Industry 4.0 Analytics Platform Approach, Benefits, Challenges, and Examples

1. Real-time and predictive engagement is becoming much more of a ‘must-have’, rather than a ‘nice to do’ as part of any manufacturer’s customer experience. 

2. Customers expect a more personalised service. But this makes a huge difference to the analytics platform and capabilities for manufacturers and their services journey.

Export consortia

 SME CONSORTIA
1. SMEs usually have difficulty in exporting to foreign markets: they may lack the necessary knowledge and financing, may not meet foreign regulatory requirements, or may produce products in quantities or quality that are not adequate for foreign buyers, among many other potential problem.

2. However, these problems can often be overcome through cooperation among SMEs. 

3. By combining their knowledge, financial resources and contacts within an export consortium, SMEs can significantly improve their export potential and reduce the costs and risks involved in penetrating foreign markets.

Human-Machine Interface (HMI)

1. A Human-Machine Interface (HMI) is a user interface or dashboard that connects a person to a machine, system, or device. 

2. While the term can technically be applied to any screen that allows a user to interact with a device, HMI is most commonly used in the context of an industrial process.

3. Although HMI is the most common term for this technology, it is sometimes referred to as Man-Machine Interface (MMI), Operator Interface Terminal (OIT), Local Operator Interface (LOI), or Operator Terminal (OT). 

4. HMI and Graphical User Interface (GUI) are similar but not synonymous: GUIs are often leveraged within HMIs for visualization capabilities.

5. An HMI is the centralized control unit for manufacturing lines, equipped with Data Recipes, event logging, video feed, and event triggering, so that one may access the system at any moment for any purpose. 

6. For a manufacturing line to be integrated with an HMI, it must first be working with a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). It is the PLC that takes the information from the sensors, and transforms it to Boolean algebra, so the HMI can decipher and make decisions.

Thailand's Incentives for Eastern Economic Corridor

1. In late December 2019, Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI), the government agency responsible for foreign investment promotion, issued new incentives to attract investments in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).

2. The EEC is a special development zone (SEZ) established in 2017 and straddles three eastern provinces of Thailand – Chonburi, Rayong, and Chachoengsao – spanning a total of 13,285 square kilometers. The government aims to complete the EEC by 2021 and turn it into a hub for technological manufacturing and services.