BOM expands to bill of materials and refers to a list which contains the details of raw materials, parts, and instructions required for development or manufacture, or repair of a product or service. BOM is usually a tree-like shape and in a hierarchical format in which the highest level shows the finished product and below levels are the components or component grouping forming it with the last level showing the individual components and materials.

IIoT expands to the industrial internet of things (IIoT) and refers to the usage of smart sensors and actuators for making the manufacturing and industrial processes more efficient and effective. The term IIoT is also called as the industrial internet or Industry 4.0. It sensors for recording dat and smart machines to collate and organize and send data for analytics. Real-time analytics are used for to address any uneventuality. The major benefit of IIoT being quick and flawless production with better efficiency. Inefficiencies and problems are easily identified and addressed. IIoT also enables companies to implement sustainable practices, have access to supply chain traceability along with predictive maintenance, enhanced customer service.

CPS expands to Cyber-physical systems and it refers to the integrations of computing, networking, and physical devices with sensors so as to derive productivity and efficiency without affecting the quality. The physical devices are monitored and controlled by embedded systems by using feedback loops to. Hence, CPS is the new age technology to integrate the physical devices with sensors and actuators which makes them controllable by software and accessible across the globe by networking.

Smart manufacture or Smart manufacturing refers a manufacturing system which has been completely integrated with other systems and is collaborative with other systems of the organization so that it quickly responds in real time to the changing demands of the customer.  It makes manufacturing system more demand-driven and customer centric. It is also related to Industry 4.0 for the fourth industrial revolution.

The Smart Factory refers to a technology driven concept for digitizing the functions and processes in a factory so that it can respond quickly and efficiently to the customer demand. It connects physical devices with digital connection so as to monitor and control the complete process of production from anywhere. It integrates the supply chain of manufacturing tools and machines to individual operators on the shop floor. It facilitates automation and self-optimization to offer more efficient and quality output. It impacts all aspects of the company including planning, supply chain, and product development.

Cloud computing refers to making available the computing services over the internet. The computing services include the availability, provisioning and usage of servers, storage, networking, software, analytics, and database. The main benefit of cloud computing is that it offers payments as per usage without capital expenditures to be made.

Cognitive computing is a new domain of computing which focuses on designing and developing computer based models which simulate a human brain for processing of data and making decisions in a complex environment. It involves various usages of multiple domains which includes neural networks, machine learning, artificial intelligence, NLP or natural language processing, sentiment analysis and contextual awareness. The main benefit of cognitive computing is the scalability it offers at lower cost in processing or resolving complex problems.

Artificial intelligence, as per the name refers to intelligence of human to be digitized or simulated by computing machines. The machines are programmed similar to a human and they perform actions as humans do for solving a problem. The machines are able to exhibit learning and problem-solving as that done by a human mind. The benefit of artificial intelligence is ease of configuring machines to solve newer and more complex problems, scalability being offered for problem resolution.

DCR expands to document change request which refers to a change request type which enlists the changes to be made to an important document of reference which is under versioning. The document usually is a document for standard operations, procedures, instructions for a process or technique.  The DCR is the first step in a change to be made in a process by starting the change process after which requisite feasibility of change is ascertained by discussion. After discussion, approval is provided if feasible or the change is acceptable to all and then, the DCR is released which results in issuance of a DCO (document change order). DCO implements the changes as listed in the DCR.  

Kanban refers to quality improvement methodology which is also applied as a managerial technique to define, manage and improve the quality level of the product or services being rendered. Kanban focuses on providing real time updates and feedback about the capacity of work in the system with complete transparency. A kanban board is used to depict visually the state of work items of the process thus stakeholders can see the progress or state of work items in the whole process.

AR expands to Augmented reality technology which refers to showing digital content on to the real world by superimposing data or digital content onto physical elements or objects. In manufacturing or production domain, the AR technology is used extensively for overlaying text or data about equipment without even touching it hence, virtually the health or data about the equipment can be monitored.

Additive Manufacturing refers to the manufacturing technique of producing a product by adding individual layers to form the product. It is also called as 3D printing.  The process of producing the product or addition is controlled by computers and the three-dimensional objects are created by multitude of materials. It makes use of CAD (computer aided design) or 3D object scanners, to chart out the product to produce. It does not involve any machining or other production techniques to be applied and produces no wastage.

