Author: European Springs Web Team

Technology continues to advance at a rapid pace and to create exciting opportunities for those working in manufacturing and its many sectors. As spring manufacturers, we understand just how important it is to keep on top of trends that can impact the industry – and to be aware of how technology will change it!

In this article, we’re taking a look at how technological developments are set to impact the face of manufacturing in the future.

5G Widespread Rollout

2020 will see a rollout of 5G on a larger scale, including in the manufacturing industry. 5G offers faster speeds, better coverage and more stable connections – you can have more devices connected at the same while maintaining the quality of the internet. This will help manufacturers around the world, mainly for smart manufacturing.

This fifth-generation connectivity can also facilitate industrial automation, as well as augmented reality and IoT. 5G is crucial for the digital transformation that the industry is going through. Of course, there are also some challenges associated with this rollout; some people are worried about cybersecurity and the age of the technology.

It’s estimated that there will be more machines connected by 5G than humans by the end of 2020. By improving communication between devices, facilities will see a boost in productivity and improve their capacity to meet more complex customer demands.

Early adoption may be slow, but we believe 5G will eventually become indispensable in manufacturing.

AI Investment

Many sectors make up the manufacturing industry, such as aerospace, and it can be difficult to implement processes and changes – however, with Artificial Intelligence and smarter technologies, you have the opportunity to gain a competitive edge and improve the efficiency of your facilities.

According to IFS, 40% of manufacturers intend to implement AI for inventory planning and logistics, while 36% plan to implement AI in production scheduling and customer relationship management. 60% of all respondents say they want to boost productivity with these investments.

Automation is key in manufacturing. Together with AI, you can better distribute your resources and ensure that your workers are safe from repetitive or dangerous tasks, since these can be performed by machines.

Better Cybersecurity

As technology develops, cybersecurity becomes more important – including in manufacturing. With more connected devices and an increase in automation, vulnerability to cybercrime is also a possibility. Business owners need to understand that, while technology brings with it a wealth of benefits (and the manufacturing of today wouldn’t be the same without it), there are also potential risks to keep in mind.

Blockchain is a way to ensure the cybersecurity of your data, and we believe this technology will be more widely used in 2020. Blockchain is already being used by more and more businesses, so it won’t come as a surprise that the manufacturing industry will also adopt it.

From data decentralisation to secure user ID, blockchain can protect supply chains as well and offer verifiable information about any product.

Increased Focus on Wearables

Wearables don’t have to invoke a futuristic image. In fact, wearable technology is already in use, we just expect to see more of it in 2020. The main focus is on handhelds at the moment but being able to access information from a smartwatch, headset or other types of wearable tech may improve productivity and efficiency – and will ensure that the manufacturing process is even more unobtrusive.

A wearable piece of technology may be able to detect when a worker is experiencing fatigue, for example, which can help to boost employees’ wellbeing as well.

Incorporating 3D Printing

Another technology that is set to change manufacturing is 3D printing (and additive manufacturing in general). It’s estimated that the global 3D printing market will be worth around £15 billion by 2025. The ability to design increasingly complex products and to create objects from innovative materials is key for manufacturing innovation. This will lead to better customisation and, therefore, to better customer experience.

Another benefit of incorporating 3D printing in manufacturing processes is that it reduces waste. Plastic can be recycled and there is no excess of material. This allows manufacturers to cut costs and to reduce their carbon footprint at the same time.

3D printing can also be applied in a variety of industries, from medical devices to children’s toys and aircraft parts.

More Investment in the Internet of Things

We’re previously looked at how the Internet of Things can help the manufacturing industry and with good reason. IoT is transforming manufacturing and will continue to do so for many years to come. More companies and devices are becoming connected and, according to the PwC’s Internet of Things Survey 2019, a staggering 93% of manufacturers believe that the benefits of IoT far exceed its risks – and 68% intend to increase their investment in IoT in the next couple of years.

The Internet of Things can have many different applications, although it’s more popular in logistics, in the supply chain, in predictive maintenance and in the employee and customer experience.

