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The 2017 Asia High Performance Machining Technology Conference (June 27-28) brings industry leaders together to discuss Precision Machining, Intelligent Automation, Testing & Measuring, and Equipment ROI, plus Practical Solutions and Ideas. It includes a Mini Expo, Factory Tour, Technical Seminars, and Networking opportunities, all included with 2 days of valuable information exchange on the latest topics, with lunch and drinks and other activities.

International Metalworking News for Asia April 2017 issue is already out!

http://edms.industrysourcing.com/ezine/17/04/imna.htm

Industry 4.0 is emerging as a critical component to manufacturing competence. A trend that will further intensify in the coming years. Leading companies are appearing on the horizon with ideas that will change the face of the industry.

Job shops in South East Asia’s developing economies are now starting to identify technologies that would complement their manufacturing businesses. Here at International Metalworking News for Asia, we strive to present technical articles, stories and products that can help expand outside traditional manufacturing.

DMG Mori supports its customers on their path to consistent digitalisation based on the app-based control and operator system CELOS® with intelligent software solutions and a lot of digital products and services. By now every fourth machine is thanks to CELOS® compatible with the future. Find out what other products the company presented during its recent open house in this month’s Metal Cutting section.

To remain competitive and profitable, shops continually seek the most economical and productive ways to accomplish their work. Industry 4.0 is presently the top level of manufacturing evolution, requiring strong management commitment, specialised personnel and significant investment. The Tooling & Workholding section features simple, cost-effective analyses and actions that can have a large positive effect on the productivity of small to medium-size operations.

Users nowadays are looking for tangible benefits to reach the next level of process simulation in their sheet metal forming software. This month’s Sheet Metal Forming section unveils Auto-Form Engineering’s latest software version. The software enables users to reach the next level of process simulation through a new set of powerful enhancements and functionalities.

Although Industry 4.0 is dominating the discussion of the future like no other topic, efforts to lay out Industry 4.0 in South East Asia is still embryonic. At present, enterprises in the region whose status can be described as Industrial 3.0 or even lower than that know they need a lot of improvements, especially in cost control, production efficiency and process management. 


Nevertheless, these economies are pushing towards development. And in the future, I’m positive that we will see more demand for services, potentially turning them into a major power behind the digital market.

Key Trends significant to IIoT

Manufacturing is on the crossover of a revolution all over the world. Advancements in technologies are not only making manufacturing effective, but also enabling the work to be “Smarter”. Technologies, based on the IoT, are growing exponentially and are becoming more efficient and significant in industries such as Manufacturing, Healthcare, Energy, and Retail. The IoT has created a new wave of transformation for manufacturers over the past decade.

By 2020, Frost & Sullivan estimates nearly 12 billion devices in the manufacturing world are expected to be connected via advanced machine-to-machine (M2M) based technology.

The market research has identified some of the key trends significant to IIoT:
1. Industrial Mobility
2. IoT gateways
3. Smart Sensors
4. Big Data Analytics
5. Virtual and Augmented Reality
6. Manufacturing Cloud
7. Additive Manufacturing

A number of leading manufacturers such as Bosch, Siemens, and General Electric (GE) are early adopters of smart manufacturing. However, today, a number of niche companies namely Waygum, GainSpan, Splunk, and so on are leveraging the technology and making advancements in the industry vertical. A key to successfully migrate into IIoT is to ensure high productivity and efficiency at reduced costs. Innovative evolution and digitization have driven new and different applications of IIoT, especially in the manufacturing vertical.

Göran Näslund: Industry 4.0 trend of automation in South East Asia

Today, equipment manufacturers are facing another form of advancement—the rise of new digital industrial technology, referred to as Industry 4.0. But how do industry experts view the development of Industry 4.0, how do they see the adoption in South East Asia altering the competitive landscape and what range of solutions can they provide the industrial market in the region.

Göran Näslund, Head of Digital Machining, Sandvik Coromant shared with International Metalworking News for Asia its view of Industry 4.0 in South East Asia.

Göran Näslund, Head of Digital Machining, Sandvik Coromant
We see the adoption of Industry 4.0 in South East Asia altering the competitive landscape as the trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies via cyber-physical systems, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and cloud computing sets the fundamental for ‘smart factory’ implementation.

For manufacturers, the ability to allow the key elements of the production process to communicate with each other will provide significant competitive advantage and growth potential. This is because digital connectivity solutions will help companies to improve every aspect of the end-to-end production process – from design and production planning through machining to post-process analysis and intelligence. Enhanced connectivity and interoperability will open up new opportunities to improve productivity, profitability and security through better planning and decision-making, more optimised processes, lower levels of waste, increases in efficiency and the rapid identification and resolution of production issues.

