Advantech, a provider of industrial computers and related technologies, has received an award from from ROI Management Consulting, in China.
The award is for its Industry 4.0-compliant digital factory.
The “ROI Industry 4.0 Award China” was given to Advantech at the awards ceremony in Shanghai in recognition of its “Industry 4.0 achievements as a pioneer in the practical implementation of real-time equipment and resource monitoring”.
Timo Schneemann, vice-general manager of ROI Management Consulting, says: “What Advantech has achieved is an outstanding example of what can be done in terms of quality and utilization by providing real-time production insights.
“While today, other companies have key machines connected to a central system, Advantech stands out because they have not only connected sophisticated equipment like SMT lines, but have also upgraded and connected conventional machines, such as stamping machines, to get a full picture of what is happening in production—from start to finish.
“Whilst connecting machines is one thing, the crucial step other companies are missing is making this data easily accessible to the people who need it, and here is where Advantech scores high again with their data consolidation and visualization framework.”
Industry 4.0 situation room
Advantech says that, for many years, it has consistently optimized its production line in manufacturing centers to improve efficiency.
Allan Tsay, vice president, Advantech industrial IoT group, says: “The Industry 4.0 situation room is Advantech´s most important upgrade to Industry 4.0.
“The situation room is the factory´s nerve center where data is collected, analyzed, and visualized for real-time management and data-driven decision-making.
“This award has demonstrated that we are on the right track with our Industry 4.0 blueprint.”
Advantech’s Industry 4.0 journey begins with equipment connectivity and process visualization solutions, and continues with optimization processes.
Data is the key to improving efficiency in Advantech’s smart factory.
Jonney Chang, associate vice president, Advantech industrial IoT group, says: “Advantech is not only an end user, but a provider of Industry 4.0 solutions.
“Advantech has primarily used its own products and solutions in the planning and implementation of the smart factory.
“Advantech’s smart factory is evidence of how iFactory solution-ready platforms (SRPs) and products can be used to implement Industry 4.0 in practice.
“Advantech’s iFactory SRPs are quick-start tools that enable a step-wise approach to achieving Industry 4.0.”
Accelerating Industry 4.0
2017 has been an important year for Advantech to continue driving Industry 4.0 growth.
The company says it has upgraded its manufacturing centers to real Industry 4.0 demonstration sites and has opened them to external visitors in an attempt to accelerate digital transformation and inspire the development of other smart factories.
Additionally, Advantech hosted several Industry 4.0 forums in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Brazil, Turkey and Dubai to share the latest iFactory applications with representatives from industry, government, and academia. In doing so, it says it has collaborated closely to establish a local Industry 4.0 ecosystem.
Earlier this year, Chaney Ho, the co-founder, executive director, and acting general manager of Advantech Europe, received a special award for “Industry Leader of the Year” from Asian Manufacturing Awards 2017 for his “considerable effort in pushing Industry 4.0 in the Asian region”.
Advantech says it has not only realized the intelligent factory from a practical perspective, but also encourages customers to embrace Industry 4.0.
Chang says: “Industry 4.0 is a dynamic process that has no downtime and is constantly advancing and changing.”
As Industry 4.0 continues to evolve, Advantech says it will continue developing its smart factory and Industry 4.0 solutions with the aim of “providing a brand-new in-depth experience for end users in 2018”.
