“Product Recall.” Just these two words are enough to strike fear in the heart of a manufacturer. As John Kern points out in his blog, The Internet of Everything Will Help Solve Problems That Lead To Recalls, “Product recalls can be a headache for customers and consumers, but a financial nightmare for manufacturers.” Not only are longer-term corporate reputations and brand promises deflated, but even more insidious, shorter-term litigation and financial liabilities become a daily reality for industrial companies facing recalls.
Issues like the recent Takata air-bags, Blue Bell ice cream and other high profile cases garner news headlines almost every day. Manufacturers continue to wrestle with how to establish robust product design methodologies, component through finished-product traceability and genealogy (including context), vendor accountability and supply chain rigor–as well as production controls and visibility–all in order to avoid future issues with recalls and ensure quality output. And every sub-segment of manufacturing has its own set of related regulations adding a layer of regional complexity to the problem–whether it’s pharma, automotive, consumer packaged goods, high tech, metals, machine builders or otherwise.
The infographic below provides some food for thought with examples of the impact of recalls and how the Internet of Everything (IoE) enables the Connected Factory and a digital manufacturing world where product recalls and quality issues are less the norm and more of an anomaly.
Recalls Recalled from Cisco Business Insights
IoE and Connected Manufacturing with predictive analytics and connected supply chains all converge to enable a platform to truly put an end to the tyranny of recalls. With a converged factory/OT and IT/enterprise network, manufacturers tap into the intelligence and accumulated analytics, to further drive innovations and improvements not just in production processes but also development and engineering, so that products are designed AND produced more robustly.
Cisco customers like Sub-Zero WOLF know that their brand image means that quality has to be integral, a fabric woven throughout the value chain from R&D to installation. Check out the video here to see how Sub-Zero has utilized immersive collaboration, IoE and Connected Factory Wireless to keep that brand promise real and untarnished. And check out a recent ‘Future of IT’ podcast featuring LNS Research Analyst Matt Littlefield with Cisco VP Joseph Bradley, who discuss some key takeaways and lessons for manufacturers who are driven to really make recalls a thing of the past.
What are some of ways you are obsoleting recalls and obviating quality pain points? Are you ready to make your last recall THE LAST RECALL? Please join the conversation with your thoughts and commentary
Thanks for the blog, Chet. I work in the automotive manufacturing industry where both on-time and high-quality product launches are paramount. I’ve read the story of Sub-Zero WOLF and felt intrigued. If you could share a story of how this example could scale to large projects spread across multiple continents and involving several partners along the value chain, would appreciate that.
Hi Shankar. Thanks for tuning into our blog channel and thanks for the inquiry! Many of our major automotive customers have implemented IP-enabled networks and wireless standards for controls and automation in their factories. Quite often these IP-services are utilized for immersive collaboration capabilities, alongside real-time data and diagnostics feeds and visibility, enabling remote access and expert trouble-shooting and advice. Stay tuned for an automotive case study profile I’ll be blogging next week, providing a very relevant example for you. In the meantime, take a look at another relevant blog from last year, on Harley Davidson: http://blogs.cisco.com/zzfeatured/iot-in-manufacturing-insights-and-best-practices.