Experts’ Blog on Manufacturing

You’ve probably heard a lot about digital twins lately. And with good reason. They’re an essential part of any company’s digital transformation. But what are digital twins and why do people want them? What is the Definition of a Digital Twin? Simply put, a digital twin is a virtual representation of a product or process. [...]

In the second of a new series of articles, Mike James from ATS highlights how smart advisors are the perfect starting point for the journey into smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0.This article was first published in OnWindows. I first read about ‘smart advisors’ in a report published by industry analyst Gartner. The idea aligns well [...]

In the third of this series of articles, discover the steps required to make the fourth industrial revolution a reality. Image: Chillicom, FANUC_R-2000iB_series_robot_127; flickr.com (CC BY 2.0) This article was first published in the Summer 2015 issue of OnWindows. Technology hypes are often followed by the trough of disillusionment. But it is sometimes only during [...]

There is much talk about the internet of things. However, ‘things’ are just part of the plumbing. We connect devices, giving them, no more than, nominal intelligence. The real innovation is the internet of services. Manufacturers need to think through their business model: how can a product become a service with the long term related revenue [...]

This article explores the success story at Landes. A business, which has thrived since 2010. How have they done it I wondered? Landes produces any shape in almost any material including complex free formed surfaces in metals such as high alloy steels or “Hastelloy”. The comprehensive production facilities include various robotised 5 axis machining centres and [...]

It’s the people that can make or break the success of an enterprise quality management system, says Mike James.Looking into the glass bowl of a manufacturing plant would be easy if the glass were not so misty. If every parameter were known and visible, accurate and selfcorrecting quality professionals could sit back and sip a cold [...]