At European Springs Ireland, we like to stay on top of the latest news and technological developments. After all, we aim to continuously improve our products and services and ensure that all our clients receive the best experience. We’re looking forward to seeing how manufacturing will develop – going by how tech is already changing it, we’re expecting a bright future.

If you’re looking for a spring manufacturer that can help you meet the demands of your project, contact us and our friendly team will be in touch.

It’s fair to say that the Internet of Things (IoT) has been revolutionising the way manufacturers work over the last few years. Smart manufacturing has already proven its ability to streamline processes within the manufacturing workplace, whilst also offering those who utilise it a whole host of benefits.

Here, we take a closer look at how IoT technology has been helping the manufacturing industry, and how it can continue to do so for years to come.

The Benefits Of Smart Manufacturing

Smart manufacturing has the ability to improve almost all areas of existing manufacturing processes by giving employees access to a whole host of real-time information on their manufacturing process. IoT technology gives managers access to a huge amount of data, that provide vital insights into things like a machine’s overall health, energy consumption and productivity.

Here are some of the major benefits that any business in manufacturing can expect to see after integrating IoT technology within their existing manufacturing process.

Predictive Maintenance & Reduced Downtime

Planning maintenance schedules based on historical information has long been an issue for many companies in the manufacturing industry. With no hard and fast rule on when equipment is likely to break down and require attention, it can be difficult to make an informed maintenance schedule that best suits the individual requirements of each machine.

With IoT technology, maintenance schedules are based on real-time information which is consistently being fed to those in charge of the equipment. Through the use of sensors, data is fed back to the human operative who can then make more informed decisions about when a machine in your production chain does, in fact, need maintenance work carrying out.

In turn, the information gathered by this technology has the ability to significantly reduce the amount of machine downtime throughout a business. This can be especially useful, as one of the main contributors for lost revenue throughout the last few years was unexpected machine downtime. The IoT technology installed into each machine within a business makes it extremely clear when a machine either needs maintenance work or potentially needs replacing altogether. Over the course of the coming years, businesses could expect to save thousands of pounds in lost revenue caused by unproductive or broken equipment.

Product Quality

Any company in the manufacturing industry will be actively looking to increase their product quality to ensure customer satisfaction, and IoT is capable of enhancing your product longevity.

Improving the quality of products is not only great for customers, but it’s also worthwhile from the manufacturer’s perspective too. Higher-quality products boasting other benefits such as reduced waste, lower overall costs, increased customer satisfaction and loyalty and inevitably, an increase in overall sales.

The major culprit for issues with product quality is often faulty items. Products can become faulty over time, or can be faulty from the time they are manufactured, which obviously causes issues for your company. IoT technology is capable of completely eradicating any problems during the manufacturing process, therefore ensuring that each and every product made is in complete working order.

By utilising sensors, smart manufacturing technologies are capable of identifying the smallest issues, from a temperature change that could affect product quality through to the machine not operating properly. Once an alert is raised, the human operative can stop production and work towards rectifying the issue at hand, potentially saving a manufacturing business a huge amount of money on faulty products.

Increased Energy Efficiency

It’s no secret that one of the largest expenses that most manufacturing firms run into is energy costs. Knowing exactly how much energy each of the machines in your manufacturing process is using can be difficult to determine, with energy bills stating a simple lump sum of your total energy costs; even companies that do offer services to break down the energy consumption by machine are hit and miss at best. This is where smart manufacturing technology comes in especially handy for business owners.

IoT allows manufacturing bosses to collect and understand data for individual pieces of equipment, which allows them to identify if there are any problematic devices within the business. With a constant stream of data to analyse, it’s extremely simple to identify any underperforming machines as energy consumption may outweigh its productivity.

The real-time data delivered by IoT technology allows businesses to make more informed decisions on when it is best to upgrade existing machines in the production chain. By finding any inefficient pieces of the production process, businesses stand to save a significant amount of money over the coming years.

