| | JUNE 20158CIOReviewImpact inManufacturingBig Data'sBy Tim Walsh, CIO, Bridgestone AmericasThere is no doubt about the big buzz around Big Data in just about every industry these days, and manufacturing is no different. There are hundreds of articles that define the concept, each with its own spin on a definition that revolves around the Three V's: Volume, Velocity and Variety. This is not one of those articles. Instead my focus is on how Big Data is transforming how we view the manufacturing discipline, and how an organization can harness its data assets to realize the benefits in a more agile way.A Long History with DataSince the early days of industrial manufacturing, efficiency has been king. That culture of continuous improvement has always been centered on data with an unwavering focus on productivity. From early pioneers like our own Shojiro Ishibashi and Harvey Firestone to today's top innovators in the field, there is a shared quest for new insight. Whether stored in reams of paper with hand crank calculators, rooms of mainframe punch cards or today's in-memory monsters, the key ingredient to finding treasure has always been a company's own data.Take a walk on a plant floor and it's evident that data is everywhere. In the past, our visibility was limited to analysis at the component level. We've used that data to great ends in optimizing machine hours, minimizing or even eliminating scrap, streamlining processes, and maximizing labor utilization, to name a few. However, those improvements pale in comparison to the opportunities presented when we see, interpret and understand data in the next dimension of granularity.One of the biggest challenges is recognizing where those dimensions are and acquiring them. Commonly referred to as "dark data," these are the unrecognized assets of your organization. They're there; you just aren't seeing them yet! This data is spread across disparate systems. It represents extended attributes that have never been joined because they have always served different functions or business units. It is data that you don't realize is being captured, as well as data that exists that isn't being captured at all. Don't panic - you're not alone. There's a reason why "Big Data" is your software sales representatives' new favorite phrase. This evolution is just getting started, the opportunities are exponential, and very often we need help getting there.Data Generation at an Exponential PaceAlthough data has been a consistent source of manufacturing innovations and improvements, the Volume, Variety and Velocity (there are those Three V's again) of today are a relatively new phenomenon. We are only 100 years removed from the revolutionary automobile assembly line and less than 40 years from the rise of Computer Integrated Manufacturing. Recall the statement from visionary Bill Gates, who claimed "640K ought to be enough for anybody"? That was in 1981. Now we carry 50K times that in our pockets every day. The rapidly changing landscape coming in manufacturing features advanced automation, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and nano-technologies. These advances in manufacturing will grow like "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" into majestic and frightening requirements for IT systems and solutions. Still, there are actions we can take to fortify and opinionin my
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