Composable technology for improving manufacturing operations

Four ways composable digital architecture improves processes

In the past, manufacturing was a purely mechanical process. Technology and digital architecture have become indispensable components of manufacturing in the 21st century.

Composable digital architecture

Imagine a gaming PC built with the best components available on the market. Since each piece is best in its segment, the gaming PC built with these components will be the best performing PC in the market. Each time a superior part hits the market, you switch that piece in, incrementally improving your performance with every change.

Composable digital architecture extends this idea to the software realm. It is the philosophy of using the best software components for building or ‘composing’ a digital solution, using best-in-breed solutions for front-end, database, search, middleware, server-side rendering, etc. In earlier monolithic architectures, all these components were built and used by a single software vendor. The advent of APIs and microservices architecture changed how you can develop your digital architecture. Now, you can integrate various software components effectively using an API layer that enables the communication between these components.

Composable architecture in manufacturing

Manufacturing requires coordination between various pieces of software to accomplish different tasks. Some of the software solutions required for manufacturing operations are:

• Manufacturing Execution System (MES)
• Warehouse Management System (WMS)
• Inventory Management Software
• Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS)
• Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
• Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) software, etc 

Beyond these, specialized manufacturing processes require various other software solutions to manage the intricate nature of production and procurement. 

Sourcing all the different software a manufacturer requires from a single vendor is often impossible nor recommended. The best solution for each business’s needs usually means working with various vendors. Generally, you get an inferior solution when you depend on a single vendor for all your platform needs and system requirements. In the past, there was no other way to go about it: sourcing various software from different vendors meant each system had to work in a silo and couldn’t integrate, adding extra complications to the already complex manufacturing process.

According to a Research and Markets report, we anticipate that microservices architecture will grow by 22.5% by 2025. An API provides a robust communication layer to exchange information between software modules. This microservices technology means manufacturers don’t have to rely on a single vendor for different software solutions. They can work with the best vendor for each solution and integrate them with the API layer. 

With a composable digital architecture for your manufacturing ecosystem, you can choose the best solution for each requirement without making any compromises. You can have a manufacturing execution system from one vendor and warehouse maintenance software from another. This will work as long as the protocol for communication over the API layer has a standard syntax acceptable by all the different software modules. Beyond this, composable architecture benefits your manufacturing processes in different ways. Let’s explore those benefits below.

Flexibility and agility

When monolithic architecture is used to manage and execute manufacturing processes, the software is often unable to adapt to the evolving needs in the factory. The rigid nature of the architecture can be a hindrance to flexible operations. With a composable digital architecture, software applications can be easily modified or changed according to evolving requirements. All required to add a software module is to plug it into the API layer. This solution makes it easy to change, modify, add, or eliminate software with agility, lending flexibility to manufacturing operations.

Switching freedom

With software, there is a phenomenon called “vendor lock.” This happens when a proprietary software provider monopolizes your information system. That means that the data from the systems you are using is stored in that vendor’s proprietary format and can only be accessed by using their software. This means that they have the ability to lock you into their service. You can’t opt for another vendor because all your historical data and systems are unavailable if you switch systems. Vendors can charge higher service fees each passing year with this chokehold.

You own the data and the information system with composable architecture using open source software. The data and workflows can easily be ported from one software to another. Vendors don’t have power over your systems, but you do have power over which vendor to choose. This modern architecture enables you to switch vendors without impacting your data or other connected information systems. This greatly reduces your digital expenditure since you can opt for the cheapest yet the most effective software without being stuck with a single software vendor.

Innovation

Failure is often a necessary step in the path of innovation. There is no room for failure in the technical architecture of a live, monolithic manufacturing operation. A failure in any component can bring down the entire manufacturing process. But with composable commerce, if one element of the architecture fails, it can be isolated, quarantined and repaired separately from the rest of the system.

For example, suppose you want to try predictive maintenance for your operations instead of reactive maintenance. In that case, you can easily plug the predictive maintenance module into the data stream via APIs. If any faults occur, the new module is easily isolated from the API and fixed or removed. An unexpected bug or integration flaw doesn’t affect the complete information system, and the manufacturing process can continue as if nothing has happened.

Integrations

The central information layer for composable digital architecture is an API. APIs can exchange data between any number of software modules using these interfaces. APIs allow you to integrate production or fulfillment data with other organizational functions like sales, finance, HR, etc. This connectivity helps to disseminate manufacturing data to the rest of the organization, and each business unit can pivot its operational activities to accommodate the live data.

An API layer can integrate the manufacturing process with digital commerce. Sales efforts can be scaled up or down according to data from manufacturing. It is a two-way street. This way, you can use data from digital commerce to scale manufacturing activities, making organizational processes cost-efficient and impactful.

Embrace the digital frontier

Composable digital architecture is a new idea in manufacturing with colossal potential. It helps transform traditionally cumbersome manufacturing processes into agile operations. It is not only beneficial for the manufacturing function but can also have a positive impact on the rest of the organization. You should consider composable architecture as a part of your digital transformation journey and talk with experts on how to implement it in your manufacturing plant.

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Bryan Christiansen is the founder and CEO of Limble CMMS. Limble is a modern, easy-to-use mobile CMMS software that takes the stress and chaos out of maintenance by helping managers organize, automate, and streamline their maintenance operations.