Kindly give a brief about AXISCADES and about its products/solutions offerings.
AXISCADES is a technology solutions provider with over three decades of engineering excellence, catering to companies in diverse industries, such as aerospace, defense & homeland security, heavy / off-highway engineering, automotive, industrial products, energy, and medical devices.
We are a preferred engineering partner for many global OEMs with complex supply chains, mission-critical applications, and highly advanced technologies. The Company supports customers across its entire value chain, from concept design to manufacturing to after-market solutions.
Our key areas of expertise include Product Design & Definition, Analysis & Validation, Embedded Electronics, Systems Installation, and Integration, Testing Solutions, Virtual & Smart Manufacturing, 3D Digital Factory Layout & Optimization, Assembly Process, Shop Floor Automation, CNC/NC programming, PLM & Engineering IT; and Digital Engineering such as IIOT & Industry 4.0 solutions, AI / ML-based solutions, Application Development, Industrial Automation, and Advanced analytics.
AXISCADES has expert teams developing products such as Electronic Warfare Systems, Mission computers, Digital Engine Control Units, Display Processors, Automated Test Equipment for airborne/on-ground systems, Ground Handling and Support Equipment, Software and applications products. AXISCADES has also developed products/solutions such as WeCareEST, connected tire pressure monitors, bolt loosening detection, etc.
AXISCADES has a diverse team of over 2000 engineers working across 17 futuristic Global Engineering Centres across North America, Europe, the UK, and Asia-Pacific, striving to reduce the program risk and time to market for global OEMs. The Company is headquartered in Bengaluru, India, and listed on the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE).
What are some of the advancements made in Smart Manufacturing?
Smart manufacturing is an umbrella term with a broad category of manufacturing with the goal of optimizing concept generation, production, and product transaction. While manufacturing can be defined as the multi-phase process of creating a product out of raw materials, smart manufacturing employs computer control and high levels of adaptability. It takes advantage of advanced information, proactive and autonomic analytics capabilities, and manufacturing technologies to create an intelligent and self-healing environment that addresses a dynamic and global market. Technologies such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Additive Manufacturing, Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, IoT, IIoT, and Simulation are playing crucial roles in empowering smart manufacturing.
Early adopters who have at least partially implemented smart manufacturing initiatives have documented measurable results. 82% of the early adopters reported increased efficiency, 49% reported fewer product defects and 45% reported customer satisfaction gains.
Today, Smart manufacturing is no longer a buzzword, several experts in the field of Digital engineering are offering services that help enterprises address costs and move towards an optimized manufacturing model that is not just collaborative but is increasingly agile, automated, and innovative.
With the global smart manufacturing market size expected to grow to USD 300 billion in 2023, there is a growing demand for expertise backed by know-how. The biggest piece of the pie is bound to be had by the manufacturers that are replacing the ‘art of manufacturing’ with the ‘smart of manufacturing.’
What were the challenges faced while enabling smart manufacturing for global OEMs?
Smart manufacturing is a part of the emerging technology that utilizes interconnected machines and tools for improving manufacturing performance and optimizing the energy and workforce required for the implementation of big data processing, artificial intelligence, and advanced robotics technology, and interconnectivity of them. Some of the key challenges faced while enabling smart manufacturing for global OEMs related to system integration, interoperability, investment returns, talent skills and gaps, data islands and data sensitivity.
Integrating new technology to the existing equipment, compatibility of Machine-to-machine communication between existing ones and the new devices causes various problems while implementing smart manufacturing processes. The recent manufacturing systems require IPv6 connectivity to support more devices connected at the same time.
Interoperability refers to the basic ability of computerised systems to communicate and connect with other systems readily. Different systems must be able to understand, access, exchange data and information between them without the interference of the manufacturer. Without proper matching of the communication protocols and standards, the feature of interoperability may not be achieved efficiently.
