Smart manufacturing does not imply that production activities such as procurement of raw materials, storage, processing, packaging, and distribution of finished goods, will be shifted to the “Cloud”. Rather, it means the mentioned activities at the manufacturing site will be controlled by trained and highly skilled human resources ably assisted by high-end interconnected technologies. And that the production process will be integrated with internet-driven, self-controlling sensors and optical cameras with Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Cloud Computing, etc., and the whole process will be data driven.
The advent of such technologies is set to change the way we manufacture products and convert materials forever. This whitepaper focuses on what a smart factory really means with a special reference to pharmaceutical and medical / diagnostics manufacturing companies, its importance, challenges and key strategies to implement.
