It’s impossible to be in business today without having heard about cloud computing and the applications of cloud computing for business. But what about manufacturing? Cloud computing has a number of advantages when it comes to storing, sharing and accessing data. But do these really apply to manufacturing?
How Manufacturing Uses Cloud Computing
The answer is “absolutely.” Over 66 percent of manufacturing businesses in more than a dozen countries report using some kind of cloud computing service. Why? Because cloud computing can dramatically increase the speed of operations. It can streamline your supply chain, get information where you need it faster and add convenience for your customers. Cloud computing is also usually a very affordable solution, so the only real reason not to use it in manufacturing is fear of modern technology.
Benefits of Manufacturing Cloud Computing
Some of the specific ways in which cloud computing is dramatically improving manufacturing include:
- Uniformity of Quality: Under a traditional system, many areas of the manufacturing process are compartmentalized, so that if you have great organization and workflow at one end of the process, it may not translate all the way down the line or may require additional training to get uniformity. When you have a cloud computing solution, all areas have access to tracking and analysis of quality status, making it easier to have uniform quality across the process.
- Faster Manufacturing Cycle: This is one of the most obvious and beneficial aspects of cloud computing for manufacturing. Cloud-based manufacturing systems can make things dramatically faster, as it allows communication between steps at digital speeds. Data seamlessly transfers from one area to the next almost automatically, with no gaps and minimal ambiguity.
- Better Assessments: When all of your data is uploaded automatically to the cloud for easy access, it’s much easier to assess what is working and what is not. You can very simply track and analyze the health and performance of all of your machines, tools and equipment, so you know exactly what is working optimally and what is not, and you can determine what changes or repairs you need to make much more rapidly.
- Reduced Errors: Errors within the manufacturing cycle are a major cause of slowdowns and lost productivity. Cloud computing does not ensure errors will never happen, but it does allow you to automate many more processes where errors are likely to occur, greatly reducing the likelihood of those errors and helping you pinpoint their source much more quickly when they happen.
Cloud Computing for Your Manufacturing Business
We could go on and on about the benefits of cloud computing for manufacturing, but hopefully it is clear that they are many. Cloud computing is, in fact, one of the most beneficial new advances in modern technology when it comes to manufacturing, and if you want to compete and win in your sector, you should definitely be looking to take advantage of it.
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