As one of the leading spring manufacturers in the UK, we have moved quickly to integrate IoT technology into our current processes to guarantee the very best products for our customers. You can rest assured we will continually invest in the very latest technologies available to continually provide the very best levels of customer service possible.

With 2020 fast approaching, there are a whole host of trends that look set to take off in the coming year. In this article, we will take a closer look at some of the major trends we expect to see in manufacturing trends throughout 2020.

Women In Manufacturing

We would certainly expect to see a significant upturn in the number of women entering the manufacturing industry from 2020 and beyond. Throughout the last couple of years, there has been a huge push to increase the number of women choosing to pursue a career in the manufacturing sector, and it’s only a matter of time until we begin seeing more and more women filtering through into roles within the industry.

Only 10% of the manufacturing and engineering workforce in the UK are female, hence why there has been such emphasis placed on ensuring the sector is more inclusive of all genders. The UK has a long way to go until they are able to comfortably match other European nations, but the hope is that in the coming years, the gap may well be closed.

Industrial Wearables

According to MarketWatch, industrial wearables are set to surge in popularity between now and 2023, with the market set to grow to $2.5 billion by that date. Whilst wearables are already being used in most sectors at present, there is a surge of new technologies ready to enter the market in the next few years, with the likes of smart glasses, biometric sensors and other devices, centred around IIoP (Industrial Internet of People).

The whole idea behind industrial wearables is to make all employees jobs significantly easier, by helping to streamline processes within the workplace. Some wearables are also perfect for training purposes, with Augmented Reality goggles being used by major brands around the world to give trainees a sense of the day-to-day activities they will be required to undertake.

Young People Entering The Industry 

Each year manufacturers are warned about the ever-growing skills gap that looms over the industry, but with an influx of new and enthusiastic workers set to enter the sector this year, companies across the UK must begin working towards properly educating and training employees. With a large proportion of young people entering via apprenticeships, employers must ensure they are giving all apprentices plenty of time to develop their skills by allowing them to spend quality time with your more experienced employees.

Whether young workers are entering from traditional degrees or apprenticeships, businesses must put robust plans in place to help support all young people entering the workforce throughout 2020 and in the coming years. With the skills gap growing each year, 2020 simply needs to be the year that manufacturing businesses across the UK begin working towards closing the gap by educating younger employees with hands on experience in the workplace.

5G Technology

Now that 4G has become part and parcel of day-to-day life, you can certainly expect to see 5G being ramped up throughout 2020. 5G has already been rolled out on a smaller scale, but in the coming months and years, it is likely to become commonplace just like 4G.

Improving latency and enabling real-time communication on a scale never before seen, 5G will have a huge impact on smart manufacturing for businesses around the globe. When 5G is rolled out in the area surrounding your business, be sure to integrate it in with your existing manufacturing processes as soon as possible, as it has the potential to streamline your processes, whilst also increasing productivity and efficiency across your business.

Machine Learning and AI

In recent years machine learning and AI has dominated manufacturing trends, along with the IoT – and there is good reason for this. With the ability to increase profit margins by substantial figures, AI, machine learning and advanced analytics are becoming ever more important for manufacturing businesses not only around the UK, but around the world.

Machine learning and AI can be used across your business, from the factory floor to the supply chain and even in your customer relations, so you simply cannot afford to ignore this technology in 2020. As smart factories are becoming commonplace in the manufacturing industry, machine learning and AI technologies will become an integral part of the factories of the future.

It’s fair to say that machine learning and AI are here to stay, it’s only a matter of time until every manufacturing business around the UK has some form of the technology integrated with their existing processes. We would certainly recommend getting hold of this technology as soon as you possibly can to ensure you are working as efficiently as possible.

As expert spring manufacturers, we are excited to see what 2020 brings to the industry, and can’t wait to start implementing some of the upcoming trends into our current work practices. Be sure to check in on our blog regularly to keep up to date with the very latest news in the engineering and manufacturing industries.

For those hopeful students starting out their engineering education, or those who are well into their studies, knowing precisely what will happen post-school can be a scary thought. While engineering is increasingly desirable as a role, it’s also a competitive and challenging career to get into – especially without the right knowledge and experience. So, when it comes to improving your chances of getting an engineering role, what exactly can you do?

