Brazilian industry has a major impact on the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In 2018, according to the National Confederation of Industry (CNI), the sector increased its share of the national GDP from 21% to 22%. And one of the most important changes for the industrial area to remain competitive concerns strategic manufacturing planning.
Closely linked to companies’ business strategy, this concept encompasses industrial evolution from the standpoint of digital transformation. It deals with a series of challenges and actions to advance businesses into the Industry 4.0 era. Read on to understand how to apply it to your business.
Strategic Manufacturing Planning
We have already discussed this moment of transformation and the growth of technologies, such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. These are new application models that support decision-making and production improvement. And it is through strategic manufacturing planning that it will be possible to leverage business and take your company to this level.
As a global industry benchmark, the USA is a good example when it comes to strategic manufacturing planning. Upon noticing the growth of innovations in the sector, the country outlined a series of projects and actions to keep the segment competitive. It was out of this work that the National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing emerged in 2012.
Several study groups are held in the country to ensure the advancement of industry. They focus on competitiveness, job creation, and protecting the country against common 21st-century challenges (such as data protection). Five points can be considered key to the country’s strategy, which can serve as a model for other nations, such as Brazil. They are crucial for strategic manufacturing planning:
1 – Accelerate technological investments in industry, especially in SMEs. This generates greater capacity efficiency and pioneering in various situations.
2 – Increase the number of workers who have the skills required to work with advanced manufacturing. In other words: have a qualified workforce.
3 – Create and support partnerships between government and private industry to accelerate investments and advanced manufacturing applications.
4 – Optimize government investments to achieve greater assertiveness in this industrial expansion process.
5 – Increase public and private investments in research and development in the advanced industrial production area.
Evaluating this perspective created by the USA, we can envision two points that are essential for the sector: it is necessary to invest in technology and a qualified workforce, and to create continuous research and development work.
What Does Strategic Manufacturing Planning Provide for Industry?
Within this context, we must ask ourselves: after all, how can this concept benefit my company’s business? Competitiveness is one of the crucial points when talking about manufacturing investments. According to the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development, the reduction in industrial costs from the moment Brazilian industry advances to the 4.0 concept will be at least R$ 73 billion/year.
With more technology, production scalability will guarantee your company the potential to produce and deliver projects and products at the same business speed as developed countries.
And it is imperative that companies combine strategic manufacturing planning—taking new technologies into account—with their own corporate planning. Investments in technology and workforce must be included in plans to guarantee growth and competitiveness.
Technology at the Center of Strategic Manufacturing Planning
Among the growing solution types in Industry 4.0 are integrated systems, drones and sensors for capturing shop floor data, the Internet of Things, and Artificial Intelligence. Bringing these evolutions into business routines runs through strategic manufacturing planning, where the company creates a plan to evolve the business from a structural and technological standpoint.
With industrial management solutions aligned with this concept, your company will become not only competitive, but also a strengthening agent in a constantly evolving chain. It will not only survive the challenges imposed by digital transformation, but will also manage to evolve in productivity, delivery, and quality. It will be able to create new products, new deliverables, and greater agility to become as attractive as industries in countries like the USA, which already rely on well-structured planning strategies, as stated above.
Advantages of Technology in Industrial Evolution
Manufacturing management software is developed to ensure that companies in the segment can apply formulated strategic planning; with it, it is possible to forecast scenarios and expand results. Analyze data accurately and check information to develop improvements at the necessary speed.
Among these softwares are options like those developed by Dassault Systèmes, a leading French company in Industry 4.0 solutions and a partner of Teclógica. The Delmia Apriso manufacturing software is an example of a solution for more efficient management and shop floor optimization in line with digital transformation.
Among the advantages brought by this type of solution are:
- Reduction of costs and production cycle time through data analysis and scenario forecasting;
- Optimization of delivery deadlines and consequent greater competitiveness;
- Automation and sustainability of more efficient processes;
- Reduction of inventory requirements thanks to production synchronization.
