Everyone wants to be on teams that break new ground, like the teams at Zipline<\/A>, a company that builds pilotless aircraft that are used to deliver vital supplies, such as medicine, to locations that previously were inaccessible. Zipline\u2019s founders say its business model requires modern technology that enables them to design and build the drones with limited resources, which keeps costs down so buyers, such as the country of Rwanda, can afford them.<\/P> Unfortunately, not enough people agree. <\/P><\/p>\n Manufacturing continues to suffer from a worker shortage<\/A>. Producing the same amount of goods today takes a lot fewer people than it did 20 years ago, but manufacturers still struggle to find enough people<\/A> just to fill current demand, let alone build a pipeline of future leaders. <\/P><\/p>\n A big part of the problem is a need to reverse perception that manufacturing is dirty and antiquated. According to a Deloitte Insights Report<\/A>:<\/P><\/p>\n \u201c(Highly advanced operations) typically are characterized by work cells composed of numerous computer-controlled, but operator-managed, machines and robots where one worker ensures that software, hardware, tooling, and materials all work together and to detailed specifications. Unfortunately, many young people do not recognize this evolution. As a result, manufacturing has an image problem that further exacerbates the skills gap.\u201d<\/P><\/p>\n The world is full of highly advanced manufacturers making innovative products, but not all manufacturers are as innovative as they could be. A big barrier holding back innovation is a need to invest in modern manufacturing technology.<\/P> \u2022 Software engineers must be able to collaborate with electrical engineers and also with mechanical systems designers. In the most modern and innovative manufacturing plants, unified software platforms enable digital representation of what\u2019s happening in the physical world using a digital twin<\/A>. Everyone can reference the most up-to-date data simultaneously<\/A>, as well as test the impact of proposed changes to manufacturing in a low-cost, low-risk environment\u2014an essential capability for ongoing innovation.<\/P>
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Choosing the right technology is a key part of breaking new ground like this, not only for the capabilities the technology provides, but also for efficiency and speed of process. Innovation has complicated manufacturing jobs, but it also has made manufacturing one of the most exciting places to work.<\/P><\/p>\n
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For instance, these things must happen for a manufacturer to take advantage of all that the Internet of Things (IoT)<\/A> offers in terms of product and service development, as well as process innovation:<\/P><\/p>\n
\u2022 Production planners need to collaborate with product designers to ensure cost-effective manufacturability and capacity planning for those new products.
\u2022 Customers need to be able to send specifications and orders in their preferred file formats without friction or delays.
\u2022 On the shop floor, product data must merge with machine data for digital simulation of processes, automated (robotic) production, analytics-driven process control\u2014and finally\u2014into a data feedback loop within the connected processes so adjustments can be made quickly to iterate and improve.<\/P><\/p>\n
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![\"Manufacturing](\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2019\/09\/Manufacturing-technology-1.png\" "\\"Manufacturing")
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