The automation through RBA and the use of IoT devices allows for smoother, smarter processes. An efficient and well-organized data warehouse is the basis of a company’s ability to advance technologically.  (Photo: Pyxis)

The automation through RBA and the use of IoT devices allows for smoother, smarter processes. An efficient and well-organized data warehouse is the basis of a company’s ability to advance technologically.  (Photo: Pyxis)

If automated, the process of producing and delivering pizzas at a pizza factory could become smoother and much easier. Pyxis explains the steps of how to make a pizza station “smart” through the use of data and IoT.

“Industry 4.0” refers to the fourth industrial revolution. Whereas the third one was driven by the emergence of computer-driven systems, the fourth industrial revolution is all about connectivity. Within this transformation, there is a prominent role for IoT, AI and automation.

The industry 4.0 pizza factory

Imagine a pizza factory consisting of only three stations: at the first station the dough is made, at the second station the sauce, toppings and cheese are added, and the third station represents the oven where the pizza is cooked. Let us install IoT devices on every station. In the first one, we measure how long the dough rises and at what temperature and humidity. On the second station we measure the quantity of sauce, toppings and, of course, the cheese that is added. Finally, at the oven we measure the temperature and the baking time. Now we add artificial intelligence. First of all, we implement computer vision to inspect the quality of the end product: we detect burned spots on the top and bottom of the pizza and analyse the colour of the crust as an indicator of the crustiness of the pizza. Then, using machine learning algorithms and combining IoT generated data with the computer vision data, we develop the knowledge of what makes the perfect pizza. We learn the right oven temperature and time given the humidity and temperature during the dough rising stage. We deduce the perfect ratio between toppings and cheese to get just the right colour and amount of molten cheese and so on.

Robot Process Automation: making the pizza factory “smart”

Of course, now we want to apply all this know-how. But instead of manually adjusting all the settings of each station, we want things to run smoothly by themselves. We want the stations to communicate between each other and adapt their actions accordingly. Enter automation. Using RPA (Robot Process Automation), all settings are automatically adjusted in order to optimise the entire process. Dough rising time is adjusted given the humidity, cheese quantity is dependent on the number of toppings, cooking time and temperature are modified given the dough parameters and amount of cheese, and so on. Put simply, applying Industry 4.0 we made our pizza factory “smart.” By implementing IoT we know what is happening at every station. The introduction of machine learning allowed us to leverage that data and create valuable insights in the quality influencers of our product. Finally, we optimised our process by allowing communication between the different stations and using the AI generated insights as automation rules for the entire production line.

IDATHA perspective

«The lack of an efficient data warehouse slows down any industry 4.0 related advancement.» In today’s market, we observe that very few companies have already in place a fully interconnected or smart production process. On the other hand, we see that a large majority already has implemented some sort of data gathering process, whether it’s custom IoT devices or simply built-in data collection functionalities of the machinery. An efficient and well-organized data warehouse or data lake forms the basis of a company’s ability to advance technologically. If it is not in place, investments will not have the expected nor achievable highest return.

At Pyxis, we design and build data warehouses or big data lakes depending on your (future) needs. Further on, we can address your AI roadmap.

This promotional article was written by Pyxis, as part of the company’s membership with the Paperjam + Delano Club. If you wish to become a member of the Club, contact us at .