The Human Side of the Smart Factory
In “The Evolving Worker in Digital Transformation”, Aaron Hand highlights key findings from a study on smart factories recently conducted by Intel. A smart factory is one that is using technology to digitize manual processes, workflow, automate and to gather and use data to improve operations, address key challenges and increase profit.
Intel is a leader in automation and digitization of their business and to some degree their supply chain. But, to their credit they’ve conceded that, in the manufacturing sector, they are the exception than the rule.
In Ontario this rings especially true especially for small to midsize manufacturers. Technology adoption has lagged considerably for a host of reasons that we’ll be exploring with MTechHub members in the coming months. Stay tuned! In the meantime we recommend you read “The Evolving Worker in Digital Transformation”.
IoT in a Box for Manufacturers
In “The Do It Yourself Digital Factory”, Stephanie Neil covers Tulip’s “Factory Kit” which they say is a “toolkit” that serves as building blocks for the digital factory.
For those small to midsize manufacturers cautious about changing and adopting new technology this kit is designed not to disrupt their business. It can be implemented as a standalone workstation as part of proof of concept or pilot for IoT.
MTechHub has had some initial conversations with Tulip about their “Factory Kit” and will seek input from MTechHub members as part of our initial vetting process.
McRock Capital IIoT Symposium 2018
On June 10th we’ll be attending McRock Capital’s IIoT Symposium taking place in Montreal, Canada. McRock Capital is Canada’s only IoT focused Venture Capital firm in Canada. This annual event brings together key stakeholders including those in: corporate venture capital, large international corporations, and startups all with invested interest in the Internet of Things.
Companies that MTechHub members will be familiar with include: Bosch, Caterpillar, Google, Cisco and Siemens. This year we’re focused on fact finding, networking and relationship building.
MTechHub members will be briefed on what we learned, what companies and solutions are potential pilot/proof of concept candidates for MTechHub members.
Chris Herbert, from Silicon Halton, recently interviewed McRock Capital cofounder Scott MacDonald. Play the video below to learn a bit more about the event.
