McKinsey and Company studied how manufacturing organizations responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some shut down temporarily, but others experienced increased demand. Some personnel started working from home. Moving forward, the “new normal” requires protecting the workforce, managing risks, and incorporating physical distancing and remote working. Arjun Chandar of IndustrialML points out the growing need to invest in smart systems. Remote monitoring technologies are especially useful. Sensors that collect and transmit data have become cheaper, but smaller companies lack the infrastructure to make effective use of this data. However, this is changing.
Key Takeaways:
- McKinsey and Company studied manufacturing organizations as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe.
- Those manufacturers that continued their operation – and those that shut down and then returned to production – found they had to prepare for a lasting need to maintain enhanced hygiene.
- There has not been a rush to implement smart factory initiatives, but manufacturers have universally commented on the increased need to invest in smart factory systems in 2021 and beyond.
“One challenge they all had in common is the unexpected length of the pandemic. Remember when we expected to count the lockdown in weeks? A prolonged period of uncertainty is one of the greatest challenges for all manufacturers.”
Read more: https://www.designnews.com/automation/manufacturing-challenges-during-pandemic
