In recent years, automation technologies such as robots have continuously advanced, bringing tremendous changes to human production workshops. More and more enterprises are using big data analysis to improve their business and performance. Automated systems promote productivity, reduce investment risks, and increase returns. It is expected that commodity prices may further decrease in the future, while at the same time, more human jobs may be eliminated.

At the end of 2017, Quanergy's new manufacturing plant located in Sunnyville, California, was put into operation, taking the concept of intelligent manufacturing to a new level. Quanergy uses this factory to produce LiDAR (LiDAR) sensors, which enable autonomous vehicles to perceive the surrounding environment and guide driving while avoiding collisions.

So, what's special about this factory? It has a high-capacity fully automated production line located in a cleanroom environment. The production line has the most advanced semiconductor processing and packaging equipment, including a mechanical conveying system connected along the production line to convert the raw materials of silicon chips into finished LiDAR sensors.

According to the company, the factory is also responsible for automatic calibration and final testing of sensors, providing high-quality and reliable LiDAR production solutions. This is a highly flexible factory that utilizes IoT connectivity technology to make manufacturing more efficient and business responses faster. This is the factory of Industry 4.0 model, which will have more samples in 2018.

Automation technology has impacted everything

Automation and intelligent robots may reshape our world. According to institutional analysis, 50% of jobs in the next decade will be replaced by machines, including workers in the transportation and logistics industries, office and administrative positions, and labor in the production sector. With the development of technologies such as artificial intelligence and high-end automation, many middle-class people will also be eliminated by the times.

Robots can complete work in a shorter amount of time and have a very low probability of errors, which will replace thousands of jobs in factories and gradually eliminate manufacturing employment opportunities. With the continuous advancement of automation related technologies, layoffs will become more aggressive. According to relevant research, 87% of manufacturing unemployment is due to the improvement of factory efficiency, which is often cited as the killer of blue collar workers.

Automation innovation has solved urgent problems in infrastructure, productivity, and labor. Artificial intelligence and automation will usher in an era of cheaper products. However, when intelligence becomes super intelligence, machines that are smarter than smart people will pose greater risks, and people and machines will enter a competitive stage, where many people will lose in the competition.

Many people believe that artificial intelligence will bring more economic benefits to society, and companies will use artificial intelligence in production and decision-making to improve overall efficiency. However, in the short term, the transition to intelligent production is unsettling, and the replacement of a large amount of work may have a destructive impact.

We are facing an unprecedented transformation, and with the advancement of automation technology, our way of working has changed. Equipped with learning programs and intelligent systems with autonomous decision-making and computing capabilities, more technical and non-technical jobs will be eliminated.

The factory is undergoing tremendous changes

The fourth wave of industrial revolution is approaching, and the new generation of information technology will have a profound impact on traditional manufacturing. The introduction of concepts from Germany's "Industry 4.0" to intelligent manufacturing and the Internet reflects that the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry has become a major trend. One reason is that rising labor costs and rising raw material prices have forced factories to adopt more efficient automation solutions. On the other hand, the personalized needs of consumers are growing, and factories need to establish mechanisms to quickly respond to diverse needs.

Intelligent manufacturing is also a challenging process, and the transformation and upgrading from machine replacement to intelligence and digitization will take a long time. However, in the next decade, it is certain that factories will undergo earth shaking changes, and today the revolution of this factory has quietly begun.

Industrial robot

Industrial robots have become an important role in the manufacturing industry, and more and more enterprises are adopting robots to achieve higher production efficiency and solve labor problems. According to reports, the number of robots in Philips's factory producing electric shavers in the Netherlands exceeds the proportion of production workers, indicating that robots have replaced human labor in some aspects.

A new wave of factory automation is underway, and robots are entering new environments to create new value for manufacturers. So, why are robots favored by businesses? Part of the reason is that collaborative robots have high usability, are cheaper than previous ones, have flexible mobility and good security protection, and can work safely with human colleagues.

Integration of OT/IT

The Internet of Things technology combines isolated data to provide valuable insights into manufacturing performance, thereby promoting the integration of operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) and achieving digital manufacturing. In the Industry 4.0 model, enterprises can gain more insights, adhere more closely to manufacturing plans, reduce downtime, and respond faster to machine problems.

In 2017, we have seen many industry partnerships that combine OT and IT companies, such as the partnership between ABB and HP. 2018 will undoubtedly bring more OT and IT cases, and the digital transformation of factories will be further accelerated.

artificial intelligence

If robots are the main role of future factories, then artificial intelligence is the key role in achieving intelligent manufacturing. Through machine learning, specialized manufacturers can more accurately predict demand patterns and allocate resources. In other words, AI allows manufacturers to answer questions based on massive amounts of data references, rather than human guessing.

Oracle is expanding artificial intelligence to many core business applications and launching Oracle Adaptive Intelligent Apps, a cloud based intelligent factory application that supports complex decision science. According to Steve Miranda, Executive Vice President of Oracle's Application Product Development, Oracle adaptive programs embed AI algorithms, but this approach is hidden from users and embedded into the software they use to perform daily work tasks.

Additive manufacturing

Diversification and rapid manufacturing are the basic demands to meet personalized needs, and 3D printing has become the best solution for modern rapid manufacturing with extremely flexible manufacturing methods. After years of development, 3D printing materials, from plastic to metal powder foam, have met the needs of various model structure production and have been successfully applied in large-scale work fields such as aerospace and automotive.

As 3D printers become cheaper, faster, more accurate, and work better with a wider range of materials (including production grade materials), they are increasingly being used to manufacture final products, rather than just a single component. This is what is called additive manufacturing.

Because 3D printing machines create a ready-made object by stacking given materials layer by layer, rather than cutting, drilling, and hammering materials, this will save a lot of material. 3D printing has opened the door to mass production of personalized products, from a pair of sports shoes suitable for individual users to car bumpers that can be designed and customized according to user needs.