A Quick Recap of Manufacturing History
In an earlier era, reactive manufacturers could only access data after something happened. They had to scramble in response to unforeseen circumstances, often resulting in delays, downtime, and waste.
With the rise of digital data collection across their operations and supply chain, manufacturers gained new visibility. Knowing what was happening allowed them to make smarter decisions about when to order, how much to buy, where to perform maintenance, or what maneuvers to make. They became proactive instead of reactive.
Now, with the advent of technologies like AI, IoT, and advanced ERP, manufacturers can learn more from data than ever before. They can predict what will happen with amazing accuracy, plan and prepare with complete confidence, and position themselves for success even in volatile times. Predictive manufacturers don’t just act earlier—they act wiser.
However, the shift from reactive to proactive to predictive doesn’t happen automatically nor universally. The companies that master predictive manufacturing have the right technology in place, along with systems and strategies to bring the future into focus. Conversely, the companies that struggle to evolve try to see new things with the same tools as before.
What is a Real-Time Operations Control Tower?
Anyone can practice predictive manufacturing provided they have a real-time operations control tower. Much like the control tower at an airport (though not an actual structure), it’s designed to give decision makers a clear, 360-degree view across operations. Everything is visible, nothing is obscured, and all the data flows to one central location.
A real-time operations control tower is a prerequisite for predictive manufacturing because consistently accurate forecasting requires abundant amounts of data. Anything that’s missing, erroneous, or outdated could lead to faulty predictions. The express purpose of a control tower is to keep that from happening.
In practice, it consists of multiple technologies working in sync. There are widespread sensors to collect data in real time, an ERP to integrate and centralize data collection, predictive analytics to generate forecasts and model scenarios, and dashboards with alerts to surface key insights. Together, these core components turn massive amounts of data moving at high speeds into the most beneficial business intelligence ever created.
Unlike traditional reports, which are backward looking, based on limited data, and built through manual processes, an operations control tower will automatically translate real-time data into estimates, projections, and outlooks. Not only is it easier than before; it’s vastly more valuable to manufacturers interested in tomorrow rather than yesterday.
How to Build a Real-Time Operations Control Tower
Many manufacturers operate somewhere between a reactive and proactive model depending on their current technology. Regardless of the starting point, anyone can reap the rewards of predictive analytics by building a real-time operations control tower using this blueprint:
- An ERP that can ingest and integrate data in real-time from the MES, IoT sensors, software packages, third-party vendors, and any other data sources that are available. Strive for 100% data collection.
- Event-driven triggers to inform managers when milestones occur or anomalies are detected. Make sure the triggers can be customized around any event and have a mechanism to send alerts through multiple channels.
- Predictive analytics that utilize AI to make informed decisions about maintenance scheduling, capacity planning or so much more based on both real-time and historical data. Look closely about how the predictive process operates and whether it’s transparent about how it reached specific conclusions.
- Role-Based Dashboards that feed decision makers the specific metrics and insights they need as soon as new data is collected. Choose solutions that make it easy to customize dashboards, both the data they draw from and the specific insights they track, based on the decision intelligence the end user requires.
Getting Started with a Real-Time Operations Control Tower
Predictive manufacturing does not happen overnight. It requires planning and precision, and it involves more than just technology. A whole new way of manufacturing requires a whole new approach to production.
Guide Technologies is here to simplify and streamline the transition for any manufacturer. Having built multiple real-time operations control towers for our clients, we know how to select the right technologies, implement everything efficiently, and unleash the benefits of predictive manufacturing for sustained success.
Ready to take the first steps? Curious about the details? Have questions about the process? Tap into our expertise by contacting Guide Technologies.
