Despite the great damage left behind from the COVID-19 outbreak, automotive factories are still expected to grow within the coming years at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.78%. Emerging into the post-pandemic landscape, manufacturing plants are quickly adapting to meet undisrupted demands for sustainable innovation. New connectivity and automation solutions such as blockchain networking and RFID tracking dominate the forefront of enterprise investments. However, when it comes to optimizing the production floor, modernization solutions must retain simplicity, adaptability, and scalability to stay ahead of change.

To maximize these three factors, intelligent solutions often include three of the technologies described below:

  1. Familiar digital interface – When it comes to optimized productivity, familiarity breeds speed. That’s why Android for Enterprise has become the preferred OS of top manufacturers since it eliminates long training times by emulating a consumer-grade touchscreen interface. Furthermore, digitized Android touchscreens can also enable mobilized SAP workflows, further cutting down processing time for faster production.
  2. Hands-free mobility and automation – Unlike traditional handheld scanners and mobile computers, wearable technologies such as the Zebra’s WT6300 wearable computers and the HD4000 heads-up display leverage natural human movement to increase productivity by 15%. Lightweight yet compact, wearable devices minimize muscle strain while increasing worker performance without any additional weight. The result is faster data processing and sharing through one digitized solution.
  3. Embedded push-to-talk communication – As materials move in and out of the production floor, teams must have a clear view of tasks and workflows to prevent lagging bottlenecks from causing delays and mis-shipments. Communication systems such as Zebra’s Workforce Connect simplify connectivity by deploying a communication system within current Zebra mobile computers, no backend changes necessary. This allows teams to update and reprioritize tasks in real-time, creating smoother manufacturing operations that grow with your workforce size and labor demand.

As manufacturing plants continue to mature into a new standard of enterprise efficiency, CMAC remains committed to transforming challenges into opportunities with adaptable technologies and intelligent solutions. Contact CMAC’s modernization team today for a free assessment of your plant to see how you can set your operations ahead of demand.