{"id":2735,"date":"2022-05-05T13:48:49","date_gmt":"2022-05-05T17:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/?p=2735"},"modified":"2026-03-26T05:04:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T09:04:49","slug":"optimizing-manufacturing-toward-the-factory-of-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/optimizing-manufacturing-toward-the-factory-of-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Optimizing manufacturing toward the factory of the future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><em><em>Data driven and lights-out processes are key factors for optimizing manufacturing toward the factory of the future<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Manufacturers are challenged to bring efficiencies to their factories and <a href=\"https:\/\/resources.sw.siemens.com\/en-US\/video-quality-management-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">increase the quality of their products<\/a>. To meet these demands, <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/factories-of-future-data-driven-and-towards-lights-out-processes\/?spr_cid=120_1438&amp;spr_pid=300000176216028&amp;linkId=300000001509518&amp;_ref=c3ByX2NpZD0xMjBfMTQzOCZzcHJfcGlkPTMwMDAwMDE3NjIxNjAyOCZsaW5rSWQ9MzAwMDAwMDAxNTA5NTE4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a shift in the conventional paradigm<\/a> is needed. The concept of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.plm.automation.siemens.com\/global\/en\/our-story\/glossary\/what-is-a-lights-out-factory\/99912?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201clights-out\u201d factory<\/a> \u2013 one in which the requirements for human activity are so minimal that the facility can operate in the dark \u2013 has been around for decades. But the digital and automation technologies needed to mature before it could become a viable reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Contract manufacturers and corporations benefit from microfactories<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Contract manufacturers setting up microfactories can benefit from easy and cost-effective digital technology. They take advantage of embracing digital tools from the very beginning. Microfactories can also be designed from the start with sustainability in mind. An agile microfactory is also capable of high-mix, low-volume business with low cost and high ROI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Factory of the future is being built today with digital manufacturing technologies<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Today\u2019s digital manufacturing technologies are enabling the factory of the future to become a reality. By leveraging a comprehensive digital twin, with embedded IoT data and analytics, lights-out manufacturing can drive continuous improvement, reduce production costs and <a href=\"https:\/\/resources.sw.siemens.com\/en-US\/white-paper-plm-quality-management\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">improve quality<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Digital tools are essential. They ensure that quality and efficiency are built into the manufacturing process and are proactively and systematically enforced. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.plm.automation.siemens.com\/global\/en\/our-story\/glossary\/digital-manufacturing\/13157?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Digital manufacturing<\/a>&nbsp;tools and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.plm.automation.siemens.com\/global\/en\/our-story\/glossary\/digital-twin\/24465?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">digital twin<\/a>&nbsp;enable manufacturers to replicate autonomous processes in the virtual realm, allowing products and processes t be optimized prior to deployment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1576\" height=\"877\" data-id=\"2740\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/05\/qam_video-1.jpg\" alt=\"Engineers review digital manufacturing analytics to measure the performance from lights-out manufacturing processes. \" class=\"wp-image-2740\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/05\/qam_video-1.jpg 1576w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/05\/qam_video-1-600x334.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/05\/qam_video-1-1024x570.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/05\/qam_video-1-768x427.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/05\/qam_video-1-1536x855.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/05\/qam_video-1-900x501.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1576px) 100vw, 1576px\" \/><figcaption> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New opportunities for manufacturing industries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Forward-looking manufacturers may seize opportunities today to implement lights-out processes. These opportunities can be within their conventional and smart factories \u2013 making for a \u201clights-sparse\u201d facility or production line. <a href=\"https:\/\/resources.sw.siemens.com\/en-US\/white-paper-lights-out-factory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read this white paper<\/a> to discover more about the challenges and opportunities presented by the lights-out approach. Learn how a feasible deployment can provide realistic value to manufacturers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link\" href=\"https:\/\/resources.sw.siemens.com\/en-US\/white-paper-lights-out-factory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Download the white paper now!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Data driven and lights-out processes are key factors for optimizing manufacturing toward the factory of the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3163,"featured_media":2465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spanish_translation":"","french_translation":"","german_translation":"","italian_translation":"","polish_translation":"","japanese_translation":"","chinese_translation":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[234],"tags":[265,289,56],"industry":[],"product":[397,400,408],"coauthors":[580],"class_list":["post-2735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ebook","tag-digital-transformation","tag-quality-management-system-qms","tag-smart-manufacturing","product-opcenter-execution-core","product-opcenter-execution-foundation","product-opcenter-quality"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/02\/MES_ERP.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2735"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2735\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2753,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2735\/revisions\/2753"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2735"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=2735"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=2735"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/opcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}