Industrial Automation Magazine India

AI is playing a crucial role across the manufacturing value chain

Published on : Sunday 01-03-2020

What is the kind of impact emerging technologies are having on industrial automation?

I think we have reached the peak of automation software impact. What is really going to revolutionise processes across organisations and drive industrial automation here on are emerging technologies such as Internet of Things, cloud, mobility, analytics, virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence, etc. These emerging systems will replace real time systems with complex, adaptive and predictive systems.

IIoT driven smart manufacturing will enable automated, configurable and flexible setups. Communication technologies enable centralised control of sensors, networks, diagnostics, and interfaces.

The factory of the future will be smaller, more efficient, movable and always on.

How is Artificial Intelligence helping the cause of fully autonomous manufacturing?
AI, with component technologies, will transform enterprise digitalisation through faster insights from complex, real-time, multi-source data, while delivering new-to-world experience personalisation using low-credence, quick-changing consumption information – enabling a diversity of high revenue potential use cases across diverse sectors.

We also know companies that adopt AI for a cost impact see much lesser breakeven than companies choosing revenue impact as the driver to formulate AI strategies. As manufacturing industries experience growing pressure on both top-lines and bottom-lines, they are increasing usage of AI.

From usage of machine vision integrated with cloud based data processing networks for real time quality checks, machine learning based predictive maintenance programs, to using advanced data analytics to improve productivity, and product quality, and using real time view of the customer journey to provide great experiences, AI is playing a crucial role across the manufacturing value chain.

Despite the many advantages, there are trust issues when it comes to Cloud Computing. Are the fears exaggerated?
We believe cloud computing today is evolving from emerging to foundational technology status. Modern day technology platforms are all build on the cloud and while we expect further evolution of cloud computing driven by convergence of technologies such as blockchain, immersive realities (mixed, augmented and augmented), cloud will continue to remain the backbone of all IT infrastructure.

The early days of cloud computing saw several critical failures. Major issues pertaining to security in cloud include data localisation and transmission, data availability and security, service availability and performance metrics, malicious inside and outside attacks.

Today though, cloud security controls and protocols have come up by leaps and bounds. Perimeter firewalls, real time intrusion detection systems with event logging, data at rest encryption, cloud access security brokers, internal firewalls for individual databases and applications, and tier 4 data centres with effective physical security have allayed security concerns.

Can a technology like Blockchain reduce the inefficiencies in manufacturing operations, especially in supply chain?
Absolutely. Over the past century, supply chains have become increasingly complex given unpredictable demand scenarios and the globalised world. At the same time core supply chain technologies have not evolved at the pace of customer expectation and operational models.

Today the major issue that hampers supply chains is lack of information flow across all functions and stakeholders, which creates inefficiencies.

Blockchain solutions that that integrate the entire value chain – sourcing, procurement, manufacturing, transportation and distribution and improve supply chain management and traceability can make a significant difference.

NASSCOM’s research highlights the growing adoption of enterprise blockchain solutions. For example, Apollo Hospitals is collaborating with Oracle, Strides Pharma and NITI Aayog to build a Blockchain based healthcare drug supply chain solution that will store drug details such as drug serial number, labelling and scanning details about manufacturers’ supply chain which will track every hand change in the network, thus curbing fake medicine sales.

Statwig has built a blockchain based solution which can be deployed across temperature controlled supply chain used for perishable products including food, vaccines, etc. While IBM’s blockchain solution will integrate 12 major Indian ports to create a robust messaging platform.

Is the pace of technology too overwhelming for most enterprises, especially MSMEs?
Think about how fast apps catch on now. Pokémon GO, took just 60 days to reach 50 million users. And it reportedly earned more than US$1b in revenue by the end of its first year.

Aren’t we preparing for a future with jobs which do not exist yet with technology that is evolving everyday trying to solve for problems we cannot yet imagine or understand?
Global macro-economic, political, technological and social megatrends such as growth of Asia, mass urbanisation and hyper personalisation, a disrupted future of work, rise of the data led economy, and increased environmental sustainability stress in this new decade are effecting large scale disruption in consumer and enterprise technology consumption.

Global megatrends will generate high-impact opportunities, at speed and scale that will require unseen response agility from demand-supply-trust ecosystems built on a strong core of digital technologies and connectedness.

NASSCOM’s research indicates that rapid evolution of emerging technologies are reshaping existing technology spends, and creating new ones, leading to opportunities worth USD 33 Trillion by 2025.

Currently, top 4 challenges for MSMEs include lack of market access, investment/funding, talent and technology adoption. While Indian MSMEs need to significantly transform themselves to be a part of this new growth story, the ecosystem (along with other stakeholders) needs to get together to help drive growth.

What should be the roadmap companies should follow in adopting these technologies?
Emerging technologies are characterised by rapid evolution. Use cases continue to be created and business models continue to be tested out for success. Any organisation on its own will find it cost prohibitive to undertake the myriad of emerging technology experiments and applications. Hence I believe it is imperative for organisations to constantly look out for opportunities to build collaborative partnerships, source skilled talent and crowd source innovation – with industry players, start-ups, competitors, academia, etc.

I also think with an increasingly integrated world, it is important for companies to not limit themselves only to India as a market, but also keep looking at global opportunities. Here again, partnerships can be a great entry strategy.

Industry bodies such as NASSCOM run highly effective innovation initiatives such as the 10,000 start-up program which foster deeptech entrepreneurship, the AI and IoT Centre of Excellence, which promote technology producer consumer collaboration, and Future Skills – the digital skilling platform. These can also be leveraged to jumpstart the emerging technology adoption journey.

Achyuta Ghosh is a Digital Transformation Leader with over 16 years of Strategy, Management Consulting, Research and Business Development experience across diverse sectors. During this period he has developed digital transformation strategy, created successful teams, led new product development to build businesses, and generate revenues. Ghosh is an established technology analyst, with proven ability to drive change, lead cross- functional project teams and manage diverse stakeholders. Achyuta Ghosh was General Manager, Strategy – Ford Smart Mobility – the digital transformation arm of Ford Motor Company, before his present appointment at NASSCOM.