Business Chief Europe Magazine April 2021 | Page 229

SAS
SAS Corporate Headquarters
Every journey starts with the right data Manufacturing organisations typically capture large amounts of data , but that doesn ’ t necessarily mean it is the right data or there could be gaps . This is where IoT comes in , for example , you can easily place wireless sensors on a production line to capture additional data and store it in a cloud environment .
" However , while IoT data capture is very nice , this doesn ' t bring you value . It only brings you value once you apply analytics and start analysing this data and making smarter decisions ,'' Van Horenbeek adds .
A specific area this can benefit is R & D . " We analyse data to identify new products faster , decreasing the go-to-market time .
Another example is the smarter use of data in the supply chain . You can look at demand forecasting , using AI and machine learning techniques to better predict the demand , and inventory optimisation – all are related to smarter scheduling of production .
" In the production plant , we use AI or machine learning to perform process optimisation in terms of yield and the quality of the product – we can identify the key drivers of variability in the quality of the product that we are producing ."
It ’ s also possible to find sustainable ways of working , like using data to reduce the energy consumption of production lines . " For example , using less raw materials to produce the same end product ,” Van Horenbeek says .
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