ANCA Academy March 2019

Since the beginning of time, the one who could create the best tools had the most to eat, lived in the strongest shelters, and built the biggest empires. From our earliest days we looked for ways to make better tools faster - first by hand, then through industrialisation.

And still today, it remains clear than in the tool manufacturing industry, businesses that adopt highly productive machining practices will have the competitive edge.

By far the most mature and comprehensive aspect of Industry 4.0 for tool manufacturers is the advent of cloud computing, which has already been proven to make remarkable change possible within to the wider business community. And now it’s our turn.

It’s time to get comfortable with the cloud.

Cloud-based manufacturing and connected devices offer a whole new world of opportunities, making it easier than ever for tool manufacturers to scale production, increase productivity and remain agile.

Many manufacturers are attracted by the potential upside, but lack certainty about where to start. Others are unsure about what making their entire business accessible via the internet really means.

As with all new technology it’s tempting to sit back and wait to see others make the first move, so you can learn from them. The drawback to this approach, is that by the time you can see what works, your competitors are already hitting their straps.

While cloud technology may not be something that you choose to invest in right now, for many reasons it’s worth considering the benefits, along with a plan for how you eventually adopt this technology within your business.

Which aspects of tool manufacturing can benefit most from the cloud?

We take it for granted that we can now do business on our phones and laptops from anywhere thanks to the cloud, but it wasn’t very long ago that we had to be in the office to write an email, make a phone call or even receive a fax.

Thanks to the cloud, we no longer have to worry about being in the right place to access our data.
And that level of transformation now applies to the tool manufacturing industry as well. New cloud-based management software along with networked machines and products are helping us design, test and produce tools in an intelligent and unified way, no matter where we, or our facilities are.

 

To keep reading about how the cloud can help transform your business, download the full ebook now.

18 March 2019