Both customers and manufacturers are looking to expedite production without compromising quality and safety.
However, there have been limited options in the market as most organisations have relied on traditional face-to-face interactions and bricks and mortar set-ups to address their requirements.
As a result, the fabrication process has been beset by frequent production delays and budget overshoots — exposing businesses to both financial and operational threats.
Why cloud manufacturing mattersAccording to a recently published
market research report, there is a foreseen 19.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the global cloud manufacturing market from 2019 to 2024.
From production to maintenance, cloud manufacturing has been beneficial in improving productivity levels and reducing costs. It has become a sustainable platform that more companies are migrating to (or considering, if they have not yet decided to fully transition to it).
Apart from sustainability, growth is also a huge factor. What stops businesses from adapting to cloud manufacturing?
Cloud manufacturing also brings advantages for data security. Dealing with the Internet of things (IoT) concerns manufacturers as data privacy is crucial.
The cloud acts as a security blanket where you can safely store data and access it at your convenience.
When processes are automated, you can focus on other aspects of growing your business rather than exhausting your energy on manual labour.
How automation is shaping the future of productionAdvanced cloud-based manufacturing solutions present opportunities to automate production — something that manual labour cannot beat. Automation also centralises operations in a single system.
Whether you are running multiple production sites or completing several projects all at the same time, cloud manufacturing can integrate data in real-time.
Collaboration among team members is also easier now that you do not have to schedule physical meetings. Everything happens online.
The
State of Manufacturing Technology Report found that cloud computing has helped manufacturers meet customer demands more efficiently.
Manufacturing trends are now focused on automation as a strategy to reap significant sales results.
As a response to the growing demand for lowering costs and increasing efficiency, a Manchester (via Estonia) start-up launched a
cloud-based sheet metal fabrication platform which offers a unique concept that is quietly revolutionising the manufacturing industry.
Fractory was established to solve a problem; there were (and are) too many delays and inaccuracies that the global manufacturing sector has not been paying enough attention to.
Fractory’s founders have set about addressing this. With an innovative mindset, the team launched an all-in-one hub for sheet metal fabrication, powered by proprietary algorithms that can effectively facilitate manufacturing in the cloud.
From cost estimations to blueprints, production, and delivery, everything is completed online.
Andreas Velling, mechanical engineer and Fractory’s head of marketing, said: “The digitisation of manufacturing has been a hot topic for the last few years.
“The main focus of discussion has typically revolved around the potential to optimise in-house workflows.
“At the same time, a whole new industry has sprung from this movement towards digitisation — that is cloud manufacturing.
“Our platform enables users to upload their CAD drawings or models for instant pricing and lead times."
Due to this breakthrough in the manufacturing industry, the founders of Fractory recently received the ‘Best Use Of Tech’ award at the UK Chambers of Commerce Business Awards in London, selected from 77 other promising tech companies from around the world.
Cloud-based sheet metal fabrication: What to expect?Most steel fabrication processes are completed within three to four weeks on average.
This estimated time-line varies depending on the factors involved like dimensions, materials, and locations.
For large-scale projects, it can take over a month when planning, logistics, fabrication, and delivery are factored in.
With Fractory’s digital sheet metal fabrication, engineers and organisations can get accurate pricing and measurements instantly.
It eliminates the back and forth communications as it is designed to calculate estimations based on the CAD files that clients upload on the platform.
Furthermore, delivery within selected UK areas only takes nine days, which is significantly faster than any typical production timeline.
BottomlineCloud-based systems, like Fractory, do all the heavy lifting from the back end to meet increasing customer demands.
To survive in the competitive global sheet metal fabrication market, companies need to automate workflows and take advantage of the cloud.
Otherwise, inefficiencies become larger and more costly, and processes fail to keep up with the ever-changing industrial landscape.
The manufacturing industry is currently in what is called a “digital transformation”. Companies world-wide are looking for ways to increase efficiency without spending too much.
Cloud manufacturing drives flexibility and automation which are key elements in establishing a stable business regardless of industry sector.