There are a few different ways that you can tip the scales in your favour even before you complete your education, providing you with a higher chance of success further down the line. Consider these examples when looking to give yourself an edge of the competition.

Specialise Your Education

Often, engineering students tend to go the generic route when it comes to their education. While this is very useful to learn the foundations and basics of engineering, an employer will be looking for specific skills as opposed to more general understanding. So to improve the odds, the best thing you can do is focus on your strengths. Perhaps you’re incredible at analytics out in the field, or you’re better compiling data in front of a computer. Maybe hands-on work is more your style, or larger-scale collaborative projects that require a lot of group work. Whatever you’re talented in, work on that area to become a specialised candidate.

Many companies, such as spring manufacturers, choose to hire engineers based on their enthusiasm, understanding and skill in specific areas. Even engineers with the same title may have different roles depending on contract and project requirements, which means that if you’re good at something, you should certainly speak up about it. As a field that has so many individual components and requirements, there’s a niche for just about every skill set.

Develop Those Soft Skills

While having expert knowledge and training is vital to becoming an engineer, soft skills also play a massive role in your ability to transfer that information from your brain to the workplace. To improve your chances in the real world, you should be able to demonstrate skills beyond the basics in areas such as critical thinking and problem solving, as well as when it comes to managing under pressure and working to tight deadlines – both of which are very common in the engineering world.

Other soft skills, like communication, leadership and even attention to detail, can all paint a picture of an engineer that’s more than worth employing. Working on those soft skills in any context, whether it’s with classmates, at a part-time job or as part of coursework, can put you light years ahead of other graduating students without those particular skills. The average engineering job is rarely completed solo, so the ability to work alongside and report to others is a vital piece of the puzzle.

Gain Some Real-World Experience

If at all possible, gaining some proper engineering experience as part of your education should be on the top of your list. This could be through a few week’s work experience, as part of an internship or even as a class activity, but having that actual real-life experience will set you up far better to find a job when you finish learning. Even better, internships and work experience can lead to job offers further down the line, so take any opportunities you can get.

Experience proves to potential employers that you can put what you’ve learned into practice and thrive in a busy environment. Engineering experience, in particular, can prepare you well for what your future career will be like, and provides a risk-free opportunity to examine several potential career paths or job types you’d be interested in. Engineering being such a broad field, there are many areas and roles to explore. Ideally, this is the time when you can narrow down what specific field of engineering you enjoy, based on real-world understanding and knowledge that you simply can’t gain in a classroom or from books.

Develop your knowledge beyond the classroom

Are you learning a particular type of software or method in the classroom? Perhaps you have to use a specific tool for coursework, or a particular technique for an exam. Going the extra mile to improve your understanding of vital tools and functionalities within the niche you’d like to work in can be invaluable. In many engineering careers, a great deal of learning is done on-the-job, whether it’s the databases you’re using or the tools you’re working with. Having prior knowledge proves you’re passionate about a particular area of engineering and can set you up for success should you put the time in.

Improving your chances of securing a coveted engineering role is all about knowing what the company is looking for. If you can prove knowledge and skills in an area that you know will be valuable to that company, then you’re already in a far better position and you can beat the competition by reducing the training and learning curve required.

Pick Your Path Early And Stick To It

Engineering is a vast field, so picking an area of expertise and learning is an excellent way to both narrow down your knowledge and home in on a specific job market. While computer engineering is ever-popular and expanding, other areas such as structural and mechanical engineering hold a lot of value, as well as more unusual and scientific careers like chemical and biological engineering. Your speciality is up to you – but knowing what you want to do can provide clarity and a goal to work towards.

For engineers considering a career in the more technical side of the field, working with spring and press technology is an excellent way to transform your qualification into meaningful, and engaging, work. To find out more about European Springs and Pressings Ireland, take a look at our platform or contact us today. We’re always happy to hear from prospective engineers or those entering the world of engineering work for the first time.