- [Announcer] Today's supply chains are evolving
at an accelerated rate
to meet the rising demands of global consumers.
At the basis of this evolution,
are emerging technologies,
designed to transform various aspects
of modern manufacturing.
- This is the perfect storm.
It isn't one thing.
That's the supply chain.
- [Announcer] Supply Chain Transformed
is a new series from Digi-Key Electronics
powered by Analog Devices, Molex, and Supplyframe.
Explores the latest in digital transformation
across the supply chain,
discovering how leading suppliers and distributors
are introducing new innovations
into the product life cycle and beyond.
In this episode,
we turn our attention to the future,
examining individual technologies and innovations
like collaborative robotics and predictive maintenance
that provide real-time solutions
throughout the supply chain,
enhancing security, safety, and efficiency
for everyone working within it.
(gentle electronic music)
- The worldwide demand has never been greater,
but, you know, we really don't have to look hard
to understand why, right?
There's more electronics in everything.
The advancements in microcontrollers,
the advancements in sensing,
is really gonna allow us to have robots cohabitate
with people on a daily basis.
In automation, in manufacturing,
we can really see the co-bot
working in that same space,
taking a lot of the repetitive task
away from the human, and really having that human
make make higher, more complex decisions
while operating in that same space.
So as sensors become more prevalent, right,
we're being able to interface
with machines and the real world more in real time.
And that's really gonna drive the next wave
of asset monitoring, motion tracking,
you know, robots that can navigate through a building.
Co-bots transport goods from one line to another, you know,
we can really track and really kind of define
when products need to be where they need to be,
at what specific times.
New-product introduction at Digi-Key
is one of the most important jobs we have to do.
We work very closely with our suppliers
to bring new products to market
that really helps push development
of new products and new technology.
- [Announcer] Steve Drysdale dives into some key factors,
pivotal to the future of supply-chain management.
- Particularly in terms of manufacturing and logistics,
it's something that has got a huge focus
for our operations team and logistics team,
so that the digital transformation courses
is a lot of new software
and a lot of new data analysis to help decision-making.
One of the factors there is, obviously, cost,
but then tracking
and trying to improve on-time delivery metrics,
customer promise dates, inventory, material efficiency.
All of that is kind of encompassed
under the umbrella of digital transformation.
I'd say one of the things
that I'm seeing is becoming more of a requirement,
especially in certain industries,
is traceability.
So not just being able to track product
as it's being shipped from our manufacturing facility,
through distribution centers, to a customer,
but actually being able to trace back, you know,
a delivery to the production line
and then back through the supply chain
as deep into potentially the raw-material supplier.
And that's done not only for tracking,
but also being able to respond
to quality requirements or compliance,
especially as it relates to environmental matters.
- [Announcer] Analog Devices' Donnacha O'Riordan
describes the future of robotics
within the supply chain,
ultimately leading to more creative solutions.
- When we think about robotics, you know,
it's the fundamental building block
of robotics is motion control and motor control.
That's really where ADI's long history
and capability in motion control and signal chain
and data converters really comes into play.
We then add layers of connectivity, of sensors, and so on
to build up a robotics business, a robotics portfolio.
The breadth of interaction across ADI
that we have with multiple different technology groups
and bring that together into a solution
that is a robotic kind of solution.
Collaborative robots, or co-bots,
where the robot and a person are collaborating
on a given task in a production facility.
So think of things like food packaging
or pharmaceutical buyings
or medical-device manufacturing lines,
where a robot is doing part of a task
that a human was doing previously.
Often it's the repetitive type, monotonous-type tasks.
Picking and placing is a very good example
where a robot arm might be picking components
out of a bin and presenting them to a human operator
who's adding more value than just simply moving parts
from A to B.
The big driver currently, though,
again, may be triggered or certainly accelerated
by the pandemic,
is logistics and warehousing.
So we're all, you know, buying a lot more online now.
All of that is driving a big need for automation
in the logistics field.
So when we look 10 years out, you know,
we see an industry, a different shape of industry, really.
We see much more modular manufacturing.
A given factory can be configured and reconfigured quickly
to make smaller batches of products.
That can only be done through,
by enabling automation or automation enabling that.
- [Announcer] Margaret Cunha of Digi-Key Electronics
explains the evolution of the supply chain
and what the future holds
for the world of global manufacturing.
- The use of data is becoming our norm.
Where are the touchpoints and where are the searches
and what are the components that people are looking at?
That digital piece is going to be the foundation
for the next gen.
And I think that's where we need to go.
So I'm excited,
because I think there has been such amazing organic growth
at Digi-Key.
What this team has been able to do over
the last 40-plus years is nothing short of miraculous.
And it's so exciting to be here today,
because I think there's an evolvement coming.
There's this change that's kind of grasped everyone
where there's been such a shift in the market
due to the pandemic.
Those who are going to embrace it
and use it to move forward faster,
I think, are the ones who are going to win the most.
And I'm excited that there's many on the inside of Digi-Key
that are embracing that.
- [Announcer] Next-generation supply chains
will no doubt become more integrated
into the lives of everyone around the globe.
With a spotlight on every aspect of the product journey,
innovative technology will lead us forward
to meet rising demand
and achieve a supply chain transformed.
(gentle electronic music)