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In a recent CEO Forum organized by MGTL, Dr. K. (Subbu) Subramanian, President STIMS Institute Inc., offered his vision of the 21st Century Manufacturing and outlined the need for requisite work force skills to meet the emerging needs. This forum was held at Pune, India on Nov. 21, 2014. For a complete presentation, please see: Manufacturing in the 21st Century
Few excerpts:
- “Manufacturing” is a collection of (a) physical processes enabled by a host of (b) information processes and aided by a collection of (c) pick and place and transfer processes, which at the moment are a combination of physical events and information events.
- Core capability for any manufacturing: repetitive use of physical processes, to achieve or USE the “Product” at the required quantity, place and time to meet the end user needs.
- Manufacturers have two options: (a) Steady improvement in the processes already deployed; The result is a constant reduction in the explicit knowledge and skill required with respect to the Physical Processes used. Over time, they have become the black boxes surrounded by a myriad of service processes, which are generic and practiced in all companies and industries. (b) Introduction of a stream of new solutions resulting in New Products, New Processes and New Applications/ USE. These new solutions are the result of intense knowledge of the physical processes unique to the manufacturing company.
- Breakthrough – step change – solutions will be expected as a routine output of manufacturing professionals of the future. But, in order to sustain such improvements the process has to be managed as a whole – as a system. Constant tweaking or small changes in the system which disturbs the equilibrium of the process cannot be tolerated, if maximum impact is the desired outcome. This will require manufacturing professionals who are simultaneously good at process science as well as process economics, with expertise to integrate knowledge from all available sources.
- We find two parallel chains operating across all manufacturing companies (i.e.) Supply Chain which deals with the information processes that interconnect the various tiers of manufacturers and Functional Value Chain, where the physical processes and their exploitation play a silent but foundational role across the manufacturers.
- Since the products are enables by processes and the USE is also a process in a manner of speaking, we are left with “Process and its knowledge and the capability to manipulate any process” may be the primary core capability or skill set of future manufacturing professionals! The role of human labor and their employment in large numbers is not a critical need in this description of manufacturing. It is important for policy makers to make note of this subtle but significant point.
- Work force skills required for 21st century manufacturing:
|
Manufacturing Processes |
Traditional Sources of Knowledge |
New Knowledge Required |
Traditional Worker Skills |
New Worker Skills Required |
| Physical Processes | Engineers and shop floor workers with technical training, trade skills and academic education. | · Process Science· Diagnostics· Data and Analysis· Sector specific know-how | Engineers with years of experience located close to the shop floor operations | · System Thinkers and Solution Providers Reliant on Process Science· Reliant on sensors, signals and their use. |
| Information Processes | Collection of tasks that evolved through the years | · IT· Data Base· Big data· Analytics | White Collar Workers with standard plug and play IT solutions | · System Thinkers· Solution Providers· Customized IT solutions |
| Pick and Place / Transfer Processes | Industrial work force through many years of training and hands on experience. | · CNC, Robotics and AGV· Drones | · Blue collar workers· Standard work and tasks· Physical effort and de-skilled operations. | · System Thinkers· Solution Providers· Comfortable in virtual control environment |
STIMS Institute 