Transitioning to Industry 4.0
by Phanindra Karody, Plant Head, Bangalore, Continental Automotive India
There is no denying the fact that COVID-19 has hit industries across the spectrum and the impact of this outbreak shall stay even after we resume our operations. There are a lot of uncertainties about how and when we can ease into our new “normal”. As we stand amid these clouds of uncertainties, I believe, there is one certainty that will help us in moving forward in current times- Transformation Towards Industry 4.0.
Thanks to the technological shifts and steps taken towards Industry 4.0, the industry is in a better position to handle a situation like the current challenging times. Today, we are equipped with technologies like Collaborative Robots (Cobots), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Augmented Reality (AR), Internet of Things (IoT), that are helping in addressing COVID-19 operational challenges.
At Continental, we strongly believe in using technology to make our lives safer, simpler, and smarter. We have been implementing various Industry 4.0 practices globally and in India. In this article, I will be touching on those Industry 4.0 initiatives that I believe will work wonders in current times, in terms of providing flexibility, removing inhibitions, and increasing productivity, etc.
Cobots
Continental employs Cobots in various power plants across the globe, from Spain to India. The main objective is obviously the improvement of productivity and transition to a smarter factory. Where workers can focus on aspects related to precision, quality, and testing, which helps to optimize the output and time required.
Apart from increasing productivity, cobots can help in maintaining social distancing. It can be deployed in areas where the density of workers in the manual lines is high to maintain line efficiency.
Use of AI/ AR Tools
At the Bangalore plant, we have already employed Augmented Reality (AR) for remote assistance and problem-solving. In a possible machine breakdown situation, AR’s remote assistance capabilities eliminate the need for a technician to physically be present at the shop floor to fix the issue. The remote monitoring not only cuts down the time drastically, which is critical to production but also curtails unnecessary operational expenditure.
On the other hand, AI negates the need for manual validation of the designated quality inspectors, which is achieved through the facial detection process. Thus, complementing social distancing efforts further.
Smart Supply Chains
Globally, Continental Supply Chain Management (SCM) has already started its journey towards Industry 4.0 initiatives with the vision of having an autonomous supply network by adopting smart factory solutions and implementing automated guided vehicles (AGV), automatic replenishments, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), and big data analytics, etc.
Intelligent supply chain management allows the strategic coordination of the supply network. It helps, for example, identify and avoid raw materials bottlenecks at an earlier stage and process them much more effectively. With “Supply Risk Management 4.0”, Continental has developed a concept that significantly reduces supply risk.
In such a time of limited workforce, these initiatives will help take care of all the repetitive tasks and avoid any risks, so that the workforce is available for more strategic and productive tasks.
Connected Factories
At Continental, we are increasing Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), and Advanced Shipping Notification (ASN) based supplies in our inbound logistics. While for the outbound logistics, we opt for only GPS enabled vehicles across all our plants. Continental Cloud Services has helped us in moving towards the digitization of functions globally. Continental also won the VDA Logistics Award in the year 2019, for its initiatives to digitize its supply chain.
Across the industry, connected enterprises help in collecting data from various factories and making the system better. Moreover, it gives managers the flexibility to track data and
reports anywhere anytime, which can be extremely useful in current times.
Sustainability
Industry 4.0 positively impacts the three pillars of the concept of sustainability (economic, environmental, and social), also known as the Triple Bottom Line. Past year, Continental’s Bangalore plant achieved Green Plant — Silver rating for sustainable development and social responsibility
To share some numbers, with increased dependence on renewable sources of energy for daily operations, nearly 80 percent of Bangalore plant is powered by solar energy generated from a 5MW facility and 460KW solar panels installed in-house. This has enabled the facility to save close to 650000 Kg of CO2 in 2019
Moreover, 60 percent of the product packaging derived from the Bangalore plant can be reclaimed. These initiatives of sustainability not just help the environment but also helps bring the operational cost down, in the long run, giving our plants an advantage in difficult times.
The initiatives mentioned above are just a few examples that Continental has put together to achieve the current levels of Industry 4.0. This effort will help us sail through any challenges, without compromising on the quality or commitment to our clients.
About the author
Phanindra Karody is the head of Bangalore Plant, Continental Automotive India.
Karody holds a Master’s degree in Science in Industrial Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA, and Bachelor of Engineering in Production Engineering, Osmania University, Hyderabad. He holds expertise in quality assurance, strategic planning, planning & controlling, process management and team management.
He has over 20 years of experience in manufacturing industry. His past experiences include — Quality Manager of Dawson Manufacturing Company, Inc., Benton Harbor, MI and Quality Head of Continental Rico Hydraulic Brake Systems, Gurgaon. Karody joined Continental Teves, Inc., Auburn Hills, MI in 1998 as a Plant Manager, since then he has been an integral part of Continental.
