The manufacturing industry is undergoing a major transition, the biggest since the Industrial Revolution, driven by the convergence of new technology and an unusual labor shortage in contemporary times.
After decades of sluggish and careful reform, the epidemic spurred an industry-wide revolution in recent years, with varying degrees of success. All manufacturers are still learning how to function in this new digital world; digital transformation will be critical for those that want to flourish rather than merely survive.
Manufacturing is one of the main contributors to the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP). The third quarter of this year’s GDP growth in the Philippines was at least 2.1 percent, according to the Philippine Statistical Authority (PSA).
The consumer-packaged goods (CPG) sector is a small but significant portion of the industrial environment. These companies produce goods that consumers commonly buy and use daily. CPG manufacturers have historically trailed other industries in digitizing and automating their operations because they have always placed a higher priority on manufacturing quality and traditional lean ideas.
The world is changing quickly, making it harder to execute these strategies successfully, even while there is still an opportunity for improvement in several operational areas.
Due to this fact, CPG companies are under pressure to embrace new technology to stay competitive.
Exploring Automation
With the launch of the first automated machines in the 1960s, industrial firms have continuously enhanced their operations by automating their facilities. The latest advancements in robotics, machine learning, and wearable technology have businesses adopting technology to increase productivity and reduce costs.
Yet manufacturers are also aware of how critical it is to have experts and workers with the necessary skills to keep up with the demands of a sector that is becoming more and more digitalized.
The “Great Resignation,” a trend that was seen in recent years, particularly during the pandemic when millions of workers quit the industry and took their decades of expertise and experience with them, also affected manufacturing organizations.
Manufacturers that have not yet adopted automation are trying to safeguard their intellectual property and wondering how to efficiently and sufficiently train the new workforce in these mass resignations.
Embracing Assisted Reality, Mobility Solutions
These days, the majority of CPG manufacturers using outdated technology and production lines understand the need to modernize for more autonomy and flexibility, which calls for a significant shift in management and investment. Companies in the CPG industry will succeed if they can handle labor shortages and adjust to fast change.
By connecting executives and frontline employees with existing Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure, several CPG companies are using assisted reality (AR) technology to boost training, data collection, knowledge transfers, and predictive maintenance. As part of their attempts to embrace digital transformation, manufacturers have implemented a few digital technologies throughout the years.
Immersive VR and AR technologies are widely accepted by manufacturers. Even though these technologies are regarded as the next great step in boosting worker productivity, they are not always practical tools for manufacturing or the front lines. In many application scenarios, they could not be suitable or even harmful for workers.
An AR device with industrial strength, which can connect frontline employees across factories and entire businesses with the knowledge and expertise needed to carry out job activities effectively and safely, is a wearable that is appropriate for the manufacturing industry.
Using their vision, voice, and head movements, aR gear users can interact hands-free. The fact that they work well in noisy, possibly hazardous conditions up to 100 dB makes them ideal.
Manufacturers, for instance, use augmented reality (AR) technology, such as head-mounted displays (HMDs), to securely merge the real and virtual worlds to enable new kinds of engagement and perception while allowing front-line staff to keep complete situational awareness.
Users of HMDs may instantly access information as required and view a screen in their immediate field of vision without using their hands.
Helping co-create safer facilities, ensuring front liner’s safety
As part of its Mobility and Wearable Tech Solutions, Fujitsu offers these aR devices to assist CPG companies and other manufacturers in enabling remote collaboration. Fujitsu recently displayed these solutions at the Marriott Grand Ballroom’s PLDT Enterprise Digicon 2022 (Boundless) conference.
This event showcased business solutions that can assist organizations in redefining their operations for a more hybrid and digital environment.
The most recent mobility solution from Fujitsu enables employee cooperation through aided and commercial-grade solutions. These technologies enable enterprises to digitize and automate their human-contact-based activities.
The safety of corporate front-line employees is guaranteed by Fujitsu’s most recent solution offering. Besides, it enables the secure and reliable exchange of data among workers in the industrial sector.
