The manufacturing sector has pioneered global shifts in commerce and trade since the first industrial revolution which brought affordable consumer products to the masses. Now facing global disruption in addition to customer demands shifting manufacturers need to be both agile and resilient.
Those with a higher digital maturity are leading the way in resilience and those who continue to invest in advanced manufacturing technologies are experiencing the benefits of being agile and responsive.
The future of manufacturing technology is firmly in the cloud due to several reasons:
- Scalability: Cloud computing offers the ability to scale up or down computing resources as needed, making it ideal for manufacturers who need to quickly respond to changes in demand.
- Accessibility: Cloud solutions can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, allowing remote teams to collaborate and access critical data and applications. An Edge Server can deal with intermittent connectivity.
- Cost-effectiveness: Cloud computing eliminates the need for expensive hardware and maintenance costs, making it a cost-effective solution for manufacturing companies.
- Data Management: Cloud-based solutions provide a centralised and secure location for data storage and management, making it easier for manufacturers to collect, store, and analyse data.
- Innovation: The cloud provides manufacturers with access to the latest technologies and tools, enabling them to innovate and stay ahead of the competition.
There is some hesitance to make what is seen as a big leap to move to a cloud environment, but it is clear to us after meeting with our clients that the future for a successful manufacturing operation is in the Cloud.
The number one concern from JAFS clients when considering a move to Digital Manufacturing Cloud is the continuity of manufacturing operations while there may be internet downtimes. The answer is having an Edge Server which can be used if/when there is any disruption to the connectivity to the cloud servers, the edge server can keep the plant running, and then resync when the communications are back!
Edge computing in manufacturing is the capability of connecting, processing, storing, and analysing machine data to support production processes, closer to the source of data and on the shop floor. The key benefits that edge computing provides in manufacturing are local compute and the ability to continue operations even if there's only intermittent connectivity to the cloud.
SAP Digital Manufacturing Cloud for edge computing is SAP's edge solution which enables operations to extend their digital manufacturing processes from the cloud to your individual manufacturing plant, close to the source of production data. Decoupling central operations from site operations increases the overall uptime of manufacturing processes by reducing dependencies on connectivity, latency, and bandwidth.
The diagram shows how the edge solution connects to SAP'S ERP offerings through SAP Digital Manufacturing Cloud.
Overall, the cloud provides manufacturers with the flexibility, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness needed to compete in today's fast-paced, data-driven manufacturing landscape.
