3 Key Components of Manufacturing Digitization

Cast your imagination back a few hundred years to imagine an old grain mill. Workers had to grind grains by hand, resulting in inconsistent and expensive production. In modern food factories, machines do most of the work, making production faster, more accurate, and more consistent. However, for the devices to work together effectively, they require communication and coordination. Here is where the Wi-Fi network plays a vital role. Acting as a conveyor belt, connecting all the parts of the production process. A faulty Wi-Fi network can disrupt manufacturing. This can cause significant time, money, and resource losses. It is comparable to how a broken conveyor belt would halt production. Here are three key components to achieve manufacturing digitization and how Extreme's cloud-driven solution provides the backbone for its success:

1. Data-Driven Decision Making

Data is essential to the digitization of industry. By gathering and analyzing data from sensors and other IoT devices, manufacturers can gain real-time insights into their operations, empowering them to make decisions that will increase productivity, lower costs, and improve quality control. Manufacturers require a strong network infrastructure that can manage the enormous volumes of data created by these gadgets edge, in order to accomplish this efficiently.

ŠKODA AUTO

Based in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic, and part of the Volkswagen Group. The company needed a reliable network infrastructure to improve its capacity and connect its distributed locations. The manufacturer deployed Extreme's wired networking solutions and software, such as Extreme Fabric Connect™ and Extreme Management Center™ which includes ExtremeAnalytics™, upgrading its backbone network at headquarters, and simultaneously migrating to a virtual infrastructure to connect its manufacturing base and assembly plants over a single system. Extreme's management and analytics software allowed  to centrally monitor and manage the performance of its network and applications across its entire infrastructure:

"With our deliveries increasing substantially and our product portfolio expanding, we wanted to find an innovative way to better meet such demands and grow faster. With our 2025 Strategy in mind, we therefore looked towards deploying a more stable and resilient infrastructure to consolidate our network, reduce costs, and increase efficiencies for our entire team. Thanks to Extreme Networks, we have achieved this as we can manage everything online, and the performance and morale of our IT staff has been boosted. Working with Extreme means that we now have the infrastructure in place to optimize performance across all areas of our business, readying us for further future growth."- Martin Polak, Coordinator for Network Planning, ŠKODA AUTO

2. Future Ready through Automation and Robotics

Automation and robotics are transforming the way the manufacturing industry operates. By implementing these technologies, manufacturers can streamline their processes, improve efficiency, and adapt to changing demands. But to take full advantage of these innovations, manufacturers need a network infrastructure to support them. According to a Gartner research, cloud technologies will account for 65.9% of application software investment in the enterprise IT sector by 2025, up from 57.7% in that year. Manufacturers are now able to make decisions in real-time and keep a competitive edge thanks to greater data and improved analytical skills.

Find what manufacturers are saying about Extreme's wired and wireless solutions in Gartner Peer Insights

3. Driving Innovation with Digital Twins

Digital twins and simulation technologies are transforming the manufacturing industry. By changing how manufacturers design, test, and optimize their operations. Enabling manufacturers to create virtual models of their physical manufacturing processes and use simulations to test different scenarios. Optimizing performance and identifying potential issues before they occur. Manufacturers need a network infrastructure to transfer large amounts of data between physical manufacturing processes and digital twin simulations to take full advantage of digital twins and simulation technologies. Extreme offers a high-speed wired and wireless network infrastructure, advanced analytics, and machine learning software to facilitate the creation and operation of digital twins and simulation technologies. Additionally, ExtremeCloud IQ Co-Pilot helps manufacturers of all sizes to experiment with network digital twins and simulation technologies without disrupting their current network or incurring additional costs, allowing manufacturers to optimize operations, reduce downtime, and stay ahead of the competition.

The manufacturing industry has come a long way from the days of manual labor. In today's fast-paced manufacturing industry, businesses need a reliable and flexible networking solution to meet their mission-critical requirements. Extreme Networks offers cloud-driven solutions that deliver secure connectivity, centralized management, and AI/ML-driven analytics. These solutions are designed to meet the unique needs of manufacturing businesses and their environments. Allowing manufactures to tackle the challenges of today. While also providing a robust foundation for pursuing more strategic initiatives in the future. Learn more about how a strong and resilient network can also help mitigate against damages from cyberattacks. 

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