Factory Command and Control Center

The age in which business analytics rule has arrived. Here’s a statistic by Forbes that proves the point, “52% of enterprises are leveraging advanced and predictive analytics today to provide greater insights and contextual intelligence into operations.” In fact, the rate at which data is being generated today has necessitated the use of technology to decipher it for humans. Why? Because it is our kind that ultimately has to take the decisions. However, for the decisions to be precise, one needs a holistic picture of what’s going on, especially in a complex setup such as a factory. This is where Factory Command and Control Center (FCCC) comes into picture. FCCC, in fact, is a successful attempt at combining analytics and human intervention.

Enabling Seamless Communication between Machines and Humans

Thanks to technologies like IoT, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and cloud – each component of the factory is getting smarter by the day and generating intelligence at every step. People, raw material, equipment, logistics and customers are all sources of data in the new digital paradigm. There is a need to convert this data into a language that we, humans, understand. FCCC tackles this challenge by converting data into formats that are intelligible. Further, it presents data interpretations to us through dashboards that not only allow us to understand the data but also take adequate actions where necessary.

Here are a few benefits of FCCC:

• Real-time view into operational performance
• Accurate data and analysis that eliminates erroneous decisions
• Optimized resource utilization
• In-time interventions to ensure smooth functioning of operations

The Essential Components of an Effective FCCC Platform

It’s all about applying business intelligence to manufacturing data. A great FCCC platform brings innovation, customer centricity, operational excellence and agility to the table. It weaves together a wide range of technologies such that users get a holistic view of all factory operations. Here are the key components of a FCCC platform that an organization needs to look into before adopting it:

• Data: The platform must act as a bridge between users and data sources without the compulsion to design complex data models or ETL. Users should be able to seamlessly connect to proprietary data sources, cloud apps, web services and relational databases with the ability to extract data from disparate sources in a unified manner.

• Dashboards: The solution should pave the path for creation of customized dashboards with business intelligence and self-service capabilities. Users must be able to enjoy the flexibility of choosing from a wide range of widgets, charts and controls that make interactive visualization possible.

• Analysis: The mark of a good FCCC is its intuitiveness. It must be equipped with an array of user-friendly tools for data visualization as well as discovery. It is imperative that the platform enables users to build their own KPIs and metrics for precise analysis and tracking. Ability to create linked views as well as dashboards for dynamic drilldowns and analysis is also essential. Organizations must veer towards the ones that leverage open architecture as it makes customization, integration and functionality extension feasible.

• Actions: The platform must empower the users to take right actions by integrating external systems and facilitating live alerts. It must possess a highly responsive UI that makes usage across mobile devices highly effective. The solution should be fully customizable and extensible to meet any organization- or task-specific demands.

The complex mesh of interconnected system is something that every factory has to contend with today. FCCC annihilates the threat of losing control over this network.

The ITC Infotech Advantage

We understand the criticality of information in modern-day factories that function round the clock, throughout the year. Among the advantages of partnering with us is our ability to group together various technologies and establish a connect between them. This is made possible by our experts who stem from various tech domains. We are a part of ITC Ltd. – a leading diversified conglomerate and one of India’s most respected company, and that makes us unique with our practitioner’s understanding of factories. It is for reasons such as these that organizations around the globe leverage our expertise and situational understanding when it comes to Factory Command and Control Centers.