Master Data Management For Industrial Manufacturers

Data-Driven Challenges for Industrial
Manufacturers
Four challenges that block the road to a successful implementation of big
data and data analytics at industrial manufacturers.
Industrial manufacturers inhabit a world littered with uneasiness. Global
demand for manufactured products is growing at a snail’s pace.
Output was expected to increase by just 3.1 percent in 2016 and is
estimated to increase by 3.4 percent in 2017, according to the
International Monetary Fund.
In a slow-growth environment such as this, productivity gains are
paramount. And that could be a boon for industrial manufacturers. Indeed,
industrial manufacturers can best serve their customers (and themselves)
by designing tools and equipment that improve the efficiency, costs, and
performance of factories and other capital projects.
For customers, the desire for efficiency and quality improvements are a
given, but companies increasingly want visibility deep into their supply
chains: They want connectivity tools that provide insight into production
levels, inventory and capacity availability, quality levels, and order status
from all their suppliers.
In their study ‘The Biggest Challenges of Data-Driven Manufacturing’,
Harvard Business Review [1] analyzed the top four challenges that block
the road to a successful implementation of big data and data analytics in
the manufacturing industry.
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Time-Triggered Versus Event-Triggered Control Systems
Most of the today’s manufacturing is
centered around stable technological
systems based on pre-determined levels
of demand.
Usually, the production process is
triggered by a specific demand schedule
which is automatically fed into
the ERPs and the manufacturing
execution systems (MESs) which pull all
the necessary resources from the supply
chain. After the production ends, the
finished product is packaged and
shipped to the final customer through various distribution channels.
The long-term aim of the manufacturing companies is to move on from
these time-triggered systems towards more efficient event-triggered
control systems where the company produces only when the customer
orders the product. The factory will be required to respond to the data
signal (the order) only when it occurs, allowing the company to utilize their
capital efficiently and configure the systems to collect data and
communicate it where and when needed.
Data Sharing, Not Just Data Exchange
Another significant challenge for
the manufacturing enterprises is to
create a unified data model and tie
in together all the independent
systems in the manufacturing
process (starting with design,
engineering
production,
distribution, and selling). Data
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needs to be integrated and shared to every business unit in order to
minimize the wasted materials and activities.
An excellent example of system integration is how one drill manufacturer
has been helping its customers — chemical plants, oil refineries, and other
process manufacturers — operate their plants more effectively by
leveraging IoT in the form of wireless drill sensors, which can detect
potential failures in valves before they lead to a spill or shutdown.
Handling Legacy Systems
Introducing and integrating new technologies within well-established
technical ecosystems can bring about new data challenges. These tend to
arise not only when migrating information from one system to another,
but also when trying to understand how older systems fit with the modern
developments. The lack of a well-defined interface, proper
documentation, and different programming languages could be a barrier
towards smooth integration within the existing design and manufacturing
environment.
Security Challenges
Lastly, all the systems which are interconnected via
the Internet are susceptible to data breaches.
This is not yet the case for industrial control
systems, which often have unique protocols and
limited computing power. Many of these systems
were designed and installed at a time when
industrial security was not a prime concern. They
are connected via gateways that bridge the
internet and the controlled device [1]. Still, these
gateways need to be able to handle networking and security risks and be
strong enough to avoid unauthorized access to data.
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If connected machines — the
primary components of the
Internet of Things (IoT) — are to be
the backbone of industry in the
near future, industrial
manufacturers will have to figure
out how to manage the data
coming from an avalanche of
sensors, integrated equipment and platforms, and faster information
processing systems.
An MDM solution
An MDM solution serves as a hub for the enterprise data by integrating
data from multiple sources (including legacy systems) into a single
repository (the single ‘source of truth’) and help manufacturers to manage
data related to products, customers, and distribution locations by sharing
it across the business. An MDM solution works for both time-triggered and
event-triggered systems, integrates easily with legacy systems and enables
restricted access to various user groups through data governance rules.
Read about how Top Industrial Producer uses Riversand’s
MDMCenter to Achieve Global Repository Functionality Missing from
Traditional ERP and Homegrown Systems
Read 2017 Industrial Manufacturing Trends at pwc.smh.re
Reference:
[1] https://hbr.org/2016/05/the-biggest-challenges-of-data-drivenmanufacturing
©2017 Riversand Technologies Inc. All rights reserved.

Riversand is an innovative leader in Master Data Management, powering industries from the world's
largest to SMBs. Riversand's single integrated, scalable and robust multi-domain MDM platform caters
to a variety of use cases across multiple verticals. In addition Riversand offers specific solutions such as
Vendor Portal, Spare Parts Management, Material Master, GDSN on-boarding, Media Assets
Management, Print Publishing etc. Business value which Riversand provides include accelerated timeto-market,
increased sales, improved order accuracy, reduced costs and enhanced customer service.
Customer satisfaction is at the heart of Riversand's innovation.
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©2017 Riversand Technologies Inc. All rights reserved.