On investment returns it can be said that any company willing to upgrade to advanced technology would carefully analyse the financial aspects and the return on investments on those technologies. Production loss during the upgrade and the time required to recuperate it to get back the investment influences the adaptation and deployment of these technologies.
Talent and skills gaps were among the other challenges. To successfully implement new technology and run operations, one must have a workforce that possesses “digital dexterity”—the people must understand both the sides of manufacturing, its processes, and the digital tools that support its operations. A workforce that can manage IoT systems, ensure proper operation, and interpret its data. For many organizations, this means hiring new talent or providing additional training to their existing workforce.
Regarding data Islands, smart manufacturing solutions provide overwhelming amounts of data that require to be compiled, stored, contextualized, and applied. If not, it creates data islands that can reduce industrial IoT solutions’ effectiveness and efficiency. Hence, a comprehensive data strategy that reduces the risk of silos or islands, addresses data governance and creates systems for data interpretation and application is a must for organizations with smart manufacturing facilities.
Data sensitivity is another challenge faced while enabling smart manufacturing. Successfully implementing smart manufacturing solutions involves the use of AI algorithms, for example, data acquired requires to be trained and tested. This requires the data to be shared with third-party solution developers. Hence, tools that monitor servers’ function, protect data, and tracks equipment’s productivity and operations are a must to address increasing concerns over data and IP privacy, ownership, and management.
What are collaborative robots and how will they change the landscape in manufacturing technology?
Today, robots can not only perform multiple tasks simultaneously but can also connect and interact with other robots. With this, a huge network of robots can be created. Cobots is the name given to an entire network of collaborative robots. Industrial ‘Cobots’ or collaborative robots are designed to be able to collaborate with humans in an intelligent and safe manner and are set to become one of the key pillars of Industry 4.0.
Manufacturers that produce products on a large scale connect to a single production line of Cobots to assemble several product models. This ensures that there are no setup time and reconfiguration issue and also sticks to the scheduled production time. Collaborative robots are also adept at producing customized products and can swiftly handle dangerous tasks that might otherwise prove to be a risk for the human workforce.
Collaborative robots are changing the landscape of manufacturing by not only helping people do their job better but also by creating engineering and programming employment opportunities within industries that would not have existed before. It has become one of the most sought-after emerging fields in engineering offering promising careers to talent.
Traditional industrial robots are often mammoth-sized machines that are static and difficult to repurpose and reprogram based on the evolving need of the manufacturer. However, Cobots are compact, flexible, and can be operated safely alongside people. Instead of replacing humans with autonomous robots, Cobots augment and enhance human capabilities with super-strength, precision, and data capabilities to do more and provide more value to the organization. From assembly, dispensing, welding, material handling, painting, packaging, polishing, whatever the tasks may be, Cobots bring flexible automation to manufacturers.
Cobots in manufacturing is mainly deployed for material handling, assembly and quality inspection and material removal.
In manufacturing, handling materials is one of the dangerous tasks, and many material handling tasks are repetitive in nature, this gives rise to repetitive strain injury. Cobots with innovative grippers, computer vision, and machine-learning systems can pick up a wide range of objects even in unstructured environments such as bins or totes and minimise the risk of injuries to humans.
Collaborative robot arms can handle the assembly of plastics, woods, metals, or other materials. It is also capable to produce repeatable accurate assembly processes that involve welding, part fitting, driving screws, etc. The repeatability of the Cobots arm is perfect for automating quick-precision handling in quality inspection and applications. For example, Cobots can place a camera in the same location for multiple measurements and positions as many workpieces are needed without the requirement of optical recalibration.
A collaborative robot can add flexibility, efficiency, and freedom to grinding, milling, routing, drilling, and other material removal tasks. Built-in sensors in Cobots help in consistent and precise placement of tools to reduce material waste and help in process optimisation.
What are some of the key emerging smart manufacturing trends shaping in 2022 and beyond?
