Smart Manufacturing Application in Precision Manufacturing
Industry 4.0 presents an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage through productivity, flexibility, and speed. It also empowers the manufacturing sector to drive the sustainability revolution to achieve net zero carbon by reducing emissions in operations. In this paper, the aim is to demonstrate...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/2/915 |
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| author | Amr T. Sufian Badr M. Abdullah Oliver J. Miller |
| author_facet | Amr T. Sufian Badr M. Abdullah Oliver J. Miller |
| author_sort | Amr T. Sufian |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Industry 4.0 presents an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage through productivity, flexibility, and speed. It also empowers the manufacturing sector to drive the sustainability revolution to achieve net zero carbon by reducing emissions in operations. In this paper, the aim is to demonstrate a practical implementation of a smart manufacturing application using a systematic approach based on conceptual six-gear smart factory roadmap with connectivity, integration and analytics stages to build a smart production management ecosystem using off-the-shelf technologies applied in precision manufacturing. Business benefits from the smart manufacturing application implementation are realized in terms of operational performance, economic benefits, and environmental sustainability over a period of three years (before and after smart manufacturing). The productivity improves as a result of the 47% improvement made to the machines’ utilization and the 53% reduction in the total downtime waste. Economic benefits are realized in terms of a cost saving of GBP 420 K that could cost the business and the returns of the financial investment made, which is recovered within a year. An environmental sustainability impact is realized by a reduction in the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 43%, mostly due to the reduction in the Scope 2 emissions in operations by 50%, which is significantly impacted by the reduction of energy consumption and better power consumption management. The significance of this work is the bridging of the gap between theory and practice by rapidly applying the six-gear smart factory roadmap to start, scale, and sustain the implementation of smart manufacturing applications in the manufacturing industry. This roadmap can serve as a strategic framework tool for smart manufacturing implementations. The technical architecture can serve as a guide for the practical implementation of smart manufacturing applications to reduce the complexity of development. This work also bridges the gap in academia and in industry by showcasing a real-world actual business benefits realized from smart manufacturing, as well as showcasing the practical implementations, limitations, and opportunities of smart manufacturing applications in the precision manufacturing industry, all of which reduce the internal barriers and challenges facing smart manufacturing and industry 4.0 adoption. The value realized in gaining a competitive advantage and driving environmental sustainability from smart manufacturing in this study can serve as a case study for academics and for industry business leaders, digital champions, and digital lighthouses to support value creation and to drive and accelerate smart manufacturing applications, digital transformation initiatives, and industry 4.0 adoption across the value chain. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-80ab5bbcdcc7489bb9ac9bf53ed4d7f7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-80ab5bbcdcc7489bb9ac9bf53ed4d7f72025-01-24T13:21:19ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-01-0115291510.3390/app15020915Smart Manufacturing Application in Precision ManufacturingAmr T. Sufian0Badr M. Abdullah1Oliver J. Miller2School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UKSchool of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UKBeverston Engineering Ltd., Prescot L34 9AB, UKIndustry 4.0 presents an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage through productivity, flexibility, and speed. It also empowers the manufacturing sector to drive the sustainability revolution to achieve net zero carbon by reducing emissions in operations. In this paper, the aim is to demonstrate a practical implementation of a smart manufacturing application using a systematic approach based on conceptual six-gear smart factory roadmap with connectivity, integration and analytics stages to build a smart production management ecosystem using off-the-shelf technologies applied in precision manufacturing. Business benefits from the smart manufacturing application implementation are realized in terms of operational performance, economic benefits, and environmental sustainability over a period of three years (before and after smart manufacturing). The productivity improves as a result of the 47% improvement made to the machines’ utilization and the 53% reduction in the total downtime waste. Economic benefits are realized in terms of a cost saving of GBP 420 K that could cost the business and the returns of the financial investment made, which is recovered within a year. An environmental sustainability impact is realized by a reduction in the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 43%, mostly due to the reduction in the Scope 2 emissions in operations by 50%, which is significantly impacted by the reduction of energy consumption and better power consumption management. The significance of this work is the bridging of the gap between theory and practice by rapidly applying the six-gear smart factory roadmap to start, scale, and sustain the implementation of smart manufacturing applications in the manufacturing industry. This roadmap can serve as a strategic framework tool for smart manufacturing implementations. The technical architecture can serve as a guide for the practical implementation of smart manufacturing applications to reduce the complexity of development. This work also bridges the gap in academia and in industry by showcasing a real-world actual business benefits realized from smart manufacturing, as well as showcasing the practical implementations, limitations, and opportunities of smart manufacturing applications in the precision manufacturing industry, all of which reduce the internal barriers and challenges facing smart manufacturing and industry 4.0 adoption. The value realized in gaining a competitive advantage and driving environmental sustainability from smart manufacturing in this study can serve as a case study for academics and for industry business leaders, digital champions, and digital lighthouses to support value creation and to drive and accelerate smart manufacturing applications, digital transformation initiatives, and industry 4.0 adoption across the value chain.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/2/915smart manufacturingindustry 4.0digital transformationoperational performanceenvironmental sustainability |
| spellingShingle | Amr T. Sufian Badr M. Abdullah Oliver J. Miller Smart Manufacturing Application in Precision Manufacturing Applied Sciences smart manufacturing industry 4.0 digital transformation operational performance environmental sustainability |
| title | Smart Manufacturing Application in Precision Manufacturing |
| title_full | Smart Manufacturing Application in Precision Manufacturing |
| title_fullStr | Smart Manufacturing Application in Precision Manufacturing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Smart Manufacturing Application in Precision Manufacturing |
| title_short | Smart Manufacturing Application in Precision Manufacturing |
| title_sort | smart manufacturing application in precision manufacturing |
| topic | smart manufacturing industry 4.0 digital transformation operational performance environmental sustainability |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/2/915 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT amrtsufian smartmanufacturingapplicationinprecisionmanufacturing AT badrmabdullah smartmanufacturingapplicationinprecisionmanufacturing AT oliverjmiller smartmanufacturingapplicationinprecisionmanufacturing |