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Aegis Industry 4.0 Whitepaper
Aegis Industry 4.0 Whitepaper
In this whitepaper, Aegis will 17 Fast Track Your Success with MES
Industry 4.0 revolutionizes the manufacturing process by bridging the 18th Century
Mechanization of Production with the
gap between high-level Information Technology (IT) and floor-level Help of Water and Steam Power
Operational Technology (OT), leveraging intelligent data insights to
power factory-wide innovative adaptability.
21st Century
Cyber-Physical Systems that Merge
the Real and Virtual Worlds
Intelligent Insights
Connected Ecosystems
Configurable Processes
62% of surveyed
The principle of configurability permeates every part of a factory companies expect a high
that embraces Industry 4.0. Unlike customization, which can lock a degree of flexibility in due
manufacturer into a single, highly-unique code branch, a configurable
Industry 4.0 framework delivers the flexibility and innovation that to Industry 4.0 applications,³
smart factories need to expand and adapt as a business evolves. which relies on a configurable
From the factory floor, to production terminals, to the manufacturing
process, best-in-class Industry 4.0 systems and capabilities deliver a
approach to manufacturing.
‘drag-and-drop’ design that doesn’t rely on heavy coding to adjust.
The bottom line for manufacturers? The more Industry 4.0 capabilities
factories can achieve, the more they will be able to adapt, innovate, and create
new business models for additional revenue sources.
OBSTACLE 1 | Funding
32% of companies surveyed reported that funding
was an obstacle to their IIoT development.7 This is 50% of companies expect
consistent with a recent PwC survey, which also double-digit revenue
found that “unclear economic benefits/excessive investments” were
growth over the next five
the No.1 obstacle keeping companies from adopting Industry 4.0
practices.9 To minimize this obstacle, manufacturers can emphasize years due to Industry 4.0
to executives that the ROI for Industry 4.0 and IIoT technologies is digitization.9 With these
worth the up-front cost of implementation.
potential revenue gains,
funding concerns—while
valid—should not be allowed
to limit digitization.
Every journey has obstacles, and the Industry 4.0 journey is no different. The
key to overcoming roadblocks like those detailed in this section is anticipating
them, and being prepared to isolate and address them throughout the digital
transformation process. Keep in mind that no challenge is worth postponing the
revolutionary operational benefits afforded by Industry 4.0 capabilities.
What does the company What’s coming up next? Is this project too
want to achieve? If there are larger implementation ambitious? Too simple?
Don’t lose sight of the forest for projects that you eventually want The goal is to demonstrate to top
the trees. Consider your company’s to tackle, consider how this pilot management that Industry 4.0
C-Level strategic objectives and project could affect them. and IIoT are movements in which
allow them to guide your choice. the company needs to partake.
Be realistic, but aim to prove
significant benefits.
Regardless of the area in which a manufacturer chooses to begin the Industry 4.0 journey, each key
element of digital innovation—IIoT connectivity, smart applications, and advanced analytics—will
eventually have a critical role to play. Keep in mind that this process is meant to create an architecture
into which you can implement small projects. From establishing internal/external communication
capabilities to sharing data, each project will ultimately interact in a truly connected factory.
The greatest opportunities for both business and operational gains are
derived from a unified MES platform. As manufacturers move towards
Industry 4.0, MES is the single tool that can power distributed,
modular IIoT architectures by sharing data between key areas, as well
as integrating with existing systems to ensure maximum value in the
shortest period.
The benefits of MES are often apparent from the start. 82% of
manufacturers who adopted MES saw reduced cycle times and lead
times within 12 months.8 84% of manufacturers experienced increasing
visibility across their manufacturing network, and 84% improved quality.8
Without MES, factories are left with a gap that inhibits Industry 4.0 innovation. Project management and
engineering will lack crucial insight into equipment and process productivity, leaving the factory disconnected.
Aegis’ holistic, modular FactoryLogix® MES solution fills the MES gap
and fast tracks the Industry 4.0 journey with a single industrial platform
that makes it easy to configure new modules as legacy systems are
retired. Unlike traditional approaches to manufacturing software, which required
manufacturers to manage multiple vendors, numerous databases, and difficult
reporting processes while paying a high cost for customization, FactoryLogix
combines system consolidation with seamless integration to simplify and streamline
processes. Its integrated suite of adaptable, state-of-the-art software modules
support any form of discrete manufacturing without customization, providing innovative manufacturers with tools to
improve every aspect of their operations and enable Industry 4.0 capabilities. While many enterprise software companies
have attempted to build out their MES capabilities by acquiring smaller players and absorbing their technology, Aegis
has developed its entire solution suite in-house. As a result, companies benefit by having a consistent and standardized
product that ensures seamless upgrades to leverage the latest innovations that drive manufacturing excellence.
From production and logistics to analytics and integration, FactoryLogix MES powers the essential components of
Industry 4.0—innovative adaptability, intelligent insights, a connected ecosystem, configurable processes, and complex
simplicity—shifting centralized, disconnected production to decentralized, customer-centric models that represent the
future of manufacturing.
With more than 2,200 global installations, FactoryLogix delivers the complex
simplicity today’s manufacturers need to embrace the powerful benefits of
Industry 4.0. Begin your Industry 4.0 Journey with FactoryLogix today!
1. Source: Germany Trade & Invest, “INDUSTRIE 4.0—Smart manufacturing for the future,” | 2. https://industrytoday.com/article/centralized-vs-decentralized-manufacturing/
3. https://www.pwc.nl/en/assets/documents/pwc-industrie-4-0.pdf | 4. https://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2016/12/03/industrial-analytics-based-on-internet-of-things-will-revolutionize-
manufacturing/#5b61a2b56c03 | 5. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2016/06/02/how-technology-is-changing-manufacturing/ | 6. https://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2016/08/07/
industry-4-0-is-enabling-a-new-era-of-manufacturing-intelligence-and-analytics/#1feb41137ad9 | 7. LNS Research, webinar | 8. A-16608 2016 MESA/Gartner Business Value of MES Survey.
9. https://www.pwc.nl/en/assets/documents/pwc-industrie-4-0.pdf | 10. https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/focus/industry-4-0/using-predictive-technologies-for-asset-maintenance.html
11. http://www.businessinsider.com/what-1-minute-of-unplanned-downtime-costs-major-industries-2016-9 | 12. https://www.strategy-business.com/article/A-Strategists-Guide-to-Industry-4.0?gko=7c4cf
13. https://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2016/09/18/big-data-analytics-potential-to-revolutionize-manufacturing-is-within-reach/#e3f8323187b9 | 14. https://hbr.org/2017/02/how-manufacturers-can-get-
faster-more-flexible-and-cheaper | 15. https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2016/11/16/iw_kronos_research_report_2016.pdf