Smart Manufacturing remains at the forefront of the manufacturing industry after the advent of Covid-19. The aftermath of the pandemic pushed the demand for digital transformation in manufacturing. Manufacturers today are exploring and investing heavily in digital technologies to add the smart factor to their manufacturing. New manufacturing trends and technology are coming to the aid of the manufacturing industry. Some of the emerging smart manufacturing trends include:
Remote and off-site operational work – From sensor monitoring to virtual maintenance the digital technology has enabled effective operations even when personnel is not in person at the facility.
With the use of sensor technology various machine parameters can be monitored digitally (such as temperature, speed, vibration, etc.).
Automating as many business processes as possible will be the key for any business to effectively remove time-consuming and unnecessary error-prone processes.
These are flexible autonomous robots that are capable of completing complex tasks while working alongside humans. These will continue to expand their roles as primary material carriers, inspection devices, and advanced decision making helping to continuously improve smart manufacturing processes.
The manufacturers are trying to implement AI technology to transform their offices and plants into a hybrid workplace. By embracing it the manufacturers intend to cut the human labour and cost. This trend will rise in 2022 because it offers better returns, eliminates human error and intervention in manufacturing processes
Smart manufacturing includes the implementation of emerging technologies such as IoT, The cloud, AI, ML, AR/VR, smart industrial robots, and more. These emerging technologies have carved a trend of adoption across the industry.
Tell us about some of the major setbacks the manufacturing engineering industry faced during the pandemic and how is it planning to regain its lost ground?
The pandemic brought a mixed bag of opportunities and challenges for the manufacturing engineering industry. Challenges like supply chain disruptions, social distancing on assembly lines, travel restriction, and the need for oversight required manufacturers to innovate at speeds they never had before. The industry rose to the occasion and witnessed the fast adoption of innovative technologies at scale. India’s manufacturing engineering sector had gone through various phases of development in recent years. The sector contributes to approximately 16-17% of the GDP and provides employment to almost 20% of the country’s workforce. India’s manufacturing GDP is forecast to grow at an average annual rate (AAGR) of 9%, in nominal terms, over 2022-26.
The manufacturing engineering sector is at the centre of our government’s vision with the Make in India (MII) initiative aimed at increasing the contribution of the manufacturing industry and placing India on the world map as a manufacturing powerhouse, giving global recognition to the Indian economy. With the intent to achieve this objective Robust domestic demand, a young population, and a high return on investment, turned India a credible investment destination and presented the country as a lucrative destination for manufacturers, the MII campaign has proved to be a unifying factor with a holistic approach to take India to a new level of economic growth. India would need to strike a balance between emerging technologies and the country’s massive labour force by investing in high technology sectors.
The pandemic accelerated the digital transformation in the manufacturing engineering industry by leveraging numerous technologies that ensured –
Adaptive and an agile response to market demand with personalized products and services, Building resilient, connected, cognitive, and collaborative supply chains, Purpose-driven engagements with partners across industries to deliver a frictionless experience to customers, The transition to the next normal in manufacturing plants will require both leaders and frontline teams to develop new capabilities
Various new age adaptations like digitalisation (AI, Automation, process control, etc.) of the operations are key in the development of smart factories and efficient production processes
Some companies are using digital twins of their facilities to simulate operation under different staffing levels and production scenarios. This approach can support many aspects of operational planning, from evaluating the impact of changes to plant layout to determine the mix of skills that on-site teams require
With the aim to boost the manufacturing sector and make India the manufacturing hub, the Government has relaxed the excise duties on factory gate tax, capital goods, consumer durables, and vehicles
Government of India is providing a helping hand by approving Production Linked Incentive (PLI schemes) across various industry sectors such as electronics, pharmaceuticals, telecom, automobiles, and auto components, and so on to create a national manufacturing roadmap and generate employment opportunities, it has paved way for the sector to penetrate deeper thus creating a pool of opportunities for budding talent