Big Data as per its name refers to the bigness or huge nature of data. It refers to the humongous data which is unstructured and can also be structured or mixed, need to be captured, stored and processed for generating information. Big data can be social media posts, images, video or audio, etc. In manufacturing it big data is usually the data sent by sensors or IoT components attached to physical equipments and are used to monitor or control the device for efficiency and effectiveness.

Numerical Control is a technology for controlling the machines by using numerical codes. Machines like machining tools and other manufacturing equipments can be controlled remotely using computer numerical control or CNC. A CNC machine inputs a coded programming instruction usually is a specific language which it supports and without requiring human intervention, it processes the provided material as per instructions in the program. Numerical control makes the process of controlling and directing the equipment completely automated as the machine is now managed under the provided program. New age processes like laser cutting and additive manufacturing completely rely on numerical control.

Cobots are a term which expands to collaborative robots and refers to robots which share a workspace with humans to automate specific tasks instead of automating all the tasks being performed by the humans. Collaborative robots are a developing new age technology which has hastened robot adaptation across the industry. Cobots have in-built safety to prevent any untoward incident.

The term AMR expands to autonomous mobile robot which is actually robots who can move through its environment without human intervention or supervision. They travel over a specific predetermined path with the help of special sensors which aid in the movement of AMRs. The sensors sense the environment and provide inputs to the AMR for deciding its path and movement.

Industrial wearable are devices which usually is being worn by operators for controlling or manipulating the physical machines or for receiving the details on the machine. They are also worn by supervisors or managers to know the production being done or for diagnostics if any error is encountered. These devices collect real time data about activities of the machine and can also be used to alert for any issues.

Predictive maintenance is a type of maintenance which involves processing data about an equipment so as to assess its present state and predict the likelihood of any failure or issue that may crop up in future. This maintenance type is data-driven and proactive in nature as it triggers action before a failure may occur thus preventing downtime by constant monitoring of the equipment.

VR expands to Virtual Reality and refers to a simulated environment which is generated by computers having realistic appeal with scenes and objects as in real life. The user feels of being in a real world. Usually VR may involve using of specialized equipments by the end user like a Virtual Reality headset or helmet. The VR environment has a realistic-feeling experience and is used for training or playing games. Software can be configured to provide specific experience to the user and with the help of hardware, realistic environment is simulated.

Mixed-model assembly lines as the name suggest, refers to assembly lines which are not specific to a single product but can be easily configured to produce different product variants or different products having a number of commonality. The mixed-model assembly lines can easily produce different models or variants of the product with ease. These lines helps address the specific needs of the customer and a highly customized product is delivered to the customer. It also enables ease in implementation of Just in Time (JIT) and balanced production.

Cybersecurity refers to the security being provided to cyber or internet based resources. Cybersecurity involves protecting systems, networks, and programs from digital attacks mostly emanating from the internet. The attacks can access, modify or delete sensitive information and may also involve extorting money by using ransom ware or may result in disruption of normal business processes.

Light based Manufacture is a recent phenomenon and refers to a light based manipulation platform which is used to produce electronic components. The light based manufacture system makes use of optical traps and devices for manipulating small objects in liquid by light. Due to smaller sizes of electronic components and advancements will make them smaller, light based manufacture system enables mass production of electronic parts cheaply and quickly.

Embedded Metrology as per the term refers to embedding of the metrology and metrological equipments in the production line in itself and avoiding a separate quality check or department which uses metrological equipments for quality checks. Embedded metrology measures components within the production line less human interference and is also more accurate. It is an automated system which has integrated measuring and monitoring technology for quality control at the time of manufacture to make the manufacturing quicker, cheaper and more efficient.

A connected supply chain refers to the connectedness in the multiple components of a supply chain so that it functions as a single unit and is tightly integrated in terms of data exchange and there are no disparate systems. All partner systems and networks are integrated for end-to-end flow of information to provide an integrated view of suppliers, dealers, manufacturers, logistics partners, and customers. Thus providing benefits to all components of the supply chain.

Sustainability refers to the concept of maintaining balance amongst various elements of environment, organization and economy. Sustainability focuses on profits, planet, and people or 3Ps which translate to sustaining economic, environmental, and social aspects of the business so that the companies can reduce waste, invest in renewable energy and support a sustainable future.