If Net Zero targets are what modern manufacturing companies do to prove their commitment to the climate, data is what holds their feet to the fire.

Data brings accountability, measurability, and minute-by-minute actionable insights that can help streamline and optimize manufacturing operations while reducing carbon emissions.
 
We’ve all heard the popular phrase that, “data is the new oil. Like oil, data is valuable, but if unrefined it cannot really be used.” That revelation, originally attributed to UK mathematician Clive Humby, is something we couldn’t agree more strongly with at XpertRule. Refining the unrefined data, and unlocking the insights and knowledge it contains, remains the biggest hurdle between manufacturers and their Net Zero targets.

The first step is about collecting data from across all the different IT silos. To transform manufacturing operations, you’ll need a holistic view on everything that is going on. This requires capturing data from sensors, actuators, control models, the shop floor and throughout the supply chain, to help streamline efficiencies. All this data gives you the ability, in theory, to monitor, assess and act to deliver the right outcomes.

This takes us to the second phase of refining and interpreting the data. To understand the outcome of any manufacturing process data needs to be rendered in a way that engineers and manufacturing domain experts can easily interact and digitally capture best practices. The raw data needs to be analyzed and put to work.

This is where XpertFactory can help. We are bringing AI in manufacturing to the forefront of a new sustainable economy. The technology is applicable to all manufacturing sectors and requires the interaction of domain experts with real manufacturing data. In many cases it is difficult to understand where to start in a process and XpertFactory allows a phased approach based on Systems Engineering best practice. To better optimize decision making in manufacturing processes, we also use Explainable AI to make sure any recommendations and results are accessible and easily understood by humans. It comes down to transparency and auditability. We use Explainable AI as part of our XpertFactory capabilities for this reason.

This is also where organizations discover and unlock the real value of their data. The goal is to harness and leverage data to provide clear and understandable outcomes that can be tracked and monitored. It means being able to monitor manufacturing operations thoroughly so you can detect faults, spot sub-optimal performance levels and anomalies (including Net Zero). It also means being able to easily diagnose and predict faults, assess risks while meeting compliance and regulatory policies. The ability to balance sustainability efforts with overall operational efficiency will come down to data analysis and interpretation!

The third step and final step is taking action! This is about making data-driven decisions that drive towards zero manufacturing defects while consuming less energy and improving overall efficiency. It is about getting a handle on how to lower your carbon footprint. Our XpertFactory software can learn predictive models from data, enabling organizations to build out complex tables or decision trees, leverage existing dashboards, all without requiring any programming knowledge. Clients can trouble-shoot manufacturing problems to generate the optimal control settings. This will in turn help accelerate automation projects, reduce product defects and downtime, while leading to better overall equipment effectiveness.
I hope this helps explain why data analysis is essential in the manufacturing sector and a crucial part of the Net Zero puzzle. Data-driven insights can transform plant manufacturing operations helping to drive down carbon emissions across the entire sector—from aerospace to food and beverage. At XpertRule, we have the right software tools not only unlock the value contained in your manufacturing data but drive a level of automation not previously possible. Take a look under the hood of our technology to see what’s achievable with XpertFactory.

If you have any questions on Net Zero , please don’t hesitate to reach out to Iain Crosley via LinkedIn