A study organization from美德 conducted a global test of over 750 product managers from top industrial technology companies and concluded that if manufacturers begin implementing the future factory plan today, they could save up to 40% in costs over the next ten years.
This research survey was jointly conducted by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the Institute for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) at RWTH Aachen University. Its aim is to redefine the future factory for 2030, with the research focus primarily on the three major areas of automotive, engineering products, and processes.
85% of respondents believe that their companies will benefit from the future factory; 74% said their companies have already implemented some projects or plan to do so within the next five years. However, only 25% reported reaching their goals in the past year.
This study analyzes how to convert manufacturing costs (lower material costs) and the impact of implementing smart factories over the next decade. The research finds that manufacturing costs could drop by up to 20%, while conversion costs might decrease by as much as 40%. Benefits for manufacturers will include enhanced flexibility, quality, speed, and safety.
BCG predicts that to make future factories a reality, companies will have to invest 13-19% of their annual revenue into factory transformation and upgrades each year over the next decade. The head of BCG's Partner Innovation Center states that there will be fundamental changes in future factories, with assembly lines being replaced by flexible manufacturing, and workpieces will communicate more extensively with production machinery.
Most automotive managers believe that intelligent robots will be the stars of future manufacturing. Sixty percent of survey respondents said that future enhancements will play a crucial role, particularly in the automotive assembly process. Smart glasses can be used to guide workers in assembly and provide information on assembly errors or potential safety hazards.
The future factory will require robust IT infrastructure and security technology to support it, and qualified employees will also be crucial. However, 38% of the automotive respondents in the study believe that employee skills pose a significant challenge. The future factory is on the agenda of top management, and its implementation is not just a production project but also an entire company's operational model.
