[Preamble: I have been invited by Dell Technologies as a delegate to their upcoming Dell Technologies World from Apr 30-May 2, 2018 in Las Vegas, USA. My expenses, travel and accommodation will be paid by Dell Technologies, the organizer and I was not obligated to blog or promote the technologies presented at this event. The content of this blog is of my own opinions and views]
This may seem a little strange. How does Industry 4.0 relate to Dell Technologies?
Recently, I was involved in an Industry 4.0 consortium called Data Industry 4.0 (di 4.0). The objective of the consortium is to combine the foundations of 5S (seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu, and shitsuke), QRQC (Quick Response Quality Control) and Kaizen methodologies with the 9 pillars of Industry 4.0 with a strong data insight focus.
Industry 4.0 has been the latest trend in new technologies in the manufacturing world. It is sweeping the manufacturing industry segment by storm, leading with the nine pillars of Industry 4.0:
- Horizontal and Vertical System Integration
- Industrial Internet of Things
- Simulation
- Additive Manufacturing
- Cloud Computing
- Augmented Reality
- Big Data and Analytics
- Cybersecurity
- Autonomous Robots
Several months ago, Dell announced that they were investing BIG with IoT R&D. They outlined their strategy to take on the new world, just like many other IT vendors. Like everyone else, Dell wants to grab a significant mindshare of the Industry 4.0 market.
Whilst in discussion in our di4.0 consortium, my good friend at Macrovention brought up the best of idea about Dell Industry 4.0 position. This was what he shared with me:
“I believe Dell is already well ahead with their own Industry 4.0 approach even though Dell doesn’t exactly fit the bill of an industry manufacturer. First of all, Dell is a great “assembler” of laptops, workstations to the consumer and SMB (small medium businesses) market. Their JIT (just-in-time) inventory, supply chain management have evolved over time and has been refined to procure, assemble and ship FAST to meet customers’ orders, with a higher standard. In order to achieve the maximum efficiency, minimal waste and be very flexible to meet customers’ demands and requirements, I am pretty sure that Dell employs several elements of the 9 pillars very well. I do not know how the Dell inventory, their supply chain or their warehousing work, but I am pretty sure they must have
- Cloud Computing – to manage and scale the business on a global scale
- Big Data and Analytics – to optimize customers’ requirements, anticipating the supply chain management and maintenance
- Cybersecurity – to ensure that all data is protected and secured
- Horizontal and Vertical System Integration – to ensure that their integration across the organization is maximum both from a operational perspective as well as a management perspective
- Autonomous Robots – Dell could be preparing for the factory of the future“
It was a brilliant insight from my Macrovention friend. In the manufacturing world, the top executives are looking for great incentives to get into Industry 4.0. Each segment is highly competitive, and these bosses are looking for the best partner(s) to help them build their competitive advantage. They are not interested in products; they may not be 100% with technology; but I am sure they will be very interested to know how Industry 4.0 is implemented within Dell Technologies.
Isn’t it time Dell share its best kept secret in own Industry 4.0 with the world?
