INDUSTRY TALK
The future looks smart
for industrial manufacturing While the industrial manufacturing industry is faced with many changes, the most disruptive ones will be those that manufacturers can and should make for themselves. Antony Bourne, senior vice president of IFS Industries, predicts three key changes that will have an impact on connecting machines to networks and companies to end consumers.
M
any manufacturers are
In a departure from past manufacturing
already taking advantage
technology adoption cycles, the focus
of technologies like the
will not be entirely on incremental
internet of things (IoT), finding
improvement of existing processes. These
themselves early adopters of artificial
technologies will find their way to the core
intelligence (AI), 5G and 3D printing.
of innovative business models and revenue streams, which will change the very nature of industrial manufacturing.
PREDICTION ONE By the end of 2020, there will be more manufacturing devices connected by 5G than there will be people on 5G networks. Forbes contributor Bernard Marr points out the tremendous impact 5G will have when it comes to enabling other technologies. Uninterrupted streaming of music, TV shows and movies on mobile devices will indeed be easier and more affordable with 5G. But 5G will be more
AN EXAMPLE OF FULL SERVITISATION One customer of IFS is an air filter manufacturer who produces and sells filtration systems, historically through a standard business-tobusiness model. Through servitisation, it has made the transition from selling air cleaners to selling clean air. The air filter manufacturer works proactively with its customers to measure their existing air quality, establish an air quality goal and maintain the filtration system to deliver that outcome. Much of this process is automated as sensors in the equipment monitor the result and can dispatch technicians, order parts and execute on a condition-based maintenance programme. In this case, preventative maintenance is only the beginning. As big data manipulation and analytics become easier, the opportunity to garner more information about what is happening to the air quality in particular environments will increase exponentially. •
transformational for devices that drive automated industrial processes than for consumer-facing smart devices. “These advancements will enable connected cars and autonomous driving,” writes Marr. “Smart cities with connected Antony Bourne, senior vice president of IFS Industries
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things and smart factories; and the more extended use of augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality.” I predict 5G will make its greatest impact
logistics, transport, and infrastructure;
in industrial automation. The ultra-low
enhancement in connected healthcare
latency, ubiquitous connectivity will power
from robotics to blockchain use cases to
sensors on industrial machines, enabling
wearable telemetry; industrial internet of
them to talk to each other and generate
