Digital Spare Parts Supply Chain: An Integrated Solution of Spare Parts Inventory Management and Predictive Maintenance

传统上，人为干预已经并将继续在制造业和工业环境中流行，以连接和控制各种生产过程和系统。本可行性研究项目旨在了解如何应用新的信息技术和基于互联网的创新来消除人为干预，并改变生产维护操作中的库存控制和供应链管理。NBT集团有限公司是一家位于英格兰东北部的拥有112年历史的家族企业，它的研究项目合作伙伴Senseye有限公司是一家总部位于英国的领先工业软件公司，来自诺森比亚大学的学术专家将评估智能系统在智能工厂环境中应用的潜力。NBT集团有限公司目前为工业和非工业环境提供一系列创新技术解决方案，以管理复杂的供应链。它使组织能够有效地管理他们的维护部件，使客户能够专注于他们的核心业务，并通过自动化自助库存管理技术提高运营效率。NBT的目标是改变传统B2B供应链的运作方式。它不断寻求机会促进公司之间的更大合作，运用新的创造性思维和创新来消除阻碍业务和生产力增长的行政和手工任务。该可行性研究项目将评估制造工厂环境中新兴的“智能”技术，以优化维护库存管理和供应链流程。第一个感兴趣的领域是了解使用基于智能的技术将Senseye的机器人安装的预测性维护软件连接到NBT及其供应链合作伙伴的库存软件的可行性，而无需人工干预。预测性维护软件是一个平台，为工业维护人员提供工厂机器上需要更换的部件的指示。将这些系统进行数字化连接可以消除对客户现场人工干预的需求，减少不必要和可能过时的库存，从而释放生产空间并降低成本，并在更广泛的制造供应链中提高效率，并提供改进的客户工作调度。该可行性研究项目将为通过数字化转型改变工业4.0标准之旅奠定基础。所获得的成果和知识将用于展示和提供新知识，潜在地为密集的研究和开发提供信息，最终目的是利用新技术提高产量，为英国经济提供更多高技能岗位、利润和收入。

Traditionally, human intervention has and continues to be prevalent in manufacturing and industrial contexts to connect and control various production processes and systems. This feasibility study project aims to develop understanding of how new information technology and internet-based innovations could be applied to remove human intervention and transform inventory control and supply chain management in production maintenance operations. NBT Group Ltd, a 112-year-old family business based in North East England, along with it's research project partners Senseye Ltd, a leading industrial software business headquartered in the UK, and academic experts from the University of Northumbria, will assess the potential for applying intelligent systems in a smart factory context.NBT Group Ltd currently provides a range of innovative technology solutions across industrial and non-industrial settings to manage complex supply chains. It enables organisations to manage their maintenance parts effectively allowing the client to focus on their core business and drive operational efficiencies, via automated self-service stock management technology.NBT's goal is to change the way traditional B2B supply chains work. It continually seeks opportunities to foster greater collaboration between companies, applying new creative thinking and innovation to remove administrative and manual tasks which hinder business and productivity growth.This feasibility study project will evaluate new and emerging 'smart' technologies in a manufacturing factory context to optimise maintenance inventory management and supply chain processes. The first area of interest is to develop an understanding of the feasibility of using intelligent based technologies to connect Senseye's robot installed predictive maintenance software, a platform that provides industrial maintenance personnel with an indication of what parts will need replacing on factory machines, to NBT's and its supply chain partners stock software without human intervention. Connecting these systems digitally could eliminate the requirement for manual intervention on a client site, reduce unnecessary and potentially obsoleted stock holdings, thereby freeing up space for production and driving down costs, and creating efficiencies amongst a wider manufacturing supply chain, and providing for improved client work scheduling.This feasibility study project will lay the foundations for what could prove a game-changer in the journey of Industry 4.0 standards through digital transformation. The outcomes and knowledge acquired will be used to demonstrate and provide new knowledge, potentially informing intensive research and development, with the ultimate aim of exploiting new technology to deliver increases in production, more highly skilled roles, profits and revenues for the UK economy.