A Journey to Industries eXcellence with Engineering

We find ourselves in a world increasingly headed towards mass customization, as products across different sectors are increasingly becoming engineered-to-order. This reality has major implications for the manufacturing industry and the companies tasked to produce those goods. Historically, design and manufacturing have been two very separate spheres, but the need for product and process flexibility demands that the world of engineering and the world of manufacturing blend together if companies want to maintain their competitive advantage and relevance in the global market in the future. We believe that the only way for manufacturers to bridge this gap is to implement a digital backbone that covers the entire lifecycle of their products and processes – from design to simulation to manufacturing to utilization. But there is no shortcut to the achievement of the Digital Enterprise, as it is a challenging and unique journey for every organization. At Engineering, our extensive understanding of technologies and markets enables us to help organizations understand, design and most importantly implement the Digital Thread in order to successfully navigate their own roadmap to Industry 4.0. Our customers could not find this at any other company in the world. - Ettore Soldi, Managing Director, Engineering Industries eXcellence

What is the Digital Thread for Industry 4.0?

Throughout the globe, the traditional manufacturing industry is in the midst of a massive Digital Transformation, growing each day by evolving newer technology solutions. The interaction between the virtual and real worlds is opening up new ways for companies to integrate their customers' needs and preferences into their product development and production processes. The utilization of manufacturing data in smart production systems is revolutionizing a seamless “Digital Thread,” promoting continuous success throughout the entire supply chain. In this evolutionary scenario, the Engineering Group is already a major player. With over 550 technology specialists across Europe, North America and South America and more than 950 projects delivered, our Industries eXcellence group has proved itself a global expert and innovation leader in the design, development, implementation and integration of the Digital Thread for Industry 4.0.

Introducing Engineering Industries eXcellence

Our company has been a pioneer in Digital Manufacturing since long before the term “Industry 4.0” was coined. The Digital Thread is much more than a concept at Engineering. Rather, it is a comprehensive offering of software solutions, services and system integration capabilities which supports and guides organizations as they navigate the demands, challenges and complexities of Digital Transformation. Our Industries eXcellence group delivers the power of the Digital Thread for Industry 4.0. Leveraging our unique experience implementing and integrating the entire spectrum of digital tools, our team facilitates the adoption, implementation, integration and transformation journey for manufacturers across all industries worldwide. Our team has been focusing on the idea of building and delivering solutions that bridge the gap between the virtual and physical worlds of manufacturing for many years, and we are one of the main companies in the world with the industry knowledge, global capabilities and technical skillset needed to support the entire lifecycle of products and processes.

We also believe that innovation separates the industry leaders from the laggards. While we have already achieved many successes in this space, we are continuously enriching our solutions and expertise in order to provide best-in-class technologies to our customers, both now and in the future. To this end, Engineering is strongly committed to supporting a number of global innovation initiatives in the Industries eXcellence arena, including:

• Smart Industry Mission Support Committee within the FIWARE Foundation
• International Data Spaces Association
• Big Data Value Association and its Smart Manufacturing Industry Taskforce
• IoT Working Group within the Eclipse Foundation
• Alliance for the Internet of Things Innovation
• EIT Digital Knowledge and Innovation Community
• MxD (formerly the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute) in Chicago

At Engineering, we seize every opportunity to share experience and continuous improvement with our customers, partners and community. We are proud to join them in their efforts to develop new systems that drive innovation and help enhance the quality of their products. Indeed Engineering, by designing and delivering the Digital Thread, realizes the enterprise of the future, leveraging our industry expertise and global presence, transforms processes, systems and people, analyzes business opportunities, scouts cutting-edge technology and delivers integrated solutions.

Our Industries eXcellence Offering

Our Industries eXcellence offering is founded on a diversified and integrated portfolio of digital, both foundational and more innovative solutions for product and process Design, Simulation, Sourcing-Production-Delivery, Utilization-Servicing, the 4 phases of our Digital Thread for Industry 4.0.

1. Design Product & Process

The lifecycle starts with a product's original conception, then on to the engineering design, then to the manufacturing, and finally to the ongoing support of the product. The management of the entire lifespan of a product within a single digital environment is a critical aspect for companies striving to achieve Industry 4.0. New benefits and possibilities open up simply by linking design engineers, manufacturing engineers and shop floor operators in the management of product and process development.

2. Simulate Process & The Digital Twin

Simulating, or imitating, a real-world process or system allows experts to study the process or system they are interested in within a controlled virtual environment. While simulation is well-established during product design and verification, organizations typically do not employ this powerful methodology in the next stage of their value chain: manufacturing of the product. As a result, they lose opportunities to study the behavior of their manufacturing processes and systems before they are deployed. Since the commissioning of new facilities, production lines and processes is often costly and capital-intensive, applying simulation methods can yield enormous benefits.

3. Execute & Control Production

How an enterprise leverages technology to manage and optimize the processes occurring at the shop floor level is critical to reap the full benefits and value offered by the Industry 4.0 concept. Digital Manufacturing requires a well-defined methodology for managing manufacturing operations and data coming off the plant floor. With the cost of raw materials on the rise, a highly competitive global market an increasing regulatory compliance concerns, companies that want to succeed need to cut waste, increase quality and monitor production processes while still increasing throughput. Together, a comprehensive Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) strategy and toolkit can enable all the above. Continuing along our Digital Thread for Industry 4.0, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) finally take us out of the virtual world of manufacturing design and onto the factory floor. Our product has been designed, validated with the Digital Twin, and manufacturing planning has defined the optimal way for it to be produced in the plant. Now, it is time to execute production.

4. Monitor Product & Process

The Digital Thread of a product doesn’t end once the final product leaves the factory. The “Digital Enterprise” is already a reality, and companies are pursuing its benefits and opportunities through Digital Transformation, which requires the seamless integration of data along their entire value chain. Initiatives like Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are being driven by billions of intelligent devices generating massive volumes of data. Closing the loop and turning this data into value is a critical success factor, whether it be by leveraging it to improve production, the maintenance of a product, the next product design or the manufacturing process itself.

Click here or below to download our complete white paper covering our approach and offering for Industries eXcellence.

Engineering Industries eXcellence Authors