Smart Factory: How Intelligent Manufacturing Adds Value to ProductionA Smart Factory, or intelligent factory, is the application of digital technology to factory operations. Technologies such as Robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are combined to advance overall operational efficiency — all within a budget appropriate to each individual plant.
What You Need to Know Before Building a Smart Factory• The necessity for change
• Assessment of the plant's current capability
• The investment budget
The core purpose of adopting these technologies is high-productivity operation: increasing throughput while reducing downtime and cost at the same time. The key success factors are the deployment of high-performance robots and intelligent devices, along with a large number of sensors and internet-connected communication equipment. The goal is complete digital transformation — optimising production and building a fully integrated smart factory that can respond better to rapidly changing demand.
Data-Driven ManufacturingData-driven manufacturing means exchanging data between products and the production line. The digital data collected from these devices is extremely useful for tracking Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), maintaining process efficiency, and verifying product quality. This approach requires a highly capable OPC-UA platform such as Yaskawa Cockpit™, which enables data collection in line with the i3-Mechatronics concept: integrated — combining devices, sensors, robots, and software; intelligent — presenting information in real time; and innovative — creating value through innovation. With this concept, production supervisors can see exactly what is happening on the line, gain deep insights, and improve both the efficiency and the value of production.
The Smart Factory Workflow1. Define operational goals: Clear organisational goals help everyone understand the "why" behind the work — for example quality standards, long- and short-term targets, and cycle time goals per minute, hour, or day.
2. Plan for success: Determine how each benchmark will be achieved, asking questions such as "What data do I need to collect to fix this problem?" and "What process should I use to collect and analyse it?"
3. Execute: Follow the defined steps, and track what is working and what is not.
4. Manage with data: Collect data for analysing robotic automation systems and production processes.
5. Preventive Maintenance: Monitor the condition of equipment and robots. For example, using generated data to measure motor torque reveals irregularities in robot motion — extremely useful for maintaining robot performance and preventing unnecessary downtime.
6. Predictive Maintenance: Use data received from each device, or from a software platform such as Yaskawa Cockpit, which can easily monitor, collect, and deliver data in real time.
Why a Smart Factory Outperforms a Conventional FactoryA Smart Factory holds clear advantages over a conventional factory: lower operating costs, more sustainable profit growth, and a smaller workforce — while maintaining or even increasing production output. It answers the needs of today's industry, and the transition can begin by converting just part of the plant rather than everything at once, keeping investment costs under control. If you would like to learn more about robotic automation or planning an optimised system, contact our YASKAWA specialists at
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