Factory Update: 3 Previews of the Factory of the Future

What will the factories of the future look like?

Will they be highly automated, with human labor largely replaced by robots? Will they be highly integrated, with every single piece of equipment wirelessly connected to every other? Will they be highly additive, with 3D printing replacing many conventional subtractive manufacturing technologies?

The latest industry predictions suggest that factories of the future could be all three: automated, integrated and additive. Although we aren’t there yet, several recent factory announcements can give us a glimpse into the manufacturing facilities of tomorrow.

1) GE’s Brilliant Factory in Canada

Artists' concept of the Welland Factory. (Image courtesy of GE.)

GE recently broke ground on its latest “brilliant” factory in Welland, Ontario, just across the Canadian border from Buffalo, New York.

The brilliant factory is GE’s new take on manufacturing. It involves machines that are embedded with sensors and connected to the Industrial Internet. The factory uses GE’s Predix software platform to stream data—over secure links—into the cloud for analysis. Insights are then sent back to engineers with suggestions on how to improve operations.

The divide between the lab and the factory is meant to disappear in this approach. This allows for faster prototyping and commercialization of parts according to Stephan Biller, chief manufacturing scientist at GE Global Research.

Biller has been developing new ways to use data and analytics to transform factories into places that are constantly improving their operations and output. As a result, Biller says, factories no longer need to be located where labor is cheap, but can bloom where educated workers can make the most out of advanced technology.

“By utilizing automation and the brilliant factory concepts, we are strengthening the base of North American manufacturing and equalizing the region’s ability to compete with countries where labor costs are cheaper,” Biller said.

A Waukesha gas engine. (Image courtesy of GE.)

GE says the new Welland factory, which will produce Waukesha gas engines and other components for GE businesses, will employ 220 skilled workers. Data and analytics will give them insights to improve quality output and increase profits, said Biller. The new approach is also intended to shorten supply chains and reduce inventories.

GE plans to complete the Welland plant in 20 months. Elyse Allan, president and chief executive of GE Canada, said support from Canada’s export credit agency, Export Development Canada, was key to the decision to build in Welland.

The company’s $165 million investment in Welland follows GE’s recent plans to build similar factories in the U.S., such as the Center for Additive Technology Advancement in Pittsburgh.

For more information, visit the GE website.

2) Gerdau Connects 600 Assets Across 11 Steel Plants

Gerdau's Porto Alegre steel plant. (Image courtesy of Gerdau.)

Gerdau recently announced a collaboration with GE Digital to transform the steel producer’s industrial operations in a first-time initiative for the global steel industry. Gerdau will rollout GE Digital’s software and services to connect 600 assets in 11 plants across Brazil.

GE’s Asset Performance Management (APM) solution for Gerdau consists of GE’s SmartSignal and Historian software, services and remote monitoring and analytics expertise out of GE’s Industrial Performance & Reliability Center (IPRC) in Illinois.

SmartSignal, which is part of GE’s APM Solution Suite, is designed to identify impending equipment failures before they happen—often weeks or months in advance, according to the company. With this added lead time, companies can transition from reactive to preventative and predictive maintenance processes and help avoid unplanned equipment downtime.

SmartSignal works by leveraging existing data, stored and gathered by GE’s time-series data Historian software to provide early and actionable warnings of impending equipment and process problems. The Industrial Performance & Reliability Center (IPRC) helps bridge new technology and maintenance engineers on the ground with predictive analytics to prevent unplanned downtime.

Example of how GE's SmartSignal can be used for predictive maintenance. (Image courtesy of Chris Engdahl.)

Gerdau embarked on a proof of concept monitoring 50 of the company’s assets and was able to realize two “catches” of potential asset issues that could be addressed through early planned maintenance without impact to the business. The savings resulting from these preventative actions were equal to the cost of the pilot study.

“Gerdau is incorporating greater agility and autonomy in operational decisions via digitalization. We are focused on creating value and enhancing the competitiveness of our operations and our partnership with GE will definitely provide important support for this challenge,” said André B. Gerdau Johannpeter, CEO of Gerdau.

“Every industrial company must undergo digital transformation,” said Bill Ruh, CEO of GE Digital. “While many companies have already built a strong tech foundation, continued investment the ‘traditional way’ will not guarantee growth for an industrial organization. Businesses like Gerdau are thinking about cloud, Big Data, mobile, platforms and even talent differently. Digitization and a focus on outcomes, facilitated by analytics, is a solution.”

For more information, visit the Gerdau website.

3) Norsk Titanium Plattsburgh Demonstration and Qualification Center

Example of a MERKE IV production floor. (Image courtesy of Norsk Titanium.)

Norks Titanium AS has announced that its subsidiary, Norsk Titanium US Inc., is opening a nearly 70,000 sqft production and training facility in Q4 2016. The Plattsburgh Demonstration and Qualification Center (PDQC) will complement the U.S. company’s new headquarters and manufacturing plant, currently in the design and planning phase with a targeted completion date in 2017.

The PDQC facility is funded by a Norsk Titanium investment designed to accelerate production and the creation of jobs and economic development in the Plattsburgh-North County region.

Details of the PDQC facility include:

Features Norsk Titanium’s ‘Ultra lean cell’ (ULC), which demonstrates a production line that turns CAD files into finished aerospace parts in a space of approximately 120 feet
Showcases the 3D printing, heat treatment, non-destructive testing and final machining of aerospace-grade titanium parts in a process time of less than 40 hours
Will house approximately 50 skilled workers and office staff
Sufficient space and facilities for up to 10 MERKE IV RPD machines, the first of which has arrived from Norway for installation and commissioning
A MERKE IV can produce approximately 20 metric tons of aerospace-grade structural titanium components per year
The first titanium aerospace components to be produced by Norsk in Plattsburgh are planned for November 2016

Beginning work on the PDQC interior. (Image courtesy of Norsk Titanium.)

“Launching the PDQC facility in 2016 represents a multi-million-dollar investment by Norsk Titanium in the region and demonstrates our commitment to quickly commence operations and get a head-start on partnering with the people of Plattsburgh to generate jobs and economic development here,” said Norsk Titanium president and CEO Warren M. Boley, Jr. “As the industrial-scale RPD factory next door comes online during the next year or so, we will move the bulk of production there, while retaining this PDQC building as a qualification and training center as well as a showcase for our latest innovations and technology.”

For more information, visit the Norsk Titanium website.

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