The term ‘Science’ demands a broader definition, fueled by the philosophy of objectivity – the persistent search for truth that is independent of subjective bias. Scientific thoughts are an integral part of the journey of men from crude to credence, from credence to cynic, from cynicism to civilized. And civilization stands on its head in the manufacturing industries which throbs life into its heart.
Scientific discoveries, experiments and innovations worked together with industry leaders for decades, finding out ways to shift its attitude from intuitive to comprehensible but complex precise mathematical forms describing various mechanical transformations in some underlying ether. Let’s have a look at five scientific innovations which transfigured the manufacturing industry into an omnipotent, omnipresent and all encompassing organism:
1. Shannon’s Entropy of Information theory – Claude Shannon “father of information theory”, was an American mathematician, electrical engineer, and cryptographer. Information theory is the scientific study of quantification, storage and communication of information. The theory was first developed in the 1920’s and was further evolved by Shannon.
In the ‘Information theory’ Shannon turned "information" from a vague word related to how much someone knew about something into a precise mathematical unit that could be measured, manipulated and transmitted. Information theory was created to find practical ways to make better, more efficient codes and find the limits on how fast computers could process digital signals. Every piece of digital information is the result of codes that have been examined and improved using Shannon's equation. It has provided the mathematical underpinning for increased data storage and compression – Zip files, MP3s and JPGs could not exist without it. Industries all around are going through a revolution and have made a new name for it – Industry 4.0.
One of the key issues of this transformation is the management of mammoth amount of data exchanged among its different integrated systems. Cyber-physical systems (CPS) and Internet of Things (IoT), opens new gates towards industrial digitalization by enabling automated procedures and communication by means that were not possible in the past. Shannon’s information theory has an important role in the establishment of Industry 4.0. Entropy is an important variable to identify the transformation of manufacturing systems. The Entropy measurement of a system, is based on Shannon’s communication system. The Entropy of a random variable is the average level of "information", "surprise", or "uncertainty" inherent in the variable's possible outcomes.
2. Henry Ford’s Conveyor Belt – Ford revolutionized mass production by perfecting the system of conveyor belt assembly line. 100 years have passed, and modern technologies have further revolutionized the structure based on the idea laid out by Ford. Conveyor belts have remained ubiquitous in the mass production process.
3. James Watt Steam Engine – James Watt was a Scottish instrument maker and inventor whose steam engine contributed substantially to the Industrial Revolution. Watt was also known for his double-acting engine and an early steam locomotive. The Watt engine was a principle development of the Industrial Revolution because of its rapid incorporation into many industries. Because of his contributions to science and industry, the watt – unit of power in the International System of Units (SI) equal was named after him. Some scientists argue that the design of the double-acting engine in 1784 should be defined as the starting point of the Anthropocene Epoch—the unofficial interval of geologic time in which human activity started to have a significant impact on the planet's climate and ecosystems.
4. Theory of Computation and Statistics – The origins of statistical theory lie in the 18th-century advances in probability and the first wave, at the turn of the century, was led by the work of Francis Galton and Karl Pearson, who transformed statistics into a rigorous mathematical discipline used for analysis, not just in science, but in industry and politics as well. Statistics is used in industries like hardware manufacturing – to create a plan of action that will work more efficiently for forecasting the future productivity of the hardware enterprise; in data management and data mining – to create, edit, manipulate and analyze data.
5. Scientific management theory – Frederick Taylor’s Principles of Scientific Management, forever changed the way organizations view their workers and their organization. Taylor through his work made it clear that the best way to overcome inefficiency is scientific management. His principles of scientific management in action – organizational charts, performance evaluations, quality measurements and metrics, and sales and/or production goals – much of what any modern organization takes for granted was stated by Fredrick Taylor.
Taylor hoped for a “neat, understandable world in the factory, an organization of men whose acts would be planned, coordinated, and controlled under continuous expert direction.” Based on his scientific approach factory production became a matter of efficient and scientific management—the planning and administration of workers and machines alike as components of one big machine.
