being taught what leadership is about. Investing
in technology is nothing without also investing
in people and culture. You run the risk of putting
terrific new kit into a culture that won’t accept it.”
The need to develop a culture was echoed by
Dr Remi Zante, head of strategic planning at the
Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC),
one of the High-Value Manufacturing Catapult
centres. “There is no point trying to introduce
new manufacturing processes unless your staff go
along with it,” he said. “Whether that’s on a small
scale or introducing an entirely new production
system, the point still stands.”
Attracting the right talent
However, Zante continued, the biggest challenge
isn’t necessarily convincing your current staff of
the need to adopt technology, it’s finding the right
people to fill the gaps in the future. “IT skills and
the ability to programme will become vital, and
there isn’t a magic switch you can just flick and
make all these people appear,” he warned. “We
APRIL 2019 COVER STORY
Putting Industry 4.0 into action
At its site in Glenrothes, 30 miles north of Edinburgh, drives and
controls manufacturer Bosch Rexroth is taking Industry 4.0 into
the mainstream.
A traditional engineering firm may not be the most obvious
place to find cutting-edge manufacturing techniques, but,
explains operations director, Stewart Miller, the transition
was easy to make. “Our technological focus is directly related
to our lean journey,” he says. “We started on that with the
implementation of the Bosch Production System the company’s
lean manufacturing model in 2007, and this became focused on
our Factory of the Future credentials in 2017.”
Miller is keen to stress that, for Bosch Rexroth, it’s very much
about ‘Factory of the Future’ and not ‘Industry 4.0’. “We felt that
Industry 4.0 is just a buzzword that doesn’t really mean a lot,”
he says. “Factory of the Future says a lot more about what we
were looking to achieve.”
The lean approach also ensures a gradual, careful
implementation of new technology at Glenrothes. Each new
product and process is tested and evaluated using Bosch
Rexroth’s own equipment and techniques. “We even put oneoff
products through the Bosch Production System evaluation
to ensure they work,” says Miller.
The flagship of Glenrothes’ Factory of the Future is Bosch
Rexroth’s ActiveCockpit visualisation software, hosted on giant
touch screen displays that dot the factory floor. ActiveCockpit
provides meaningful real-time data to everyone in the factory, as
well as acting as a hub for training, order planning and company
news. In time, each operator will be given a bespoke access
card, which will allow them to see bespoke information tailored
specifically to their job role.
Industry 4.0, Factory of the Future – call it what you will, the
secret to its success remains the same, says Miller. “Your people
have to be part of the change,” he explains. “Before rushing
headlong into any change, take a step back and evaluate your
readiness, and design Industry 4.0 into your processes.”
Yan Tiefenbrun
(above left) says
that automation
should be part of
industry’s plans
www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk 19
/www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk