This article provides an overview of 10 new smart factory solutions advancing industrial automation through innovative technologies. These companies offer edge connectivity solutions for real-time data processing and virtual shop floor navigation systems for operational visibility. Further, 3D sensing cameras enable precise quality control. They also offer modular manufacturing execution systems (MES) that streamline production workflows and improve efficiency. Each featured company is making progress in its respective domains, showcasing the diverse applications of smart factory technologies.
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Key Takeaways
Drawing insights from the Big Data & AI-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform that provides data on over 4.7+ million emerging companies globally, we explore the evolving landscape of the smart factory industry. This sector is marked by key trends and a substantial workforce, shaping its future. This article was last updated 5 days ago. If you find any info is missing, let us know! Here are some key insights at a glance:
- Current Smart Factory Trends: The latest trends in the industry include digital twins, robotics, internet of things (IoT) integration, edge computing, and 3D printing.
- Smart Factory Industry Statistics: The sector comprises over 7900 organizations globally. Among these, more than 1200 new smart factory companies were founded in the last five years, with 2020 as the average founding year. Each of these companies employs about 22 people on average. Further, the average funding received per round by these smart factory startups is USD 36.6 million. The industry has also witnessed an annual growth rate of 28.23%.
- 10 New Smart Factory Solutions to Watch:
- BLUNET Ventures – Edge Connectivity
- mia – Smart Factory App
- Teknovus – Virtual Shop Floor Navigation System
- Cloudvidia – Electronics Manufacturing
- DEEP IN SIGHT – 3D Sensing Camera
- PinOn – Cloud-based Vision Software
- O3 Smart – Lean Manufacturing
- UpSmarting – Asset Intelligence
- Ferry – Modular Manufacturing Execution System (MES)
- a-robo – Mold Monitoring and Notification System
Meet 10 out of 1.2K+ Emerging Smart Factory Solutions
In this section, we spotlight 10 new smart factory solutions enhancing manufacturing with edge connectivity, virtual shop floor navigation, 3D sensing cameras, and modular MES. These solutions integrate connectivity for real-time data processing, improving operational efficiency and decision-making. For instance, 3D sensing cameras provide precise quality control, ensure manufacturing standards, and reduce defects. Modular MES optimizes production workflows and increases adaptability in dynamic manufacturing environments. Explore many more innovative solutions that these companies offer!
Note on Signal Strength
One of the unique metrics we feature for each company is Signal Strength, a proprietary data point generated by our Discovery Platform. It gauges the extent to which a company’s influence has permeated the global ecosystem of startups, scaleups, and emerging companies. This proprietary metric serves as a valuable guidepost for understanding a company’s standing in the broader market landscape.
1. BLUNET Ventures
- Founding Year: 2019
- Employee Range: 11-50
- Location: India
- Signal Strength: Medium Strong
- What they do: BLUNET Ventures simplifies data collection with edge connectivity and provides actionable insights for factories. Its Axia SmartFactory platform connects ERP and production systems for real-time data exchange. Its Axia SmartBoX, an edge device that integrates data from machines, PLCs, and sensors, makes it accessible in apps. SmartboX microcontroller translates serial and other protocols via Node-RED and facilitates machine connectivity. The company’s devices allow teams to create agile, self-serve solutions for machine monitoring and secure cloud data transmission.
2. mia
- Founding Year: 2019
- Employee Range: 2-10
- Location: Germany
- Signal Strength: Very Strong
- What they do: mia develops an app that simplifies factory data collection and accessibility. It provides real-time overviews for factories with complex process chains, short cycle times, and large batch sizes. The company supports manual work steps through checklists to record progress and enhance production planning. Further, mia serves as a tool for bottleneck analyses, monitoring process parameters, system quality, and availability. It has applications in various industries, including automotive, aerospace, metalworking, medical, consumer goods, and more.
3. Teknovus
- Founding Year: 2019
- Employee Range: 11-50
- Location: Bangladesh
- Signal Strength: Very Strong
- What they do: Teknovus builds a virtual navigation system for ready-made garments (RMG) shop floors. Its SmartTrack Data Terminal is placed on digital machines, where it collects data on production processes. The company also offers SmartTag and SmartCard solutions. Teknovus’ SmartCloud software offers real-time analytics and visualization to take relevant steps. It also provides an automatic capacity allocation feature, which allocates available production capacity to orders based on delivery priority, sewing process requirements, and product SMV.
4. Cloudvidia
- Founding Year: 2020
- Employee Range: 2-10
- Location: USA
- Signal Strength: Medium Strong
- What they do: Cloudvidia develops a platform to improve the accuracy, speed, and reliability of pick & place machines in electronics manufacturing. The system analyzes data points for precise adjustments and minimizing error margins. Its real-time AI optimization ensures peak machine performance and maximizes throughput. The company’s platform learns from operational data and refines component placement accuracy for complex devices. Cloudvidia predicts and prevents potential machine failures and extends equipment lifespan.
5. DEEP IN SIGHT
- Founding Year: 2020
- Employee Range: 11-50
- Location: South Korea
- Signal Strength: Very Strong
- What they do: DEEP IN SIGHT develops solutions that leverage AI and 3D sensing cameras to create systems for smart factories. These technologies offer situation awareness, model optimal actions, provide data access, and automate work processes. The machine vision systems enable robots to detect and classify objects, map their environment, and respond accurately in tasks like material handling and assembly. Further, the machine learning algorithms for anomaly detection assist DevOps teams by training and applying generalized models to uncover hidden patterns and identify suspicious behavior.
6. PinOn
- Founding Year: 2019
- Employee Range: 2-10
- Location: USA
- Signal Strength: Very Strong
- What they do: PinOn develops Apexy, a cloud-based vision software that connects multiple cameras and deploys customized machine vision algorithms. The company’s system leverages AI and deep learning to distinguish defects from complex backgrounds and operate across multi-production lines. PinOn’s technology improves defect detection based on product characteristics. Further, it measures worker posture and enables precise training and process optimization solutions.
7. O3 Smart
- Founding Year: 2022
- Employee Range: 51-200
- Location: Switzerland
- Signal Strength: Weak
- What they do: O3 Smart provides O3ai Lean Co-Pilot that optimizes manufacturing operations with real-time analytics and performance monitoring. The platform includes features like custom KPI creation for tracking business objectives and loss identification to pinpoint inefficiencies. Further, the root cause analysis feature facilitates corrective actions and predictive loss analysis uses algorithms to forecast potential losses. The company also offers cost-efficiency recommendations and supports defect management for prompt resolution of machine issues. O3 offers insights for optimizing workflows, minimizing operational waste, and increasing overall productivity.
8. UpSmarting
- Founding Year: 2019
- Employee Range: 2-10
- Location: Denmark
- Signal Strength: Very Strong
- What they do: UpSmarting converts existing industrial assets into smart IoT-enabled devices. The platform employs sensors for real-time monitoring of machine performance. It allows the sharing of machine performance and operational data. The company leverages digital twins, where assets are represented in the cloud for health monitoring. It offers an alerting feature to notify factories of unexpected events.
9. Ferry
- Founding Year: 2023
- Employee Range: 2-10
- Location: UK
- Signal Strength: Strong
- What they do: Ferry offers a digital manufacturing platform to create modular operational apps on the factory floor. Its Ferry Intelligence, powered by AI, combines monitoring and analytics and provides real-time manufacturing insights. Ferry Flows, its unified framework, enhances data accessibility for smarter decisions across the enterprise. Further, Ferry Automation offers plug-and-play solutions to accelerate data collection and analysis through connectivity and hardware.
10. a-robo
- Founding Year: 2022
- Employee Range: 2-10
- Location: Japan
- Signal Strength: Medium
- What they do: a-robo provides the GROW-V AI mold monitoring camera system for plastic molding operations. The system detects anomalies during molding to prevent defects like short shots and pin breaks. It includes edge AI for anomaly learning, adapting to various changes like light misalignment and rust. The system features drift correction to maintain camera alignment and LINE notifications for real-time alerts.
Quick Tip to Find New Smart Factory Solutions
Utilizing a SaaS platform like the Discovery Platform for identifying new smart factory solutions provides significant benefits compared to traditional scouting methods:
- Streamlined Efficiency: The Discovery Platform offers advanced tools that streamline the scouting process. It replaces your hours of conventional desk research, saving time and resources in identifying smart factory innovations.
- Access to Real-time Insights: Gain a competitive edge with up-to-date information on the latest trends in the smart factory industry. The platform keeps you informed with near real-time updates on emerging smart factory solutions and news, enabling you to make swift and informed decisions.
- Tailored Exploration: Customize your search to focus on specific niches within the smart factory sector, such as virtual shop floor navigation, asset intelligence, or modular MES. The platform’s diverse filtering options allow you to target your scouting efforts precisely, ensuring that you find the most relevant and groundbreaking companies in the field.
Ready to Explore All New Smart Factory Solutions?
We’ve explored the dynamic landscape of the smart factory industry, examining the latest trends and spotlighting exceptional companies driving innovation. To dive deeper, download our free Industry 4.0 Report or schedule a demo of the Discovery Platform for a customized exploration of these groundbreaking developments. Partner with us to offer cutting-edge insights into startups and tech. We welcome your input.
