Factories of the Future

Abstract

Rapid progress of smart technologies result in drastic changes in industrial production processes thereby building a roadmap for “The Factories of the Future” with a clear vision of how producers should improve productivity through advancement in plant structure, plant digitization, and plant processes in order to establish production systems that are more flexible and adaptable to external changes with high sustainability. The full integration of different support systems in the digital factory will strengthen communication across all R&D, production, marketing, and other organizational activities and thus facilitate customers to view the production of their products in real time and can suggests last minute modifications. This chapter presents the scenario of current manufacturing facilities which are still lacking in predictable maintenance, decision performance, early awareness, self-optimization and self-organizing features of the Industry 4.0. The Factories of the Future (Industry 4.0) will produce products in a smarter and more integrated, flexible and efficient way. Integrated sensors and IT systems can share and analyze data to predict failures, redesign, and trigger automatic repair processes and thus resulting new levels of performance to produce quality goods at reduced cost. The key technologies of the future industry such as virtual reality, simulation, augmented reality, cyber physical systems (CPS), artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), cloud computing, big data, and additive manufacturing have been highlighted in the chapter. In addition, the chapter also discussed state-of-the-art production technologies to meet quality improvement, reduce costs, and reduced lead time challenges owing to global competition, rapidly changing customer needs and low domestic productivity. At the end of chapter, socio-econo-techno justification of the Factories of the Future has been presented.