// ROBOTICS AND SMART FACTORIES TERM
Visual Factory
A Visual Factory is a manufacturing environment where information is clearly and immediately visible to everyone, enabling quick understanding of status and problems. It uses visual aids to communicate key data.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
A Visual Factory is a manufacturing environment where critical operational information, performance metrics, and process status are made immediately and intuitively visible to all personnel through visual controls, displays, and indicators, promoting self-management and rapid problem identification.
BACKGROUND
The Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as 4IR, Industry 4.0 or the Intelligence Age, is a neologism describing rapid technological advancement in the 21st century. It follows the Third Industrial Revolution. The term was popularized in 2016 by Klaus Schwab, the World Economic Forum founder and former executive chairman, who asserts that these developments represent a significant shift in industrial capitalism.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Visual Workplace
- Transparent Factory
- Visual Management System
USAGE NOTE
A visual factory empowers employees to make informed decisions and react quickly to deviations.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Visual Factory.
Develops a comprehensive suite of industrial IoT and augmented reality solutions, including ThingWorx and Vuforia, which are critical for creating digital visual factories and enabling real-time operational insights through AR.
Offers a vast portfolio of automation, industrial software (e.g., MindSphere, Mendix, Teamcenter), and digital twin technologies that enable real-time visualization, simulation, and optimization of manufacturing processes.
Provides control systems, industrial software (e.g., FactoryTalk Suite), and services that help manufacturers achieve greater visibility into their operations through real-time data, dashboards, and analytics.
Known for its 3DEXPERIENCE platform, which enables virtual twin experiences of products and manufacturing processes, offering advanced visualization, simulation, and collaboration tools for the factory floor.
Offers a 'Frontline Operations Platform' that allows manufacturers to build no-code apps for work instructions, quality checks, and real-time performance monitoring, directly facilitating a visual factory environment.
Develops industrial smart glasses and head-mounted wearable computers designed for frontline workers, enabling hands-free access to visual information, remote assistance, and data capture to enhance factory visibility.
Provides enterprise resource planning (ERP) and manufacturing execution systems (MES) with modules for digital manufacturing, offering real-time operational visibility, performance monitoring, and advanced analytics for the factory.
Offers industrial solutions, including process control systems, automation software, and connected worker technologies that provide operators and managers with real-time visual data and insights into factory operations.