Flex for Industry 4.0 / Solutions for an ever-changing factory
Tecnest new paradigm of integrated applications for Industry 4.0
To provide a solution for the new technological models of the 4th Industrial Revolution, Tecnest designed FLEX for Industry 4.0, a new paradigm of integrated solutions for factory 4.0 which includes new web applications with collaborative and smart features to optimize manufacturing processes and connect systems, machines and people.
FLEX for Industry 4.0 can be seen as the evolution of operations management solutions developed by Tecnest. It originates from the union of the technologies and applications compliant with the Industry 4.0 paradigm and Tecnest 30-year expertise in manufacturing solutions.
The new software solution is based on 2 different concepts that may seem at first sight antithetical but that are actually complementary and that represent, according to Tecnest opinion, the better way to Industry 4.0 for the Italian manufacturing environment.
Cyber-physical system
The first concept involves Cyber-physical systems, a group of items physically present within the same production plant (ex. machines, products, tools, etc.) that are interconnected with other components of the production process.
This interconnection, often called Industrial Internet of Things, takes place thanks to the creation, at a computer level, of a virtual copy of the physical object that can record its characteristics, capacities and status. Thanks to the information collected, a single object is able to take decision and to communicate with the next physical component. Data analysis and decision making are decentralized and it's possible to give real-time responses.
From the information system point of view, the Industrial IoT changes the classic pyramidal architecture of production systems where MES works as a connector between the business processes and the execution. With the IoT model we pass from devices connected to application to applications and devices connected with a central communication infrastructure. The innovation lies in the ubiquity of potential information producers and consumers which breaks down the rigidity of vertical data exchange among the different levels of the pyramide.
Human-centered Manufacturing
The second concept is called Human-Centered Manufacturing. According to some studies, with the new Industry 4.0 revolution, we will pass from a task-centric organizational model to a human centered one.
In a human-centered production system the task planning and execution activities will coincide since people have full control on process and technology. It also encourages the development of personal skills and the creation of a positive, collaborative and socially interactive work environment.
According to this model, the human factor will play a key role in the improvement of production performances, that's why it is important to provide tools and technologies able to improve collaboration and interaction among people, keeping the human dimension at the center.
According to these two principles, within the FLEX for Industry 4.0 new paradigm of integrated solutions, Tecnest has developed new features and technologies to communicate data, information and messages among products, machines and people. These features complete and improve Tecnest Advanced Planning & Scheduling and Manufacturing Execution System solution, making them compliant with Industry 4.0 paradigm.
