Manufacturing digitalization in the Czech Republic still faces significant gaps. Better Industry shows how to gain better insight into production data, including in the plastics industry

Industrial digitalisation has long been more than just a technological trend. According to Eurostat data, only 21 % of companies with more than ten employees in Czechia have a high level of digital intensity, while the EU average is around 25 %. Many companies therefore still do not fully exploit the potential of digital tools, for example in collecting and evaluating production data.

Czech Companies Are Not Yet Making Full Use of Production Data 

“Companies are often surprised by how much production information they do not have available in real time. Simply implementing a system for collecting and evaluating data can bring rapid improvements. Depending on the company's maturity, the long-term effect on manufacturing productivity ranges, in our experience, from approximately three to twenty per cent,” says Tomáš Krejčí, founder and managing director of Better industry, which develops systems for collecting and evaluating production data and works with companies in industries such as plastics, mechanical engineering, defence, automotive and food processing.

Better industry provides companies with key information for measuring, evaluating and improving production efficiency.

In practice, the main aim is for companies to have an immediate overview of what is happening in production, which is particularly important in the continuous and series production typical of the plastics industry. Managers can thus identify inefficient processes more quickly or recurring faults and make better decisions about the organisation of production, maintenance planning and investment in technology. This approach is often associated with the Industry 4.0 concept, which is based on connecting machines, data and digital tools for more efficient production management, for example when monitoring the efficiency of injection moulding machines or production lines.

Real-Time Production Data Is Changing Production Management 

“In some cases, this reveals that it is not necessary to buy new machines, but that better utilisation of the capacity of existing ones is sufficient,” explains Jan Hroch, executive director of České společnosti pro údržbu.

BI CONTROL software from Better industry measures and evaluates production data in real time.

Manufacturing companies across sectors, including food processing, have had similar experiences. “By implementing the BI CONTROL system from Better industry, we can now see production data in real time and have a much better overview of how our lines are operating. This helps us plan production more accurately and gradually increase its capacity,” states Tomáš Sviták, member of the board of directors of Madeta.

Manufacturing Digitalisation as a Long-Term Trend in Czech Industry

According to experts, the digitalisation of manufacturing processes will therefore remain one of the key topics for Czech industry in the coming years. “Companies that can make better use of production data can gain a significant advantage not only in productivity, but also in their ability to respond quickly to market changes,” concludes Tomáš Krejčí of Better industry. 

You can find more information about solutions for manufacturing digitalisation and production data collection on our website.