Every industry is being transformed by the cloud, and businesses in every industry are undertaking a digital transformation to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the cloud, big data, and analytics and artificial intelligence. For manufacturers, these new technologies will impact every aspect of the production process.

The Vision for Cloud in Manufacturing

The cloud will provide the infrastructure that allows data to be analyzed and shared in ways that will change how manufacturers work.

Working from the top down, cloud will impact how manufacturing businesses are managed. With cloud-based enterprise resource planning and accounting systems, data can be accessed from everywhere, allowing data to drive decision-making throughout the organization. Data analyzed in the cloud will identify new opportunities for products and shape how those products are developed, along with identifying the best sales channel, or even creating new sales channels. Businesses may even choose to sell their data, with the cloud making it easy to distribute large data sets to other businesses.

Before reaching the factory floor, the cloud will support an integrated supply chain. Manufacturers’ systems will share data with their suppliers’, allowing raw materials to be ordered and delivered as they are needed to fulfill orders.

On the factory floor, the cloud supports the internet of things, smart devices that will monitor and manage the production process. Those devices will send their data back to the cloud, where it will be analyzed to provide quality control and to identify equipment that requires preventive maintenance.

Benefits of Cloud in Manufacturing

The benefits from adopting this new, cloud-based, data-driven way of manufacturing are substantial. It isn’t simply about the cost-benefits of infrastructure that’s cheaper to use and support, although it’s important to recognize that applies to software licenses as well as hardware. Manufacturers can become more agile, easily scaling systems to meet demand, and more effective in how they manage their equipment. Cloud will support shop floor automation, with real-time data supporting real-time decision-making.

Orders will be processed more rapidly, with less rework needed. They can also become more secure, as the risks of cloud-based computing are countered by cloud providers’ greater security expertise compared to the manufacturers’.

Cloud can even eliminate the need for manufacturers to own their production equipment, with Manufacturing as a Service providing cloud-networked manufacturing equipment shared by manufacturers the same way Infrastructure as a Service enables multiple businesses to share servers.

Remake Your Manufacturing Process With Cloud

Adopting cloud can help manufacturers make remarkable improvements in their connectivity and efficiency. Prescient Solutions provides complete cloud services for manufacturers in the Chicago and Schaumburg areas. Our manufacturing experience includes supporting comprehensive IT solutions for both small shops and global enterprises. Contact us to learn more about how Prescient Solutions can help you leverage the cloud to improve your manufacturing process.