Potential is a strangely unquantifiable thing. I suppose it’s about our ability to develop in future – making it something both unknown and immeasurable, but also exciting. When you look at a young child, you have no idea what they might grow up to be. There may be some hints – academic intelligence, a gift for music, athletic prowess. Whatever ‘it’ may be, they have potential of some kind that you know, through learning and continuous improvement, they can fulfil.
Learning and continuous improvement are two things that we should never stop doing. It’s particularly important in our world of manufacturing – every manufacturer knows that the mistakes that we don’t learn from are the costliest kind! At Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, we take data from the real world, digitise it into a format that we can learn from, and use it to make improvements back in the real world. Whether through design simulation, process control or simple comparison to CAD, data has huge potential in helping manufacturers make continuous improvements. For me, ‘manufacturing intelligence’ is all about connecting and using the data we gather throughout the process to make smarter decisions.
In this issue of Accelerate!, our cover feature explores the potential of data throughout the lifecycle of a product and what ‘data-driven manufacturing’ means for our customers. I’m very pleased to welcome guest writer Professor Detlef Zühlke to the magazine as he reveals what needs to happen for manufacturers to capitalise on the potential of Industry 4.0. We also get an inside look at potential fulfilled in our feature on the development of the new Leica Absolute Tracker AT403 – the latest improvement to our entry-level laser tracker range.
So, what motivates us to improve? Well, our customers are the people who make the technologies that change the world. Cars, planes, smartphones, medical devices and all the components within – whatever you make, there are ways you can progress and work smarter to realise the next generation of these technologies – and even the disruptive technologies that will render what we know today obsolete. My hope is that Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence has a role to play in your business unlocking its true potential.
Happy reading!
