The evolution of smart manufacturing

Modern manufacturing faces significant challenges. Skills shortages, increasingly stringent regulatory demands and growing consumer expectations for personalised products are creating pain points for many original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

 

Smart manufacturing offers solutions to these challenges, leveraging advanced systems to enhance efficiency, quality and profitability. At the forefront of this revolution, Swiss manufacturing consultancy Bossard provides OEMs with expertise and a commitment to quality through its Smart Factory Assembly solution, enabling businesses to transform their operations effectively.

 

Challenges in manufacturing

 

The manufacturing sector is currently grappling with a number of intractable issues. There is a shortage of skilled and experienced workers. Onboarding untrained employees is time-consuming and disrupts productivity, creating an urgent need for innovative approaches to training and workforce flexibility.

 

Simultaneously, compliance with industry standards and regulations adds another layer of complexity. For example, the VDI 2862 guidelines issued by the Association of German Engineers require comprehensive process documentation for tasks involving specific risks. Ensuring adherence to such standards demands reliable tools, transparent systems and robust processes, areas where smart manufacturing proves invaluable.

 

Adding to these difficulties is the increasing demand for personalised products. Consumers now expect more customisation, leading to smaller batch sizes and greater product variation. This introduces significant complexity on the shop floor, challenging traditional systems and requiring more adaptable processes.

 

As a result of these issues, many smaller businesses are turning to strategic partners to implement cost-effective and user-friendly smart factory solutions. Bossard’s Smart Factory Assembly solution stands out as an intuitive, plug-and-play system designed to address these challenges effectively.

 

The benefits of smart manufacturing

 

Smart manufacturing systems can transform operations in several ways: by improving workforce management, enhancing product quality, increasing productivity and enabling greater agility in response to rapidly changing market demands. Together, these advancements result in higher profitability and position companies for long-term success.

 

A smarter workforce

 

Smart manufacturing addresses the problem of skills shortages. Training and onboarding of inexperienced workers can be streamlined, with new workers offered clear, step-by-step digital instructions for processes they are unfamiliar with. Traditional onboarding processes that once took months can now be condensed into a single day.

 

Workforce empowerment is another immediate benefit of smart manufacturing. With step-by-step instructions immediately available, operators can switch seamlessly between product lines, minimising the need for specialist teams and significantly reducing mistakes. Centralised systems enable quick updates to instructions, maintaining quality across operations, facilitating constant learning and improvement and fostering a versatile workforce capable of handling a wide variety of tasks.

 

Enhanced quality and productivity

 

Quality and reliability are also significantly enhanced through connected devices and data-driven decision-making. Interactive work instructions such as applying the correct torque to screws or use the right tool, have helped some Bossard clients reduce rework by 80 per cent.

 

Detailed quality statements can be shared with customers, demonstrating compliance with required procedures and building trust. Moreover, continuous data analysis and reporting provide actionable insights for ongoing improvements, optimising operations and enhancing decision-making.

 

Increased productivity is another hallmark of smart manufacturing. Automation and precise instructions minimise waste and maximise speed of operations, even with new employees. Italian manufacturer Mecal Machinery, for example, increased its output by 30 percent using smart manufacturing systems. Continuous data collection and analysis further enable refinements to workflows, driving efficiency gains over time.

 

Heightened scalability and flexibility

 

Smart manufacturing also supports rapid scalability and adaptability, enhancing business agility. OEMs can design a best-practice blueprint at one facility and replicate it seamlessly across others, whether in Switzerland, Tunisia or China.

 

While best practices can be shared, processes can still be tailored to local workforce practices. For example, Swiss workers often rotate between tasks so may need instructions when they move to a new process; however, in Asian operations where workers tend to remain on a single task, smart systems may provide feedback only when errors occur, ensuring that monitoring feels non-intrusive. AI-powered cameras can detect mistakes and provide immediate, clear feedback, maintaining high-quality standards without disrupting workflows.

 

Bossard’s Smart Factory Assembly solution

 

The cumulative benefits of smart manufacturing – lower costs, reduced waste, improved productivity and enhanced quality – translate into increased profitability. Higher customer satisfaction and employee loyalty further contribute to sustainable business success, making smart manufacturing a compelling choice for modern OEMs. Bossard offers a comprehensive digital solution for smart manufacturing, combining software, hardware and expert consulting to transform OEM manufacturing operations.

 

Its advanced software creates dynamic workflows tailored to specific needs, including multilingual instructions and customised guidance for diverse teams. In addition, it provides specialist hardware, such as pick-by-light systems which speed up part selection and improve accuracy by illuminating labels. Additionally, Bossard provides consulting expertise to help clients optimise assembly processes through strategies such as design for manufacturability and cost reduction. Tailored training programs empower engineering teams, fostering confidence and competence.

 

With Bossard’s Smart Factory Assembly solution, businesses can simplify workflow design, effortlessly develop and modify automated processes and seamlessly integrate devices across the shop floor. Systems are designed to be intuitive and supportive, ensuring operators on the shop floor can easily connect with the processes they are controlling, meaning that workers are empowered with the right information at the right time, reducing errors and enhancing productivity. Consistently high quality is maintained while lowering costs, enabling OEMs to meet the challenges of skills shortages, regulatory compliance and customisation demands head-on.

 

Smart manufacturing is reshaping the industry, and Bossard’s expertise and innovative solutions are at the forefront of this evolution. By embracing these advancements, OEMs can achieve greater efficiency, profitability and responsiveness to market demands. With Bossard as a trusted partner, the future of manufacturing is smarter, faster and more connected.

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Founded in 1831 in Zug, Switzerland, Bossard is a leading global provider of fastening and assembly technology solutions. To learn more, explore the free trial software or contact Bossard for an interactive demo or assembly solutions that fit your specific applications