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The Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) has introduced the Distributed Smart Value Chain (DSVC) programme, a groundbreaking initiative designed to empower manufacturers to unite as a connected value chain in response to demand and supply fluctuations. This innovative approach enables manufacturers to make collective business decisions and reconfigure production facilities to seize opportunities that might be out of reach for individual entities.
The DSVC programme primarily targets companies with multi-site operations and those aiming to enhance their manufacturing resilience. By fostering competitiveness and resilience among manufacturers in Singapore and beyond, this programme equips them to capitalise on business opportunities and effectively manage significant supply chain disruptions.
Led by A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), the DSVC programme leverages process automation, machine learning (ML), cybersecurity, and AI-centric optimisation capabilities from various A*STAR research entities, including the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC), Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R), Institute of High-Performance Computing (IHPC), and the Centre for Frontier AI Research (CFAR).
It also draws on AI capabilities from esteemed institutions of higher learning such as Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore). The DSVC programme is structured around three core pillars:
- Decentralised Decision-Making: To facilitate secure data sharing among manufacturers, including those with multi-site operations, and enable value chain decision-making.
- Flexible Shopfloor: To support manufacturers in planning for quick changeovers of production lines, enabling rapid execution of decisions. The development of software, algorithms, and hardware recommendations will ensure a swift shopfloor response and enhanced reconfigurability.
- Proof-of-Concept: Building pilot lines at manufacturers’ production sites to demonstrate decentralised decision-making and multi-site production concepts.
Manufacturers typically rely on their own resources and processes to manage supply and demand fluctuations and equipment and raw material disruptions. Some may struggle to fulfil large orders due to capacity limitations, while others with multi-site operations face difficulties in integrating data across diverse enterprise systems, leading to delays in responding to changes in demand and supply.
The DSVC programme introduces a game-changing dynamic where a consortium of manufacturers can seamlessly share data on resource availability and collectively decide whether to accept customer orders as a value chain. For instance, in the event of supply chain disruptions, manufacturers can tap into the resources of their connected value chain to fulfil customer orders promptly.
Manufacturers retain control over the information they are willing to share on the platform, including production and resource availability, profitability considerations, and pricing strategies. This collaborative decision-making extends to accepting large orders and automating the decision-making process.
Beyond facilitating value chain decision-making, the DSVC programme addresses the need for swift execution of decisions on the shop floor. This is achieved by enhancing the reconfigurability of manufacturing sites through both software and hardware modifications. Manufacturers can easily adjust machine and production line setups to optimise production for incoming orders and new product lines.
The effort includes developing a machine and production line configuration toolkit and suggesting production line setups and modular equipment designs. This includes features such as adaptive grippers for handling components of varying shapes, sizes, and materials, as well as an adaptive inspection system to determine appropriate inspection methods aligned with product specifications.
DSVC paves the way for the adoption of digital technologies, moving the industry towards autonomous manufacturing. Manufacturers can efficiently handle dynamic demands, engage in real-time value chain decision-making, and capitalise on an array of business opportunities by utilising reconfigurable manufacturing sites that enable optimisation for existing and new product families.
