THE POWER OF TECHNOLOGY: Elevating Manufacturing Efficiency and Productivity
The latest Lean practices and trends, the role of robots in the journey towards optimized production, and the advantages of MES (Manufacturing Execution System) implemented in companies.
Just a week ago, the webinar "Revolution in Manufacturing" took place, organized by Next Consult in partnership with SAP and the PARAi association. During the event, we had the pleasure of hearing from Toshko Petkov, Kristian Mihailov, and Dmitrii Kokarev, leading experts in the field, who shared their experiences and knowledge about the significance and benefits of paperless manufacturing, Lean trends, and MES (Manufacturing Execution System) solutions.
Toshko Petkov, Co-Founder and Executive Director at Next Consult, shared his extensive long-standing consulting experience, emphasizing the importance of the proven Lean methodology and why it is crucial for any company that aims to become a world-class organization. Lean's objective is to create more value for customers by achieving the highest quality, prompt product delivery, and optimal cost-effectiveness, thereby making companies highly competitive. This is accomplished through an organizational culture that fosters high levels of motivation and engagement among people at all levels within the company.
Mr. Petkov shared the following trends in this direction:
- A serious focus on fact-based decision-making.
- The use of powerful analysis tools is a must.
- Integrating Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) provides significant opportunities for optimization through Data Mining.
- Driven by Lean, green manufacturing practices.
The people who are closer to an issue have the biggest chance of solving it. The chances increase even more, when equipped with the right tools we dive into all the details and discover the root cause, allowing for planning the appropriate improvement measures.
Co-Founder and Executive Director at Next Consult
Kristian Mihailov, Co-founder and Board Member of the robotic association PARAi, presented the association's activities and the robots used in Bulgarian manufacturing companies. The association consists of over 70 Bulgarian and international companies employing more than 15,000 people. They work together with schools and universities, and for this purpose, they have created an Incubator - a place where industry experts help students and pupils build robots from scratch to prototypes.
The goal of the association is to turn Bulgaria into a low-cost hub for prototyping in the robotics field - we have the engineering potential to create such solutions in different industries: healthcare, agriculture, etc.,
Co-founder and Board Member at PARAi
Kristian also presented the trends in robotics for this year according to the international robotics association, which include:
- Energy efficiency - robots using less electricity, resulting in lower operational costs.
- Reshoring - short supply lines to bring processes closer to customers.
- Easy robot operation - easy integration of systems.
- AI and digitization - real-time monitoring systems for production, AI, and Machine Learning capable of recognizing different components during production or logistics.
Last but not least, Dmitrii Kokarev, Manufacturing Expert at SAP, took the stage to introduce SAP МЕS (Manufacturing Execution System). He intrigued the audience by stating how he tried to put himself in a customer's shoes when selecting a MES solution. Indeed - A very difficult choice - on a high level-all solutions seem to be alike, but “the devil is in the details” said Dmitrii. He proved that during his presentation showing the main differentiators and business value of SAP MES - a lean, innovative and open system.
The solution is the manufacturing center of the universe where the customers build their own manufacturing landscape.,
Manufacturing Expert at SAP
Dmitrii shed light on the differences between the cloud and on-premise in the world of manufacturing. By leveraging the power of SAP Digital Manufacturing Cloud, the main objective of this technological transition is to simplify the lives of operators while simultaneously boosting productivity, efficiency, and quality across both discrete and process manufacturing.
One of the key takeaways from Dmitrii's presentation was the automation of repetitive tasks for operators. By harnessing the capabilities of cloud-based solutions, mundane and repetitive tasks are streamlined, allowing operators to focus on more complex and value-added activities. This shift in workload allocation not only improves the operator's experience but also optimizes overall manufacturing processes.
Enhancing Manufacturing Productivity, Efficiency, and Quality:
Dmitrii emphasized that SAP Digital Manufacturing Cloud presents a transformative opportunity to revolutionize manufacturing operations. By adopting this innovative solution, manufacturers can improve their productivity, efficiency, and quality on multiple fronts. The cloud-based approach enables real-time data analysis and reporting, facilitating informed decision-making and enabling swift responses to any production challenges that may arise.
Unveiling the Power of SAP Digital Manufacturing Cloud with Insightful Demo:
During the webinar, Dmitrii captivated the audience with an insightful demonstration showcasing the capabilities of SAP Digital Manufacturing Cloud. The demo illustrated two distinct scenarios: discrete and process manufacturing.
Through the adoption of SAP Digital Manufacturing Cloud, manufacturers can empower operators, automate repetitive tasks, and significantly enhance productivity, efficiency, and quality. This digital transformation promises to revolutionize the manufacturing landscape and unlock a myriad of opportunities for industry players.
It is crucial for the organization to recognize the potential offered by cloud-based manufacturing solutions and explore how to leverage it to achieve the operational excellence goals.
In conclusion, the “Revolution in Manufacturing” webinar shed light on the transformative power of Lean practices and advanced technologies in driving operational excellence. By embracing tools like SAP MES, companies can achieve greater efficiency, improved quality, and enhanced customer-centricity, positioning themselves at the forefront of the digital manufacturing landscape.
