In manufacturing and operations, inventory is a system or structure of the body that is invisible yet provides the backbone of operations by supporting them. Inventory is the oil in the engine of manufacturing. It is the lifeblood of operation, helping to drive uptime, efficiency and power order fulfilment. This is true whether it is talking about maintenance and operating supplies or raw and finished products. Guiding and governing inventory and its choices should not have to be relegated to the domain of the backroom operation of the warehouse team.
What are the Types of Inventory Control Management?
The method you use in managing the production inventory determines the level of readiness in dealing with failures, organizing maintenance, and carrying out continuous production. Following are the types of inventory control systems that have a large effect on an industry and how they operate in practice-
- Inventory Systems with Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID)- The game changer here is that it no longer incorporates people-power inventory tracking. The purpose of barcode scanning or maintaining inventory records is no longer necessary, as inventory location and movements can be tracked using radio waves in RF-drawn inventory tags. The benefits of this technology are highly necessary within environments which handle various inventories or items that move rapidly, such as work-in-progress inventory, tool boxes, or high-demand spares. It ensures accurate, up-to-the-minute inventory status information, even when items are idle. No human intervention is necessary here, which implies fewer human-related inventory mishaps, inventory tracing, and automated inventory processes such as restocking or inventory audits.
- Cloud-Based Inventory Systems- Cloud-based systems have revolutionized the way organizations work together and share information between facilities. Cloud-based systems allow organizations to access the information of their inventories in facilities they have across the globe and work together by connecting the information of their inventories in one central source without using VPN or servers. They are more than tracking systems. An efficient cloud-based inventory tracking system provides organizations with the ability to manage their inventories and connect them back to the production process.
- Perpetual Inventory System- Perpetual inventory management is a totally different story. This solution does not call for any kind of count, be it fixed or periodic. Instead, the inventory is regularly updated whenever there is any kind of movement, which could be receipt, issue, or return. A Perpetual Inventory System can be made all the more effective when combined with CMMS or inventory management software.
In Which Field Does Manufacturing Automation Work?
Automation is an essential component in a variety of different industries. In the highly regulated pharmaceutical and food and beverage industries, for instance, recall is minimized through the use of automation. In the aerospace and automotive manufacturing industries, companies require the use of automation to perform mass fabrication and assembly manufacturing. In other industries that have yet to fully implement the use of automation, new applications are being discovered, such as in the construction industry.
- Construction- About 31% of construction companies were actively employing robotics technology in 2024 for purposes of bricklaying, demolition, prefabrication, and other complex construction tasks, while 35% of the companies were in the piloting stages, as per the “Tools, Equipment, & Robotics Benchmarking Report of 2024”.
- Automotive- Most of the automotive industry has embraced manufacturing automation. The production, assembling, and welding of specific parts are frequently automated tasks in auto plants. Machines can also perform simple, repetitive tasks, such as installing windshields and mounting steering wheels, as well as more advanced processes, such as assembly-line inspections. In addition, manufacturers are using robotic process automation (RPA) to track and replenish inventory, aggregate data collected from sensors, and complete other manual tasks more efficiently.
- Pharmaceutical- The application of robots, computer software, and intelligent machines by pharmaceutical companies to perform various manufacturing functions is, to a large extent, inevitable for such entities, as it helps such companies meet the extremely high standards relating to quality, as well as the safety and efficacy standards, for pharmaceuticals. Automatic pharmaceutical manufacturing helps in accurately formulating, mixing, and packaging drugs for dispensing.
- Textiles- More of the world’s textile companies are resorting to automated technology. The market is expected to rise by 3.2% each year between 2024 and 2029. This is a collective rise of $664 million. This is substantiated by automated technologies applied in spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, and finishing. Other automated technologies applied include machine loading, robotic sewing and printing, as well as testing, spreading, or cutting. Such automated technologies come together to aid in producing a finished product.
- Aerospace- This industry deals with the production of aeroplane wings, engines, and bodies that require heavy machinery for the components to be assembled. The use of automation technology is integral in improving efficiency in such and other processes.
- Food and Beverage- Food and beverage firms employ robotics, conveyor systems, AGVs, AMRs, and other automation systems that allow them to harvest, process, and package food products. AI-driven robots with vision capabilities pick fresh produce and analyze it according to size, color, texture, and other criteria of freshness. Once such food products are inside the factory, there are machines capable of washing, slicing, and even preparing these food products and repacking them for distribution. Automation results in higher product quality and reduces the chances of these products becoming contaminated and being recalled. Hence, it safeguards factory workers by restricting them from working under dangerous conditions
- Medical Devices- Medical device manufacturing automation enables a large range of devices, including thermometers, syringes, hearing aids, and dialysis machines, to be made. Corporations apply a range of CAD tools, CNC machines, robots, AI, ML, and sensor networks for designing, manufacturing, and packaging these products.
Evolution from Manual Tracking to Smart Automatic Manufacturing
The transition from the use of manual procedures to the implementation of the automated system illustrates the large effect of the transformation that came through digitization. Before, the main producers were humans. The manual system was part of the large mass of goods produced in factories. These methods were effective. However, there were a few issues related to their rapidity. The system failed to provide exact answers and could not be scaled up.
But with the advent of numerical control machines, things began to change. Machines started to do the work that humans were required to do before. The work that needed to be done by humans was planned prior to the work being done. Hence, there came less need for human involvement. The fourth industrial revolution took this process even further. New technologies based on the digital era, namely IoT, robots, and AI, came together as one.
But now, automatic systems enable factories to operate at an efficiency that has never been achieved before. Many jobs, such as quality control, assembly, and material transportation, are already being accomplished by machines effectively. This is what defines modern manufacturing. Automation is now an important element of productivity and innovative ideas at factories.
Conclusion
The transition of your factory from manual to AI-powered automation is much more of a philosophical change. Chasing the benefits, the difficulties are negligible. Your factory becomes a source of competitive advantage instead of being a cost centre through effective automation, through the power of AI. Your transition from the existing to the future state of your factory results in having a future-proof factory. It’s where innovation meets practicality, where ambition translates into action. Those organizations which get on the journey today will set the course for the manufacturing industry of the future.
