Digital shop floor management: The future of manufacturing processes

The revolution in everyday shop floor life?

Digitalization has long since found its way into production and is now more important than ever. Traditional methods of shop floor management are increasingly reaching their limits. In the age of Industry 4.0, companies are faced with the urgent task of transforming their manufacturing processes through digital technologies. Patrick Theobald, managing director at Peakboard, highlights four key trends that will significantly influence digital shop floor management in 2024.

1. IIoT: Connected devices for precise data analysis

Market researchers from IDC discovered in July 2023 that 74% of German companies would like to launch new IIoT projects in the next twelve months. Almost half (46%) are increasing their IIoT budgets despite geopolitical and economic uncertainties. IIoT enables accurate data collection in real time and is therefore crucial for analyzing production performance and efficiency. This technology helps companies react more quickly to error messages and impending failures and thus optimize production processes.

2. Digital twins: monitoring and analysis in real time

Digital twins are becoming increasingly important in German industry. According to a study by the digital association Bitkom, four out of ten industrial companies are already using digital twins, and the trend is rising. By combining digital twins with the real shop floor, companies can better monitor and analyze their manufacturing processes. This results in faster fault detection and continuous improvement of efficiency and productivity.

3. Cybersecurity: Protection against increasing threats

With the digitization of shop floor management, the attack surface for cyber attacks is also growing. According to PwC's “Digital Trust Insights 2024,” 84% of German companies are planning to increase their budget for cybersecurity. Cybersecurity-as-a-Service (CSaaS) is becoming increasingly relevant for manufacturing companies to protect themselves from data breaches and operational outages. 75% of companies want to use generative AI for cyber defense over the next twelve months.

4. Artificial intelligence: The potential of automation

Although only 13.3% of German companies actively use AI, the technology is on the upswing. In the automotive and mechanical engineering industries in particular, more and more companies are using AI or are planning to use it. AI can help optimize complex processes in production. However, a successful AI implementation project requires both expertise in the area of data science and a deep understanding of processes.

So what does the future bring?

In 2024, digital shop floor management will be significantly shaped by IIoT, digital twins, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. These technologies offer immense benefits for optimizing production processes and protecting against cyber threats. Companies that successfully integrate these trends will significantly increase their efficiency and competitiveness.

A decisive aspect for the success of this digital transformation is the usability of the technologies used. Digitalization solutions must be easy to implement and operate to ensure that companies can work efficiently with the new systems. Complex and hard-to-integrate technologies can hinder progress and reduce employee acceptance. When choosing their digitization solutions, companies should therefore ensure that they are user-friendly and can be seamlessly integrated into existing systems.

Overall, it is clear that digital shop floor management in 2024 not only represents a technological transformation, but is also a strategic necessity. Companies that focus on these trends early on and invest in appropriate technologies will be able to make their production processes more efficient, reduce costs and strengthen their market position. The future of shop floor management lies in the intelligent integration of IIoT, digital twins, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.