This article explores impact and advantages of information technology on manufacturing industry. Information technology on the factory floor promises a revolution in productivity. The industrial hype machine is among the favorites because of its full-on mashup of manufacturing with modern information technologies. There is use of intelligent software and machines to interact with one another (and with people) autonomously, both in the factory and through the cloud. According to the experts, this new combination of brains and muscle will revolutionize manufacturing in ways that rival the introduction of steam, electricity, and automation. It is foreseen that factory machines and logistics equipment would communicate with one another autonomously to assign and route jobs through the factory – and reroute them when unexpected problems arise. Cloud-based artificial intelligence would constantly compare parts and processes to optimize performance. As software gets better at communicating, ubiquitous sensors are adding more data to the mix.
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September 2016
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Manufacturing Gets Smart
Information Technology on The Factory Floor Promises a Revolution in Productivity. But can Machines, Products, and People Really Learn to Talk with Each Other?
Alan S. Brown is associate editor at Mechanical Engineering magazine.
Mechanical Engineering. Sep 2016, 138(09): 34-39 (6 pages)
Published Online: September 1, 2016
Citation
Brown, A. S. (September 1, 2016). "Manufacturing Gets Smart." ASME. Mechanical Engineering. September 2016; 138(09): 34–39. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2016-Sep-1
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