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56 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2023 a materials responsibility was continuously under extreme pressure. In the modern, Smart factory, material con- sumption and spoilage are automatically moni- tored, and physical quantities are synchronized with ERP. Kits are no longer required, with automated "just in time" material selection, delivery, and setup verification at each stage of transport and use. Unexpected material short- ages, logistics bottlenecks, lost components, and uneven work-load issues are avoided, allowing flex- ible, stress-free materials management that follows information generated dynamically to meet exact production needs. All this is driven, managed, and monitored by the modern MES solution. Quality Team In many cases, the most stressful of all roles in man- ufacturing is as a mem- ber of the quality team. Defects disturb the pro- duction flow, creating unexpected work, and potentially delaying delivery. e goal of zero defects, solely through manual effort has always been elusive, with QA checks and con- trols, testing and inspection all detracting from added-value operations. is serves only to reduce the number of defects, not eliminate them. In the Smart factory, the role of the quality team is elevated to focus on analysis of opera- tional data captured automatically from assem- bly, inspection, and test equipment as well as manual operations. Exposed deviations and variation in manufacturing are the root causes of defects. Creativity to modify processes and put into place corrective and preventative action plans has now become a major part of the quality role. Avoidance of quality risk rep- resents a far more positive and exciting contri- bution to manufacturing as compared to the triage of defective products. Summary ese examples are just a few illustrations of how manufacturing roles have evolved from being specialist, hands-on, repetitive, and oen boring work within an inflexible organization, to being data-driven, cre- ative, and dynamic. Sim- ilar transitions could be illustrated for other roles, including maintenance, IT, warehouse management, and the plethora of data collection and entry roles, which oen go unfulfilled due to more pressing pri- orities. e use of soware to automate routine work frees up human intelligence in the manufacturing orga- nization, avoiding conflicts and establishing multi-dis- cipline teamwork, all coor- dinated through the intelli- gence within soware. e use of soware has become a natural ability for the next generation of the work- force, which complements existing manufac- turing skills and experience, creating a 1 + 1 = 3 value. is represents the scope for intelli- gence, insight, and creativity for young people entering manufacturing today. e challenge, however, is for the existing production team to be open to, and in fact, drive this combination of know-how, enabled by using modern manu- facturing soware tools. SMT007 Michael Ford is the senior director of emerging industry strategy for Aegis Software. To read past columns, click here. In many cases, the most stressful of all roles in manufacturing is as a member of the quality team.