Manufacturing is a huge and important industry. Thus, developments happen rapidly and there is a lot of competition looming around. You must keep up with the trends to stay on top of the game. Here are some trends you need to look out for this 2020.
5G Technology
5G is a popular topic in the manufacturing industry, and expect to hear a lot about it in 2020. It is expected to have a huge and positive effect on smart manufacturing. It will let manufacturers enable real-time communication and improve latency.
However, since it is not available everywhere, not every manufacturer will use it. Although those who have access to it will improve their efficiency and processes.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
In the manufacturing industry, improvements are continuously being made, so it makes sense that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are taking the industry by storm. However, the industry is massive, and it will not happen immediately.
While it may be slow at first, machine learning and AI will prove that it can benefit all manufacturers. Since the industry is complex, advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI will offer manufacturers new opportunities to increase profit margins and improve efficiency. Plus, it is not limited to one part of the business either. You can use it to enhance customer relations, the supply chain, and the factory floor, among others.
Increased Responsiveness
The climate for the manufacturing industry is uncertain, which can leave many businesses in the dark if they are not well equipped to deal with sudden situations. Every manufacturer and business need to stay agile and responsive. That is why machine learning and AI is gaining a lot of popularity since they are powerful tools to help manufacturers know what to expect and what to do.
Another trend that encourages increased responsiveness in manufacturing is predictive maintenance, which can be seen in companies that have CNC milling in Wisconsin.
Distributed Manufacturing
Distributed manufacturing will be a trend in 2020 for various reasons, but one of the primary reasons is that it will help manufacturers save money. While assembling and packaging the end products near the final destination will have some issues, you can maximize the overall benefits of it when you use technology to help you minimize the complexities.
You can increase responsiveness, reduce lead-times, and save money on freight costs with small-scale distributed manufacturing. It also lets you choose where you want to manufacture your products and get the best materials while limiting the freight costs.
Customer Engagement
Since 5G lets everything become more interconnected, businesses can get closer to their customers. Customers should be involved with the manufacturing process and want to get more customization options. If you want to offer more value to your customers, you need to leverage any data you get from them. The data would render useless unless you use it to keep them happy.
While the manufacturing industry is great, it can be rather unpredictable. Help your business stay alive by learning about these manufacturing trends.
