ISA Interchange

Welcome to the official blog of the International Society of Automation (ISA).

This blog covers numerous topics on industrial automation such as operations & management, continuous & batch processing, connectivity, manufacturing & machine control, and Industry 4.0.

The material and information contained on this website is for general information purposes only. ISA blog posts may be authored by ISA staff and guest authors from the automation community. Views and opinions expressed by a guest author are solely their own, and do not necessarily represent those of ISA. Posts made by guest authors have been subject to peer review.

All Posts

How Operators are Vital to the Digital Transformation Journey

The digitization of manufacturing plants is currently a hot topic amongst the automation community. Every manufacturer is talking about it, learning the benefits of it, and training their leaders on the various technologies that drive it (IoT, AI, ML, AR/VR, cloud computing, etc.). Digital transformation in manufacturing is not only a priority, but essential towards adapting to a more digital world. Those who don’t embrace it might very well fall behind competitors who are leading the way in the digital journey.

Industries which implemented digitization in the early 2000s such as retail, banking, and tourism have shown great growth in the last two decades. Companies such as Amazon practically wiped out their competitors by digitizing their operations and connecting directly to the consumer. By digitizing operations, processes become more transparent, helping people immediately identify bottlenecks. This helps increase overall efficiency while reducing unnecessary waste and costs.

Where Should We Start Our Digital Transformation Journey, and Who Should Be a Part of it?

Plant roles play an essential part in the digitization of manufacturing and can contribute to a seamless digital transformation. Machine operators also play a vital role in this journey due to the monitoring and control of raw machine data fed to the larger digital system. You can put forward the best analytics system or highly experienced data scientists to analyze the captured data, but without the correct raw data, one won’t be able to take any corrective actions or decisions.

As operators work on machines 40+ hours a week, they gain deep knowledge over time of machine functions, capabilities, drawbacks, downtime, repair procedures, and other critical data points. These data points form the backbone of digital systems; these data points are needed to take action and store knowledge for future guidance.

Without this knowledge, digital systems are incomplete. No operator wants to fill out long paper sheets logging their hourly production, machine stoppages, and quality issues daily. Some of them might not even be comfortable reporting or taking help from their supervisors if they don’t know how to repair machines. Understanding their pain points and giving them access to digital information is key. It will also reduce coordination time between operators, supervisors, and other departments.

The Ideal Digital System

 These days, operators are very much digitally proficient. Most have smartphones and use several online platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Google, and Amazon. They know how to type, submit forms, and view or send information to others digitally. If user-friendly interfaces (UIs) are designed for them, they will validate and share the critical information on their machines in real-time so that plant managers can take immediate action. The system can also show them their performance over time (i.e., whether they are doing better compared to prior shifts, or other operators), which will then motivate them accordingly.

The ideal digital system is one in which they inform operators before the start of their shift, “What is the production plan for today? On which area or machine am I assigned to in the production line? What is the output expected from me at the end of the day?”

The digital system should show them their key performance indicators (KPIs) in real-time during their shifts, give them UIs to view or feed information, and, at the end of the day, send performance summaries. This will drive the engagement of operators, providing vital information of a facility’s production machines and lines.

Don’t Lose Out

Most companies ignore their operators while planning digital projects. Digitization is always looked at as a tool to reduce manpower on the shop floor because of its cost and dependability. But not all machines in a factory can run themselves. They need to be fed, maintained, and monitored regularly to be kept functional. Upgrading to smart machines or lines will be a huge cost for most plants, and still won’t automate them completely. Manual quality checks performed by operators will still need to be done in the process.

By digitizing operations, one can increase the productivity and capacity of plants without removing manpower. This can be a win-win situation for both the manufacturers and the operators. Each role in the digital transformation journey should embrace change and transform the process from the inside out. By focusing on these roles and responsibilities, plant digitization can lead to a well-oiled machine providing comprehensive outcomes.

Vishal Pansare
Vishal Pansare
Vishal Pansare has 10 years of experience in consulting and implementing Factory Digitization projects. He has delivered 50+ Control Systems, MES, IIoT & Data Analytics projects for FMCG, LifeScience, Chemical & Automotive Clients. He is currently working as Business Manager for Manufacturing IT division at Logicon Technosolutions, one of the largest Rockwell Automation System Integrators in India. Vishal has done Bachelor Degree in Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering from MIT, Pune University. After working for a couple of years, he further pursued his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Brandeis University, Boston. He is the current Webmaster chair for the Pune Section of ISA. Being a Technology Savvy Business Professional, Vishal loves to work on new technologies.

Related Posts

ISA Landmark Turnaround Fuels Future Growth

In our 2023 annual report and in our recent State of the Society speech at the 2024 ISA Automation Summit...
Prabhu Soundarrajan Oct 8, 2024 7:00:00 AM

High Integrity Pressure Protection Systems (HIPPS)

High integrity pressure protection systems (HIPPS) are used in the process industries to reduce the risk ...
Ankeet Anil Kaji Oct 4, 2024 7:00:00 AM

Highlighting Cybersecurity Awareness Month with ISA's Cybersecurity Library

The start of Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October offers a timely reason to refocus on securing criti...
Kara Phelps Oct 1, 2024 7:00:00 AM