The Growing Significance of ESG in Manufacturing

ESG: you've probably heard this acronym recenly, right? In today's rapidly evolving industrial landscape, the role of Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) criteria has gained substantial prominence within the manufacturing sector. This article delves deep into the reasons why ESG has become increasingly crucial, explores its multifaceted adoption across the industry, and examines the challenges and opportunities it presents. In 2022, the global sustainable manufacturing market was valued at $2.8 trillion and is expected to reach $4.4 trillion by 2027. (Source: Grand View Research) 72% of consumers are willing to pay more for products from sustainable brands. (Source: Nielsen) 85% of investors believe that ESG factors are important to their investment decisions. (Source: BlackRock) 70% of CEOs believe that ESG is a top priority for their businesses. (Source: World Economic Forum) The Imperative for ESG Integration in Manufacturing 1. Environmental Responsibility: Shaping the Future of Manufacturing Environmental sustainability has become a defining factor in manufacturing's future trajectory. Manufacturers now understand that their operations bear a direct responsibility for global environmental impacts. With approximately 20% of the world's carbon emissions originating from the manufacturing sector, ESG principles offer a roadmap for reducing this footprint. Companies are investing in cleaner production methods,…

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Why Data Visualization is Crucial for Gaining Actionable Insights into Your Metrics

In an industrial landscape where data is the new oil, organizations are tirelessly working to extract, process, and make sense of an ever-growing sea of information. While metrics and KPIs serve as the navigational stars in this complex universe, the key to unlocking actionable insights often lies in the presentation of that data. This is where data visualization comes into play. For the industrial sector, which often deals with large volumes of complex metrics, data visualization is not a mere add-on; it's a necessity. This article aims to explore why data visualization is so pivotal in turning raw metrics into insights that drive meaningful action. What is Data Visualization? At its core, data visualization is the practice of converting raw, unstructured data into a visual format. However, this simple definition doesn't capture the breadth and depth of what data visualization truly encompasses. The technique employs an extensive array of visual elements—ranging from traditional charts and graphs to complex heat maps and 3D models—to represent data in a manner that is both intuitive and insightful. But why does this graphical representation matter, especially in an industrial setting? The Evolution of Data Complexity Industries have shifted from collecting a…

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Industry 5.0: The Human Touch in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

We live in a time of rapid technological advancements, where Industry 4.0 is already revolutionizing how businesses operate, with automation and intelligent technologies becoming increasingly prevalent in industrial processes. However, as we embrace the era of digitalization and smart factories, there's a growing recognition that technology alone is not enough to create sustainable and meaningful progress. To achieve that, we need to balance technological innovation with a human touch – and that's where Industry 5.0 comes in. What is Industry 5.0? Industry 5.0 is a concept that represents the convergence of the latest technological advances with human-centric values, ethics, and principles. It aims to put human beings at the center of industrial processes and empower them to leverage the full potential of new technologies while focusing on social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and overall well-being. Industry 5.0 builds on the three previous industrial revolutions, each of which brought significant changes to the way we work and live: Industry 1.0: The first industrial revolution started in the late 18th century with the invention of the steam engine, which marked the transition from manual labor to machine-based manufacturing. Industry 2.0: The second industrial revolution began in the early 20th century…

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The top five most digitally mature industry sectors in 2022

According to an international report launched by the World Economic Forum – in partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) – the top five most digitally mature sectors in 2022 are Semiconductors, Electronics, Pharmaceuticals, Energy & Chemicals and Logistics. You can find the full report here. The top four most mature industry groups in 2022 are the same from 2019: Semiconductors, Electronics, Pharmaceuticals and Energy & Chemicals. The middle two traded between the second and third spots from the previous rankings published in November 2019. In spite of their frontrunning positions, the top three industries – predominantly comprising multinational conglomerates – are not shielded from present-day challenges like the ongoing value-chain disruptions, global chip shortage and industrial decarbonization. The Logistics industry group has improved over the past three years to take fifth place. Operations in logistics have changed dramatically as a result of two key considerations. First off, the sector has been motivated to modernize and optimize its operations in order to meet growing demands as a result of the unrivaled rise of online shopping. Second, the rise of e-commerce titans like Amazon, Alibaba, and JD.com has forced conventional logistics firms to become more responsive, adaptable,…

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How to use Digital Transformation in Industry to revolutionize your factory

There is a lot of talk about Digital Transformation in Industry and what impacts these changes will have on the day-to-day operations on the shop floor. However, most of the articles found are more about the concepts of digital transformation in industry. They are not really helping companies use digital transformation in industry to revolutionize factory operations. In the manufacturing industry universe, digital transformations are mostly related to growth through Industry 4.0 and other technologies. Companies of all sizes are achieving admirable results in their business through digital transformation efforts, such as product and service improvements, increased operational efficiency, innovations, and greater flexibility throughout the production chain. Broadly speaking, we can say that to get real benefits from digital transformation in industry requires integrating digital technologies into all areas of a factory, dramatically changing the way companies derive value from their data and information. It seems strange to say this in the current context of Industry 4.0, but many companies still don't appreciate the importance of real-time data collection and processing.  Now we will present some fundamentals for using digital transformation in industry and getting real benefits: 1 _ Establish your goal   Here at PackIOT we have…

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How Knowing The OEE Can Help Your Factory Become More Efficient?

