the subassembly fac- tory operations represents the worst-case sce- nario in the industry. Safety-critical assemblies require in-depth quality, process, and engi- neering management. With a high mix and often small work-order quantities, changes are continuously required in the factory flow with each configuration change needing to be qual- ified against the required standards. There is little compensation for this, as the pricing in automotive is very sensitive indeed. A typical automotive subassembly provid- er needs to be aware of these constraints of doing business and create a production mod- el that is optimized and developed in a way that all of the hidden losses are exposed and addressed as a part of the model. The same process applies to all types and sectors of elec- tronics and assembly manufacturing in gener- al. However, creating the optimum operation is not as simple as it used to be. Industry 4.0 was created to address these new operation- al paradigms, the software-based automation layer above the increasing number of automat- ed processes that the older Industry 3.0 rep- resents. The German reports are looking for Industry 4.0 results, but are based on Industry 3.0 activities. It is time to create some real tools for Industry 4.0, which is the second thing that needs to be addressed. Industry 4.0 is the optimization of every aspect of the manufacturing process through the use of live data. The solution for each fac- tory taking Industry 4.0 on board is going to be a little different depending on the business need, whether this is lines of machines talking to each other, managing Lean materials, adap- tive planning, assignment of products to line configurations, or digital twin-based assembly process engineering. However, it is not practi- cal to develop individual bespoke Industry 4.0 software that would drive these factory pro- cesses because the cost quickly becomes pro- hibitive and non-sustainable. Standardization needs to happen at a level that promotes the use of standard digital plat- forms that deliver values based on the use of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology specifically for manufacturing. This technolo- gy is a distinct paradigm shift from legacy data collection. Through the inclusion of data flow between every operational process, a live, digi- tal, and detailed holistic view of the shop floor, with a scope that is inclusive of every manu- facturing and dependent event and has a deep The reason for the long lead time is the planning that goes into the final assembly line.