Ravikiran Pothukuchi, Sales Director, Manufacturing and Logistics, Dassault Systèmes, India
Ravikiran Pothukuchi leads Dassault Systèmes’ Manufacturing & Logistics business in India. His role is to define the business strategy to expand Dassault Systèmes’ solution footprint in India’s rapidly growing manufacturing & logistics sectors.
Industry 4.0 is the latest buzz in the world of manufacturing, but what does it really mean? How can businesses start their industry 4.0 journey, and how to get the best out of it? Ravikiran shares with us the idea of Industry 4.0, its progress. “The manufacturing landscape is evolving rapidly. Tools and technologies formerly restricted to large operations are becoming more affordable and accessible to small and medium-sized manufacturers. With such large-scale adoption, the future of manufacturing is expected to trigger a greater integration of advanced frontier technologies like Virtual Twin, AI, robotics, and the IoT. This is expected to increase automation and efficiency and facilitate the ability to gather and analyse large amounts of data to optimise manufacturing processes and improve product quality. There is also a growth in the use of technologies such as 3D printing and advanced materials, enabling OEMs to streamline the manufacturing process and produce custom products quickly and at a lower cost. Overall, the trend is towards Industry 4.0, a smart and autonomous manufacturing concept where data, technology and people will be seamlessly connected.
Dassault Systèmes offers a range of AI capabilities through its 3DEXPERIENCE platform designed to help companies improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their product development, manufacturing, and operations processes. The platform can detect system failure, allowing them to schedule maintenance optimally and reduce costly downtime. It also offers AI-based quality control capabilities that can help companies automatically identify product defects, reducing the need for manual inspection and increasing the overall efficiency of the production process.
A key differentiator of the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform on the Cloud is the concept of “Security in Depth” at Dassault Systèmes, which relies on the fact that several independent mechanisms are put in place to mitigate any single risk and follow industry standards and best practices, wherever practical and applicable. When it comes to application security, the platform includes comprehensive access controls and authentication, including the availability of two-factor authentication. And all communications are done through a secure sockets layer, and transport layer security channels with 128-bit encryption.
The combination of physical and digital manufacturing, also known as hybrid manufacturing, integrates advanced digital technologies into traditional manufacturing processes, allowing companies to achieve greater efficiency, flexibility, and precision in their production.
3DEXPERIENCE Platform can be used to design and program physical manufacturing equipment, such as CNC machines, to produce parts with greater precision and efficiency. 3D printing can be used to create prototypes, low-volume production parts or customised parts and then these parts can be further finished through traditional manufacturing techniques like machining or surface treatment. Virtual Twin technology can enable companies to simulate and optimise processes before they are executed in the real world, reducing the need for physical testing and the risk of errors. Additionally, robotics and automation increase the efficiency and flexibility of physical manufacturing processes.
Technology has become a reliable tool enabling sustainable manufacturing in many ways. LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) provided by the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform can help companies analyse and optimise their products’ environmental impact throughout their entire life cycle, from raw materials to disposal. Software such as CATIA, SIMULIA and others help companies to design more energy-efficient products, use fewer materials, and have a lower environmental impact.
Furthermore, virtual twin technology can be used to simulate and optimise the sustainability of a company’s manufacturing operations.
Frontier technologies also give companies predictive tools, which help them optimise their operations’ sustainability by providing real-time insights into energy consumption, water usage, and other key sustainability metrics. In addition, advanced software can enable companies to manage, track and optimise their entire supply chain to reduce their carbon footprint.