Industry 4.0: Enabling End-to-end Accountability and Real-time Asset Monitoring

Industry Outlook Team

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In an interaction with Industry Outlook, Sekaran Letchumanan, Vice President – Operations, Flex India, shares his views on the current technology trends in electronics manufacturing.

How do you see the current evolution of electronics manufacturing industry in India? What are the major factors driving its growth?

The electronics industry is the backbone of development across many sectors in our country including agriculture, healthcare and more and is one of the key sectors identified by the Government of India under its “Make in India” and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ initiative. We believe India has the capability to become a leader in the electronics manufacturing industry.

The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme that was announced by the government is an excellent move towards transforming India into a manufacturing hub. We believe that this is going to create huge opportunities for Indian businesses that are present in electronics manufacturing and it will create many job opportunities too. One of the obvious areas with potential is components and industrial goods manufacturing.

What are the most pressing challenges faced by electronics manufacturers in terms of new technology adoption? How can they address those challenges?

Some of the most obvious challenges that electronics manufacturers face in the adoption of new technologies are:
• How does one integrate these emerging technologies into the legacy systems
• The daunting cost and time factor
• Challenges associated with power, physical security and minimal latency when data centers are scattered around the world
• Understanding which technology is the right fit for that enterprise
• Requirement for cross industry expertise that will deliver Industry 4.0

The answer is to partner with an enterprise like Flex that has gained expertise from our experience around the globe and across sectors. Flex helps companies’ customize their technology adoption according to their requirement and our best-in-class talent across technology and manufacturing make Industry 4.0 possible, with the least amount of hassle.

IoT is being adopted aggressively in electronics manufacturing but there are concerns related to data protection and integration with legacy machines. How can manufacturers overcome these challenges?

Today data protection has become a central pillar in an enterprises’ digital transformation journey. Without it, any organization would lose their competitive edge. IoT and Industry 4.0 connected with legacy machines do collect massive amounts of data, however, a clear security roadmap which takes into consideration all the resources, infrastructure, and end points along the manufacturing chain, can mitigate risks to a large extent.

Data protection is no longer a low-cost viable plan, but it is mission critical for digital systems. Many methodologies such as multi- level authentication along with biometrics, Zero Trust and Micro-segmentation can eliminate human error which is one of the biggest vectors for business sensitive data infiltration. In addition, emerging technologies that use AI and Machine Learning will play a huge role in maintaining a resilient cybersecurity perimeter. Applications that use them can help in anomaly detection, treat detection and intelligence, data discovery, and identify attacks on a system, among other things.

This ensures that the integrity of the entire ecosystem is enhanced and maintained.

Predictive maintenance is becoming imperative for manufacturers across the globe. How should manufacturers devise their predictive maintenance strategy to reduce downtime and ensure business continuity?

Industry 4.0 virtually eliminates downtime through predictive maintenance. The advanced technologies of industry 4.0 automate the collection and analysis of machine data, enabling predictive maintenance that anticipates and corrects potential issues and failures before they occur.

With predictive maintenance there are lesser chances of unexpected failures. In addition, it helps manufacturers in avoiding costly repairs because usually the fault is detected and rectified before there is any severe damage to the machine.

As an example, in milling machines, spindles tend to break, leading to expensive repairs. But thanks to predictive maintenance, ultrasonic sensors collect data on each spindle, which is analyzed for any pattern that suggests a fragile spindle. From there, an alert flags the issue for scheduled maintenance.

By integrating VR with computer-aided design, designers can make changes to the product before the production begins. How do you see the application of AR/VR in the electronics manufacturing industry?

In 2018, Flex introduced an augmented reality (AR) reference design to reduce time to market for companies which are making AR devices for enterprise and consumer applications. With the help of Flex AR reference design companies could significantly reduce product development costs and quickly scale up manufacturing.
According to a new study by IDC, worldwide spending on augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) is forecast to accelerate out of the pandemic, growing from just over $12.0 billion this year to $72.8 billion in 2024.

3D Printing is bringing about a revolution in the manufacturing industry by enabling production anytime anywhere. How do you see its application in the electronics manufacturing segment?

3D printed electronics are well suited to applications where there is a wide range of components that need to be manufactured at short notice.

3D printing can also reduce waste by recycling plastic and cut down on the wait time for replacement parts and transportation. Its implications for mass production are varied, making advancements possible in products ranging from toys to medical devices. In addition to these, additive manufacturing also offers many other benefits, including precision material placement, significant time and cost savings, and the ability to decentralize the manufacturing of basic parts by providing services closer to end markets. These benefits allow for a vertically integrated supply chain in our operations.

What role can technology play in transforming the supply chain in electronics industry? How can manufacturers accomplish it to operate their business more efficiently?

There are technological developments that are bringing production and manufacturing closer to the end users. This is a shift that we can see happening where service is more preferred over products. In the market, there is an increased customer demand for customized products, and expectations for faster product delivery. As the manufacturing companies are moving towards a regionally based supply chain, they are able to address these challenges.

Role of technology
The strong influence of Industry 4.0 will aid in creating intelligent supply chains by incorporating data analytics and IoT advancements into the supply chain. There are complexities that come with new technologies; hence it becomes important for supply chains to maintain transparency. With the increase in near-real-time visibility of supply chain it will be easier to spot the abnormalities or any disruptions that could affect the supply chain.
Flex’s digital manufacturing system offers real-time data which allows the customers to improve on quality and reliability. This results in improving yield and reducing ramp costs via digital twins of physical factory operations. The in-house additive manufacturing services by Flex supports in streamlining the prototype and product customization while reducing time and efforts.

Flex has a proven track record of adjusting quickly to changing market dynamics enabled by its deep partnerships and sophisticated supply chain management tools and processes. COVID-19 showed us that it is no longer only about driving down costs and increasing efficiencies but also about ensuring reliability across the end to end value chain. As the world’s complexities and uncertainties continue to grow, so do risk exposures. Ensuring end-to-end accountability and real-time asset monitoring is important, especially during current times. That is where Industry 4.0 comes into play.