Manufacturing is now entering a new phase which is more of customisation-oriented production, where there is lesser emphasis on productivity and efficiency, and more focus on agility and responsiveness. Going forward, there will be more efforts on making to individual requirements, sometimes thought of as mass-customisation, rather than high throughput, low variability mass production.
Moreover, today’s factory floor is also far from yesteryears’ hectic, unorganised, noisy production facility. The latest techniques, contemporary designs and advanced equipment used in factories now mean that modern manufacturing is highly flexible, organised and structured. Here too, going forward, the focus will be on exploring a new machine/product in virtual reality and using advanced digital technologies on the shop floor, such as simulation, 3D printing, advanced automation and multipurpose robotics, all these supported by e-commerce, mobility, social media and omnichann retailing.