By Eduardo Weingärtner, Chief Data Officer at PackIOT In today’s highly competitive and fast-moving markets, it is essential for manufacturing companies to promote a culture of continuous improvement in the entire organization in order to become more productive and efficient. To stay ahead you need to always keep an eye on the next level of performance. It is thus important to focus, not only but also, on how to eliminate “waste”, i.e. activities that do not add value to the customers. But before the “how” can be answered, one needs to know where the problems are. Thus - as in Six Sigma -  you first need to measure and analyze your processes before being able to improve them. When it comes to the shop-floor, the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is a great metric to be followed. OEE can help you identify the main sources of waste in the production lines/equipment and consequently highlight areas of possible improvement. At the same time, it is also a powerful way of benchmarking progress.   As mentioned in one of PackIOT’s previous blog posts, in a perfect production OEE would equal 100%. Thus, if a production line or equipment has an OEE…

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What is Unified Namespace and why you need to implement it to experience Industry 4.0

By  Mario Ishikawa and Alexandre Patrus Many digital transformation actors are not yet familiar with Unified Namespace. Also abbreviated as UNS, this term was coined by Walker Reynolds, president of 4.0 Solutions, to designate a concept that allows real-time processing and traffic of contextualized, normalized, and aggregated information. Therefore, the UNS is neither a product nor a system, but a central tool for the Industry 4.0 scenario. And in this article we will explain why. It is very common for people to think that there is no data collection and processing problem in their companies, because the Industry 3.0 and factory automation scenario already works with data collection. However, when we talk abou Industry 4.0, we are talking about a much larger amount of equipment connected to a plant's network. And the UNS comes to help enabling the scalability of your digital transformation strategy. Industry 3.0 x Industry 4.0: what are the main differences in data flow? In this example, we can see a typical Industry 3.0 scenario: data flows in one direction only. It goes from the sensors to the PLCs, from the PLCs to the SCADA or MES systems, and sometimes also to the ERP.…

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How CEOs, owners and board members play a key role in digital transformation in manufacturing

This topic is almost an obsession in our PackIOT leadership conversations and in our team meetings. Every day we interact with customers and leads from around the globe, read reports, listen to podcasts, take courses on the future of the industry, and everything is heading in the same direction: CEOs, Owners or Board Members play a key role in the digital transformation journey of a factory. For many, many years, the top layer of the SME industry has been in love with modern machines. A dear person always said: this folks like to go to trade shows and come back with new machines. Not being a guy who comes from an industrial background, I thought this was a joke. Until I started seeing LinkedIn posts of CEOs doing photos and videos, even to this day. And from there came one of the main personal and corporate missions of recent times for us: to help CEOs pull innovation and digital transformation in their factories. We've been trying to do this in various ways, with free educational content, case studies, and raising awareness in the manufacturing community, especially in the packaging, cosmetics, food and beverage and Pharma sectors. This…

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91% of manufacturing companies have increased their digital transformation investments, tells report

An international report developed by Fictiv and Dimensional Research states that the pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital technologies. While a lot of the past year has been responding to the crisis, the report finds that in 2021 the companies were planning and rushing to increase manufacturing agility. And that is the main reason why 91% of manufacturing companies have increased their digital transformation investments. According to the report, that you can find here, 95% said the pandemic has had long-term effects on their business and the manufacturing industry will never go back to the way things were. "From automation to sustainability, we are seeing a tremendous shift of strategic priorities for manufacturing companies, led by the very highest levels of leadership. Speed, agility, and resilience are the key business outcomes and digital manufacturing is the current that runs through every innovation initiative." It is also important to point out that 77% stated their investment increase in digital transformation was significant or dramatic and 95% agree that digital transformation in manufacturing is essential to their company's future success. Since Digital Transformation can be defined as a phenomenon which incorporates the use of digital technology to traditional problem-solving, we…

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Pack Expo 2021: top 10 packaging events to attend this year

If you are missing visiting a trade show, we think it is time for you to start preparing to attend one. Organizers are planning their events with all safety requirements. People seem very happy to be back on the road, doing business in person. Everyone we are starting to meet share the same feeling: it is great that we've learned to hold some meetings online, making things more productive, but nothing replaces a firm hand shake and looking in the eyes. To make your life easier, we have prepared a guide best 10 Pack Expo, Packaging Expo, Trade Shows, Fairs, Exposition, Exhibition, Events to attend in 2021. Download the Ultimate List with more than 150 Packaging Events Worldwide: 2021 & 2022 October Plastics Extrusion World Expo Pharmapack Europe Expo / Healthcare Packaging Expo October 13-14, 2021 Paris, France Launched in 1997, Pharmapack is the European event for Pharmaceutical Packaging, Drug Delivery, Medical Devices and Machinery. Pharmapack started as a biannual conference and exhibition, taking place every other year in Paris, until industry developments demanded a more frequent event to help the industry stay up to date on the latest trends, developments and regulations. In the past 20+…

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