With machines, software solutions and cutting tools interconnecting in such a way that they can collect and communicate data from and between every different step of the value chain,  the so-called ‘dark data’ – data that would previously have been either unavailable or, at best, difficult to obtain - can now be analysed. And in line with the old saying that ‘if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it,’ this will allow companies to identify how their production processes can be made less wasteful and more efficient.
By making it much easier to configure and modify key parameters from the machine control or even by using browser interfaces, smartphones and tablets; the time it takes to set up a process for a new machining job would be significantly reduced. And once up and running, the same remote configuration capability could be used to further improve the process until the optimum set-up is achieved. Ultimately, combining digital solutions with data collected from other areas of the machine opens up the potential to build systems that can ‘self-optimise’ with little or no programming or operator intervention.

Manufacturing “skills gap” (the lack of availability of technically competent individuals) will also be addressed. Digital solutions that are emerging in support of Industry 4.0 allow a greater ability to monitor and record every aspect of the production process. The remote monitoring and control capabilities that IIoT facilitates will also augment the skills within a manufacturing organisation. For example, a scenario where connected solutions might allow key tool parameters to be set via a modern touch screen. This would probably make manufacturing more attractive to the young generation entering the workforce in the next coming years.

Sandvik Coromant’s position in the industry 4.0 process
Strengthening our offer in Industry 4.0 areas like digital transformation, intelligent machining, digital product and application recommendations and tool data in ISO format, just to mention a few, Sandvik Coromant is actively influencing the ongoing industrial revolution. We continue to develop our Industry 4.0 position with modern advancements such as data exchange and manufacturing automation.

Recently acquiring Prometec GmbH, a sophisticated process monitoring company, and opening the Additive Manufacturing Center positions Sandvik Coromant as an industry front-runner in new manufacturing technologies.

Range of solutions
We have recently unveiled CoroPlus™ - a suite of Industry Internet of Things (IIOT) solutions aimed at helping manufacturers prepare for Industry 4.0. The concept is designed specifically to improve the control of productivity and costs through a combination of connected machining and access to manufacturing data and expert knowledge.

The concept of CoroPlus (a new platform of connected tools and software; essentially comprising technologies that can send and/or receive data) makes it possible to reduce data waste and improve manufacturing processes, from pre- to post-machining, through the use of connected technology and machining knowledge from Sandvik Coromant.

With CoroPlus, we are partnering with machining tool builders, cloud suppliers and network companies. In this way we can help users to capitalise on new technology developments. Our role is to increase productivity and flexibility through value-creating technological advancements in digital machining. Our customers can expect more offers from CoroPlus, which spans from connected cutting tools to software solutions and IoT devices next year and beyond.

Let me know your thoughts

By 2020, it is expected that about 7 billion people and 50 billion things will be online. The pace of connectivity is indeed accelerating. This trend is creating a tremendous impact on our daily lives, on the way we interact with each other, and on the way we manufacture and distribute goods...which left me thinking... is this a good thing or a bad thing? What do you think? Let me know your thoughts.

METALEX 2016: Gareth Laker, Director Factory Automation, Bosch Rexroth

Process control, precision and functionality are critical in every production and assembly line. Therefore, it is important that every bolt is tightened to its proper torque and angle specification. Gareth Laker, Director Factory Automation at Bosch Rexroth explains how the company's tightening system works. And their operating system further simplifies feedback via an intuitive user interface. 

Gareth Laker, Director Factory Automation at Bosch Rexroth

International Metalworking News for Asia - August issue now online!

The regularly-scheduled August issue of International Metalworking News for Asia magazine is packed full of valuable technical guidance for end users in the metalworking industry.

Among the highlights is a follow up interview with Hoffmann Asia's managing director half a year after he assumed the position and announcing his ambitious plan. 

Also check out the exclusive interview of Schaeffler (Singapore)'s vice president for industrial & aerospace regarding "Mobility for Tomorrow" strategic concept, with quotes from the company's director for engineering in South East Asia about manufacturing expertise and systems know-how.

In between are a pair of features focused on automated manufacturing. The future of manufacturing is being driven by the needs of increasingly demanding customers. This often involves the notion of a re-imagined approach towards innovation and the adoption of the Internet of Things with connected systems. Automated manufacturing, machine-to machine communication, and intelligent process chains have now become a fundamental part in stirring industrial changes in South East Asia's factories.

Finally, there’s a technical article on panel bending. By introducing the TruBend Center Series 5000, Trumpf is making its debut in the market for panel bending technology. The panel benders work economically even when producing short runs. They can be run in more quickly than fully automatic machines.

Of course, the issue includes columns from such as show previews and review, industry news and product highlight.

Is there a specific topic or scenario you’d like to see covered in the pages of International Metalworking News for Asia? Email us at kathryn@ringiertrade.com.